UCLA WBB Deemed Most Improved Team This Season

The UCLA Bruins women's basketball team is expected to make one of the most impressive leaps this season, despite making it all the way to the Final Four last season.

So much so that Senior Writer for SB Nation, Mitchell Northam, ranked the Bruins at the top of his list of six women's college basketball teams that got better in the offseason. Northam, who covers women's college sports at Breakaway, compiled which teams improved the most through recruiting and the transfer portal.

Here's what he had to say about UCLA:

"The Bruins lost six players to the portal after making a Final Four run, including a starter in Londynn Jones and key off-the-bench players in Janiah Barker and Elina Aarnisalo. But they could afford those losses because of the talent coming in.

"Via the portal, Cori Close’s side added perhaps the best 3-point shooter available in Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens, who is coming off a near 50-40-90 season.

"The Bruins are also bringing in a player who is an early favorite to be one of the best freshmen in the country, Lauren Betts’ younger sister Sienna. The 6-foot-4 forward is currently starring for the U.S. national team at the FIBA U19 World Cup, and recently notched 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a dominant win over China.

"UCLA seems capable of reaching the Final Four again, but a challenging schedule will test this roster early."

That roster challenge is a great point, the Bruins play the likes of Tennessee for the first of a home-and-home series against the SEC team in November, and is taking part in the inaugural Players Era Women's Championship in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving Weekend. Duke, South Carolina and Texas will be joining UCLA in the four-team tournament.

Three of the four programs competing in the tournament, including UCLA, are coming off Final Four appearances in the 2025 NCAA Women's March Madness tournament.

The Bruins are taking on the Longhorns in the first semifinals matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 11 a.m. PT. South Caroline and Duke are clashing in the other semifinal matchup right after at 1:30 p.m. PT. The inaugural Players Era Women's Championship title game will be the next day on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. PT, followed by the third place game at 7:30 p.m. PT.

The Bruins are coming off a 34-3 record in their first season in the Big Ten and lost to the eventual national champion UConn Huskies in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Close and her squad are coming into next season with desire exceed last season's results.