UCLA closed the 2025‑26 season as the first‑ever women's NCAA champion, defeating South Carolina in the title game. The Bruins’ 69‑56 rout earned them the No.1 spot in the final AP Top 25 poll, a unanimous vote from 31 media members. The win cements UCLA’s place at the summit of college hoops for the season.

South Carolina’s loss snapped a perfect 15‑0 record against the Bruins and ended the Gamecocks’ bid to break the Huskies’ 33‑year streak at the top of the poll. With Texas, UConn, and UConn’s Final Four run, the championship game confirmed the shifting balance in the North‑South rivalry for the nation in 2026 season overall performance.

The final poll also spotlighted Virginia, which earned its first ranking since 2011 after reaching the Sweet 16, and Notre Dame, which leapt 13 spots to ninth. Meanwhile, the ACC’s five teams and the SEC’s eight reflect the conference parity that defined the season’s competitive landscape for teams in 2026 season overall performance today.

UCLA’s triumph marks the first time a program has finished the season ranked No.1 after winning the national title, joining Maryland and Baylor in a rare 50‑year historical link. The championship also ends the Huskies’ 33‑year dominance at the top, reshaping the narrative for the next decade of women’s college basketball in 2026 season overall.