Jeff Walz and the Louisville women will enter the 2026-2027 season ranked No. 7 in the preseason AP poll. Coach Walz is entering his 20th season on the sidelines for the Cards, setting a standard of excellence in his tenure. Walz has made the second weekend 13 times, with four Final Fours and two national runner-up finishes.
Here is a look at the full AP poll:
South Carolina
2. Connecticut - Sunday, Nov. 15 - KFC Yum! Center
3. Southern California
4. Duke - Thursday, Feb. 18 - Cameron Indoor Stadium
5. Michigan
6. Texas - Wednesday, Dec. 2 - Moody Center
7. Louisville
8. Vanderbilt
9. LSU
10. Iowa
11. UCLA
12. North Carolina - Sunday, Jan. 10 - KFC Yum! Center
13. Notre Dame - Thursday, Jan. 21 - KFC Yum! Center Sunday, Feb. 28 - Purcell Pavilion
14. Kentucky - Wednesday, Dec. 9 - Rupp Arena
15. TCU
16. Washington
17. Minnesota
18. Ohio State
19. Ole Miss
20. Maryland
21. Oklahoma
22. Oklahoma State
23. Illinois
24. West Virginia
25. NC State - Sunday, Feb. 21 - KFC Yum! Center
Takeaways from the poll reveal:
Louisville will have plenty of opportunity to prove-improve its ranking with seven games slated against preseason Top 15 squads. Three of those opportunities will come in the non-conference slate. UConn owns a 21-3 lead in history of the series, but the Cards won the last matchup in Louisville 78-69 in 2019.
U of L head coach Jeff Walz, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma share a laugh before their Elite 8 tournament game in Albany, N.Y.Mar. 31, 2019Uofl Uconn15 Sam | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Louisville and Texas will be meeting for the fifth time. The Cards knocked the Longhorns out of the NCAA Tournament in 2023 with a 73-51 win in Austin. The Ville has won seven of the last nine against intra-state rival Kentucky, even though the Wildcats knocked off the Cards in the Yum! Center last season.
Mar 8, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Elif Istanbulluoglu (11) grabs a lose ball against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Duke and Louisville are the front runners in the conference again. Kara Lawson has built a legitimate competitor in Durham. She has a .713 winning percentage as the woman in charge for the Blue Devils, taking them to the Elite Eight the past two seasons. Duke beat the Cards by one point in Louisville last season and overtime in the ACC tournament.
NC State, Notre Dame and North Carolina round out a respectable lineup for the conference. Senior Hannah Hiddalgo at Notre Dame is one of the most complete players in the country. She averaged 25.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 5.6 steals per game a season ago.
Who can knock South Carolina down before the final weekend? Dawn Staley's Gamecocks have been in the last six Final Fours, making the championship game four times and raising the trophy twice.
Louisville tips off the season on Monday, Nov. 2 hosting the Bellarmine Knights.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/louisville as Louisville Women Tabbed Preseason Top 10 .
