Basketball season is upon us, meaning it is time for the preseason power rankings. Women's basketball's biggest programs look to welcome fans back to their stadiums as they chase a National Championship.

Writers Dylan Holt, Blake Beasley, Matt LaSerre, Colby Marchio and Dylan Jespersen collaborated to bring you the TV Sports preseason NCAAW Power Rankings.

1. UConn

The UConn Huskies have a rare chip on their shoulders after falling to Arizona in the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. They are a truly loaded team, like most years, led by Paige Bueckers and legendary coach Geno Auriemma. Bueckers enters her sophomore season after a stellar first year where she averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game.

She is joined by No. 1 recruit Azzi Fudd, a 5-foot-11-inch shooting guard. It should come as no surprise that the Huskies top the TV Sports Power Rankings.

2. Stanford

Stanford stood tall as National Champions at the end of last season. The Cardinal are led by do-it-all guard Haley Jones. As a sophomore, Jones averaged 13.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. They lost Kiana Williams, but Jana Van Gytenbeck is expected to step up in a big way. Tara VanDerveer's squad is very solid and could very well be fighting for yet another national championship in April. 

3. South Carolina

The Gamecocks fell to eventual the national champions, Stanford, by just a point in the Final Four last year. The core of their team is back in the form of Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston. That core is joined by the nation's best recruiting class. Freshmen Raven Johnson, Saniya Rivers and Sania Feagin make the Gamecocks even more dangerous. Dawn Staley's squad is expected to have yet another great season.

4. Louisville

Louisville's 2020-21 season came to an end in the Elite Eight against Stanford. The Cardinals have to find a way to replace star player Dana Evans, who was selected No. 13 overall in this year's WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings. They were able to add two big-time transfers to lessen the blow of losing Evans. Emily Engstler comes in from Syracuse and Chelsie Hall comes to the 'Ville after four years at Vanderbilt. Jeff Walz and the Cardinals should have yet another good year.

5. Maryland

Maryland had the country's best offense last season, but that did not stop them from falling to Texas in the Sweet 16. Juniors Ashley Owusu (17.9 ppg) and Diamond Miller (17.3 ppg) lead the way on offense for the Terps. They also have a trio of seniors in Katie Benzan, Chloe Bibby and Channise Lewis who are back for another crack at it thanks to an extra year of eligibility. This team is nearly the exact same that won the Big 10 last year, as they return 10 of 11 players.

6. North Carolina State

North Carolina State's program has completely turned around over the past 2 years. Last year's team posted a dominant 22-3 record. They were excellent in ACC play finishing 12-2. The Wolf Pack made it to the sweet sixteen last year. Expectations for NC State are even higher this year.

The Wolfpack did not lose a key member of last year's team and is loaded, returning multiple big-time players. They will be returning all five starters and all of their rotation players from last year's team. The three biggest players to look out for are:

Elissa Cunane, Center, Senior, 16.3 ppg

Kakia Brown-Turner, Forward, Junior, 13.5 ppg

Kayla Jones Forward, Senior, 11.9 ppg

7. Baylor

Baylor was dominant last year going 28-3 and 17-1 in Big 12 play. However, Baylor has gone through a big change since last year. For the first time in 21 years, the Bears have a new head coach. After their success last season, head coach Kim Mulkey left to coach at LSU. Now, Baylor brings in a new coach Nicki Collen. Despite never being a head coach at the collegiate level Collen has an impressive resume, including winning WNBA Coach of the Year in 2018.

Losing their head coach is not the only hit the Bears took this offseason. Moon Ursin, Didi Richardson, and Dijonai Carrington all departed for the WNBA. However, the Bears reloaded with talented replacements. This offseason, Baylor added 3 major transfers in Ja'Mee Asberry, a junior guard from Oklahoma State, Jordan Lewis, a senior guard from Alabama and Kamaria McDaniel, a senior guard from Penn State. The Bears also added Kendra Gillispie, the No. 10 ranked forward from the 2021 recruiting class.

The two biggest returning players to look out for are:

NaLyssa Smith, Guard, Senior 18.0 ppg

Queen Egba, Center, Senior, 11.1 ppg

8. Iowa

Iowa was the surprise of the NCAA tournament last year. The Hawkeyes had a 20-10 record during the regular season but struggled in Big 10 play, finishing 11-8 on the year. However, in the NCAA tournament, Iowa made it all the way to the Sweet 16. What makes the Hawkeyes dangerous is they lost no key players from last year. Instead, they're adding a lot of talent from their recruiting class. Freshman guard Sydney Affolter, forward AJ Ediger, and forward/center Addison O' Grady will look to make an immediate impact on the Hawkeyes. Iowa also added Kylie Feuerbach, a transfer sophomore guard from Iowa State.

