Bradwell Institute (28-1; Elite 8)

The Tigers opened up last season unranked as well and went on to win 28-straight games before losing to River Ridge at home in the Elite Eight. Two starters graduate from a Bradwell team that had slightly uneven results in GBCA Live but still managed a 3-1 record, defeated by Preseason No. 9 Lee County 51-28. The trio of Preseason All-State Third Teamer 5-foot-10 junior wing Destini McLemore (12.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 3.2 spg), 5-foot-11 senior Mikayla Oliveira (9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 2.3 spg) and 5-foot-4 senior engine Janiyah Blevins (7.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.8 apg, 3.5 spg) is more than good enough to crack the Top 10 quickly. Building depth will be important around the big three as there isn’t a ton of experience behind them.

Coffee (28-3; Final 4)

Coffee had a banner year, representing the South with a Final Four run. The Trojans graduate their top two leading scorers however leaving a lot of the offensive burden on the shoulders of breakout candidate Aria Paulk, a 5-foot-9 senior who dumped in 19.5 points per game during GBCA Live, coming off a junior year in which she tallied 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.6 steals. 5-foot-11 senior Carrdreal Pearson (7.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 spg) and 5-foot-9 sophomore Kolby Smith (5.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.4 spg) will be key cogs.

Langston Hughes (23-5; First Round)

Following a shocking first round upset, the Panthers graduate a bulk of their roster. Tykira McDaniel-Gilbert is back on the sidelines as head coach after winning a state title with Spalding, building up Fayette County and most recently serving as an assistant at Wheeler. She inherits a burgeoning star in 6-foot sophomore Safari Underdue. 5-foot-7 sophomore Ziryah Bell moves in from Columbia. The Panthers are stuck in a brutal Region 3 which features No. 1 Creekside, No. 6 Morrow and No. 10 Woodward Academy along with Tri-Cities who finished 19-10 and lost in the Sweet 16. There will be plenty of chances for Langston Hughes to shakeup the state rankings.

River Ridge (23-8; Final 4)

An overtime loss in the Final Four closed the books on the Knights’ shot at repeating as state champs and winning their third title in four years. Two D-I guards graduate which has River Ridge on the outside looking in to start the year but the Knights have one of the best players in the entire state in 6-foot-3 Indiana-commit Finley Parker who can dominate games herself, the All-State inside-out post putting up 19.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Second in command will be Reagan Mulligan, the junior erupting over the offseason as a prolific scorer you can pencil in for 15-20 points a night. She will have plenty of chances to build off her sophomore season in which she averaged 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1 steal per game. If River Ridge is successfully able to play a two-man game between Parker and Mulligan and get consistent contributions from blossoming role players like Hadley Hooks and Myles Mansell, the Knights could be a scary team to contend with come tournament time especially if they end up a lower seed.