UCLA Women’s basketball: Where are they ranked this preseason

Expectations are very high for UCLA entering the 2023-24 season.

The UCLA women’s basketball team is entering the 2023-2024 season with high expectations. The Bruins are coming off a 27-10 season in which they reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament last season.

UCLA returns several key players from last year’s team, including WBCA All-American guard Charisma Osborne. Osborne averaged 15.9 points per game last season and was named to the Pac-12 All-First Team.

Other returning key players for the Bruins include guard Kiki Rice the former No. 2 ranked player from the 2022 class, forward Camryn Brown, and forward Emily Bessoir. Rice averaged 11.6 points per game last season, Brown averaged three points and 3.3 rebounds per game, and Bessoir averaged 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

The Bruins also welcome some talented players including incoming freshman Amanda Muse and the former No. 1 ranked player from the 2022 class and Stanford transfer Lauren Betts.

With so much talent returning and coming in, the Bruins are expected to be one of the top teams in the country this season. UCLA is ranked high in various preseason rankings this season.

The Bruins will play a challenging non-conference schedule that includes games against Purdue, UConn, Ohio State, Arkansas, and Flordia State. UCLA will also have to contend with a tough Pac-12 schedule that includes games against Stanford, Arizona, and Oregon.

Overall, the UCLA women’s basketball team is in a good position to have a successful season in 2024. The Bruins have a talented roster with a mix of experience and youth. If they can stay healthy and play to their potential, they should be able to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Let’s take a look at where UCLA is ranked in various preseason rankings and polls.

UCLA is ranked just behind LSU and UConn by the Athletic top 25 preseason rankings.

The Bruins are ranked No. 3 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2023-24.

This is UCLA’s lowest ranking among all published polls and rankings for this preseason.

In the AP Top 25 poll, UConn, LSU, and Iowa are ranked ahead of them.

Finally, ESPN’s Women’s Hoop has UCLA ranked No. 3.

This UCLA team is getting respect and it is well-deserved after a good season in 2022-23 and the amount of talent they have on their team is being noticed nationally. They should be able to live up to the preseason hype and do well this season.