South Carolina is starting the season where it finished off last year — ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 women’s college basketball poll.

The Gamecocks received 27 of the 30 first-place votes in the preseason rankings from a national media panel Tuesday. South Carolina returns four starters from the national championship team that went undefeated last year, capping off the historic season over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the title game.

UConn is No. 2, USC is No. 3 and Texas and UCLA round out the top five.

South Carolina has been No. 1 in the preseason poll four of the past five years. Last season, they started sixth in the preseason before moving up to No. 1 for the remainder of the year.

“We knew we’d have a target on our backs this season as the reigning champions and this preseason ranking just confirms that,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told the AP. “We appreciate the recognition, but I know our coaching staff and our team are more focused on what we see in the gym every day. And that’s every player working extremely hard to get better individually and as a team.”

UConn received two first-place votes. The Huskies have been ranked in the top 10 in the preseason poll for 30 straight years now. Geno Auriemma’s team went through major injury issues last year but the Huskies look to be healthy for the most part to start this season.

Third-ranked USC is led by phenomenal sophomore guard JuJu Watkins and the team added two talented transfers in former Stanford star Kiki Iriafen as well as Talia von Oelhoffen. The Trojans, who received the other first place vote, have their highest ranking in the preseason since the 1982 and 1983 squads were No. 1 in the opening poll both years.

Texas welcomes back Rori Harmon, who was sidelined for most of last season with an ACL injury. She and Madison Booker give the Longhorns a solid 1-2 punch on offense. UCLA added its own solid group of transfers to a strong team with Charlisse Leger-Walker and Timea Gardiner joining Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice.

NBA

George OK after hyperextending knee >> Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has a bone bruise but did not suffer any structural damage when he hyperextended his left knee during a preseason game, the team said.

“Everything checks out OK,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters after George had an initial exam. The team announced later in the day that an MRI showed the bone bruise but no structural damage.

The Sixers said he would be reevaluated again in about a week.

A nine-time All-Star, George was injured when his knee buckled on a defensive play in the second quarter of Monday’s game against Atlanta. He scored eight points in 12 minutes in a 104-89 victory.

The Sixers signed the former Clipper to a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract this summer.

College football

Colorado’s two-way star Hunter set to play >> The Colorado Buffaloes are expected to have banged-up receivers Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. available this weekend at Arizona.

It wasn’t all positive news on the injury front for Colorado’s deep corps of wideouts. While coach Deion Sanders said at his weekly news conference that Hunter (shoulder) and Horn (knee) “should play for certain,” Omarion Miller (broken lower left leg) and Terrell Timmons Jr. (unspecified) are out indefinitely.

Hunter, a Heisman hopeful for his elite play on both sides of the ball, hurt his shoulder and left the game in the first half of a 31-28 loss to No. 17 Kansas State. Losing Hunter for any significant time would’ve been a big blow for the Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1 Big 12).

Women’s hockey

PWHL unveils larger schedule for this year >> The Professional Women’s Hockey League’s second season is opening a month earlier — on Saturday, Nov. 30 — than last year and features an expanded schedule, the league announced.

Each of the league’s six teams will play 30 games, up from 24 in the inaugural season. The season will begin with the Boston Fleet playing at the Toronto Sceptres, followed by the Ottawa Charge traveling to play the Montreal Victoire. The New York Sirens travel to play the Minnesota Frost to open their respective schedules the following day.

The regular season runs through May 3.