​South Carolina’s Agot Makeer looks to drive past UNC’s Kate Harpring. | Getty Images This 2026-27 women’s college basketball season hasn’t wasted much time giving us something to talk about. So, here are three storylines worth watching as the season gets going. In the comments, share you thoughts on these three narratives, in addition to letting us know what you’re watching, and why. 1. Non-conference schedules will test the cream of the cropThere’s only so much you can take away from watching a national championship contender overwhelm an opponent that can’t match its size, speed or depth. Fortunately, this season’s non-conference schedule offers plenty of opportunities to move beyond those evaluations.South Carolina alone faces USC on Nov. 15, UConn on Nov. 24 and Duke on Dec. 3, followed by December matchups against UCLA and Notre Dame in Las Vegas. UConn’s schedule includes upcomiung trips to Ohio State and Louisville before its meetings with South Carolina and Duke. After losing to Michigan last week and responding with a dominant win over Iowa, there’s a lot of questions about this Huskies roster. Do they have enough talent to win it all? Usually we have to wait until March to get the answer to this question, but not this year. These aren’t just résumé-building opportunities. They’re games that should expose weaknesses while there’s still time to address them. The questions surrounding each team will matter in March, and luckily we won’t have to wait until the NCAA Tournament to start getting answers.The overlapping opponents also make this schedule especially valuable. South Carolina, LSU, UConn, Texas, and UCLA all playing Duke gives us another reference point beyond their head-to-head matchup. No single result should define a contender in November, but several difficult games can reveal patterns.For fans, it’s must see television. For coaches, it’s an early diagnostic test. And for anyone trying to separate championship potential from preseason reputation, it’s exactly what we need.2. How far can JuJu Watkins and USC go?The early returns on Watkins’ comeback have been about as encouraging as USC could have hoped.Through her first three games, Watkins still looks just as advertised. Against Utah State, she scored 32 points, while also collecting a career-high 16 rebounds, six assists and five steals. That’s not just productive basketball after a lengthy absence. That’s the kind of all-around performance that confirms why she’s the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft and why this USC team has championship expectations.But the most intriguing part of USC’s start is that Watkins doesn’t have to be the entire story.Freshman Saniyah Hall already looks comfortable sharing the spotlight. The top recruit in the 2026 class scored 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting in her debut against UNLV, including three makes in four attempts from beyond the arc. She followed that with 20 points against Utah St