The Hawkeyes will always be a competitor as long as they have Caitlin Clark. Last season, the freshman took the entire basketball world by storm. The Hawkeyes also have multiple different starters returning as well.

Below are the 3 biggest key players returning for the Hawkeyes:

Caitlin Clark, Guard, Sophomore,26.6 ppg

Monika Cziano, Guard, Sophomore,19.3 ppg

McKenna Warnock, Guard, Junior, 12.0 ppg

9. Indiana

The Indiana Hoosiers team made history last season, making it to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. The Hoosiers had an excellent regular season as well, finishing 21-6 overall and 16-2 in Big 10 play.

Indiana only had one big departure as this past offseason as they lost Jaelynn Penn. However, Indiana also made strides in the offseason. They added key freshmen such as guard Keyarah Berry, guard Kaitlin Peterson and forward Mona Zaric. The Hoosiers also did well in the transfer portal. Senior Guard Caitlin Hose transferred from Georgia to Indiana this offseason.

Indiana also returned all 5 of their starters. The 3 biggest players to look out for next season are below:

Mackenzie Holmes Junior, Forward, 17.8 ppg

Grace Berger, Senior, Guard,15.4 ppg

Ali Patberg, Senior, Guard, 14.0 ppg

10. Michigan

Last season, Michigan had a lot of success. The Wolverines finished 16-6 in the regular season. And 9-4 in Big 10 play. The Wolverines found their most success during the NCAA tournament, making it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Michigan lost two key players this off-season. Guard Akienreh Johnson and forward Hailey Brown are both no longer with the squad. Michigan bounced back with an excellent recruiting class, however. Freshman forward Taylor Gibson, guard Jordan Hobbs, guard Laila Phelia, and guard Ari Wiggins will look to make an immediate impact for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines return three starters. The most important is the return of star Senior Naz Hillmon. She was electrifying last season. The other three starters will make a large impact as well.

The three returning starters are below:

Naz Hillmon, Senior, Forward 23.9 ppg

Leigha Brown, Senior, Guard 18.2 ppg

Amy Dilk, Senior, Guard 7.7 ppg

11. Oregon

The Lady Ducks start their season on November 8th against Idaho State Bengals. It is safe to say that it is a tune-up game for Oregon. Leading up to the start of the season, some unfortunate questions have popped up. The Ducks' two-star guards, Endiya Rogers and Te-Hina Paopao, are both out and without a timeline for return. For Rogers, she is out with a broken arm/hand. Coach Kelly Graves said, "…she's going to be out several weeks,".

As for Paopao, the injury has yet to be announced to the public, so nobody knows how long Oregon will be without their two All-Conference players.

12. Iowa State

The Cyclones begin their season at home against Omaha. Unfortunately for Iowa State, their future is uncertain due to injuries as well. In a preseason game against Wisconsin-River Falls, All-American Ashley Jones sustained an ankle injury less than two minutes after tip-off.  Since then, Jones has not practiced. However, she has not been ruled out for their opener, which leaves the future bright for the rest of the season.

13. Kentucky

The Wildcats tip off their season Tuesday night against Presbyterian. This will be the first time the two colleges have faced each other in Women's Basketball. Kentucky also starts off their season with the games in six days.

The main story for the Wildcats will be their experience. They have multiple redshirt juniors who are looking to make a difference. Mainly Dre'una Edwards, who had 21 points in their pre-season game, and Olivia Owens, who went 8 for 11 with 16 points. In addition, senior Rhyne Howard also had 17 points in that game and looks to end her career in Lexington strong.

14. Tennessee

The Lady Vols open their season against Southern Illinois. Sadly, this is another team where injuries could be a huge issue. SEC All-Freshman sophomore from Spain, Marta Suarez, is out for the entire season with a foot injury. This is a major loss for the Vols. Where they can make up for this is with their experience. Three of their best players are all upperclassmen.

Keyen Green, a transfer from Liberty, is one of those older players; she has started all four preseason games in Green's absence. To make up for the injured Suarez, Green must be a big contributor for this team.

15. Ohio State

The Buckeyes lost two of their big-time players going into this season, Dorka Juhasz and Aaliyah Patty, to the transfer portal, meaning the Buckeyes will have to replace the team's top rebounders.

