The Road to Phoenix and the women's Final Four starts Monday, when the 2025-26 women's college basketball season opens.

Reigning NCAA champion UConn returns as the favorite, but some new names will be vying for national player of the year. UConn's Paige Bueckers has moved on to the WNBA, and USC 's JuJu Watkins will sit out this season after a knee injury prematurely ended her NCAA tournament run in March.

In their stead, Huskies teammates Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd will be in the mix in a crowded player of the year race. Who will join them? And what else will shape the season?

ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel answer those questions and make predictions on what we might see over the next five months of women's hoops.

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