10 Experts Predict South Carolina Will Win 2027 Title

Ten college basketball experts made their picks for the 2027 Final Four and national champion in a preview released by CBS Sports. The season opened Sunday when Notre Dame defeated Villanova in Rome, but most teams begin play Monday and Tuesday. The 2026-27 campaign starts with UCLA as the defending champion and South Carolina as the top favorite in most analyses.

The 2025-26 season saw South Carolina and UConn reach the championship game, where they lost to UCLA. Dawn Staley's team has assembled a roster with considerable depth for this year. Tessa Johnson, Agot Makeer, and Joyce Edwards return from last year's squad. Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins are back after missing the entire 2025-26 season. Jordan Lee joined from Texas, and Alicia Tournebize, a 6-foot-7 forward from France, is ready for a full year.

Recruiting has bolstered South Carolina's roster further. Oliviyah Edwards, ranked No. 4 in her class, and Jerzy Robinson, ranked No. 6, are now on campus. Staley faces a question regarding starting point guard experience, but experts believe the frontcourt talent will dominate. One expert noted that the depth in Columbia is staggering and that finding enough minutes for that much top-level talent may be the biggest challenge.

UConn enters the season with Sarah Strong, the returning national player of the year, as its centerpiece. KK Arnold, Jana El Elfy, and Ashlynn Shade provide veteran experience. The Huskies added Olivia Vukosa, the No. 2 recruit in the class per ESPN. Blanca Quiñonez returns as a sophomore expected to take on a larger role. Experts agree that UConn and South Carolina are the two safest bets for the Final Four.

USC presents a different challenge for the fourth Final Four spot. The Trojans have not reached the Final Four since 1986, though they made the Elite Eight in 2024 and 2025. JuJu Watkins returns after 588 days away with an ACL injury. She joins Jazzy Davidson, the 2025-26 Freshman of the Year, and Saniyah Hall, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2026. This combination gives USC the most talented roster of Lindsay Gottlieb's tenure.

Other contenders for the final bracket spot include Michigan, LSU, Texas, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame. One expert selected Duke, citing back-to-back Elite Eight appearances and the addition of the No. 4 recruiting class. Aaliyah Crump transferred from Texas to join Kara Lawson's squad. Toby Fournier is expected to be in the National Player of the Year conversation. Arianna Robinson and Riley Nelson are projected to take big steps forward. Redshirt freshman Emilee Skinner is healthy after an injury interrupted her development last season.

Another expert chose Texas for the fourth slot, noting that the Longhorns brought in the top recruiting class per 247 Sports. Madison Booker remains on the roster, and Vic Schaefer's teams are typically ready to compete in March. Despite losing talent to the WNBA, Texas has enough pieces to make noise in March.

Predictions for the national title heavily favor South Carolina. Experts point to the team's ability to recover from back-to-back runner-up finishes in 2025 and 2026. Staley's squad is expected to outclass opponents with its frontcourt presence. UConn is also a strong contender, with Sarah Strong poised to repeat as the top player in the country. She won the award last season without being fully healthy and now has a larger role without Paige Bueckers or Azzi Fudd on the floor.