This team is full of veterans with a total of 10 returning players from last year. Jacy Sheldon, the team's leading scorer as a sophomore, and Madison Greene, who led the team in assists, are going to have to lead this team through the Big 10.

16. Oregon State

After being eliminated in the second round of the 2020-2021 NCAA Tournament, the Oregon State Beavers plan to bring a whole lot of excitement into the 2021-2022 season. Especially with returning players like Taylor Jones, who is the Beavers biggest inside threat. The Beavers are also excited about freshman Talia von Oelhoffen, who arrived in January after graduating high school early. Von Oelhoffen is going to bring a lot of shooting to the team.

They will be without Aleah Goodman, their defensive specialist, this year. Goodman led the team in steals last season. Hopefully, someone can step up on the defensive end for Oregon State.

17. Florida State

There is nothing scarier than a team returning all five starters, and Florida State is that team. The Seminoles return their top three scorers from a year ago in 5-foot-11 redshirt senior guard Bianca Jackson, who averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 assists per game, senior guard Morgan Jones, 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, and Kourtney Weber, who averaged 11.8 points per game.

Having all their returning scorers back, the Seminoles will be a scary team with a lot of chemistry.

18. Georgia Tech

Coming off a Sweet 16 appearance last season, the Yellow Jackets come into the season wanting more. With a roster full of experience, the Jackets are led by senior center Lorela Cuba, one of the most dominating bigs in the country. Last season, she averaged 12.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. They are also led by point guard Lotta-Maj Lahtinen and forward Kierra Fletcher.

With all the experience the Yellow Jackets have, they are due for an extremely successful season.

19. UCLA

Finishing third in the Pac-12 last season, the Bruins are going to be a force this season. Junior guard Charisma Osborne will be everything for the Bruins this season. Last year Osborne averaged 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists and knocked down a team-high 53 three-pointers.

Another significant piece to UCLA's success is returning scorer Natalie Chou, who averaged 9.9 points and shot a team-high 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.

It will be a rough day for any opposing defense going up against an offense that features Osborne and Chou.

20. West Virginia

West Virginia has four returning starters coming into the 2021-2022 season. The one loss was a big one in the No. 4 overall draft pick Kyser Gondrezick, who averaged 19.5 points and 4.5 assists during her last season with the Mountaineers.

However, it is up to junior guard KK Deans to take on the leadership role. Last season, she was second to only Gondrezick with 13.7 points and 3.9 assists per game. Dean is an unbelievable shooter, hitting 41.5 percent of her attempts from beyond the arc last season.

With all the veteran experience surrounding this team, they should have no problem finding success, even without Godrezick on the floor.

21. USF

South Florida is poised to run away with the American Athletic Conference this year; just ask the AAC coaches, who unanimously picked the Bulls as the preseason favorites.

Senior forward Bethy Mununga (9.6 points per game, 12.9 rebounds per game), sophomore guard Elena Tsineke (13.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG), and redshirt senior forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjaideu (14.1 PPG, 10.6 RPG) highlighted a group of five Bulls that were named first-team All-AAC.

22. Arizona

Arizona made an incredible run in last year's NCAA Tournament, making it all the way to the final game and falling just shy of winning a National Championship. Now, Arizona will have to reset in what will prove to be a tough Pac-12 Conference.

The Wildcats will hope trading a star player in Aari McDonald for a deeper lineup will translate into another run in the 2021-22 season. They were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 by the conference's coaches.

23. Texas A&M

The 2021-22 Texas A&M season will be the last for legendary head coach Gary Blair. The 76-year-old head coach has won 838 games in his career, ranking No. 12 in NCAA history and No. 4 among active coaches.

With just nine more wins, Blair will pass Dr. Shelby Metcalf as the winningest basketball coach in Aggies' history, men's or women's.

24. Virginia Tech

Va Tech is yet another team returning all five starters from their 2020-21 season. Fifth-year senior Aisha Shepard and junior Elizabeth Kitley, both first-team All-ACC players last season, are back to lead the Hokies in a high-expectation year. Look for Va Tech to be the top dogs in the ACC near the end of the year.

25. Texas

Texas took arguably the biggest loss in the offseason as Charli Collier went No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft. Her departure, along with the departures of Kyra Lambert and Celeste Taylor, means Texas will need to replace 53.5% of their offense from last season.

The Longhorns will lean on Joanne Allen-Taylor, a senior who logged the most minutes in the NCAA last season (1,097 minutes). Her leadership should help a new-look Longhorns team thrive early on.