Three women’s college basketball teams entered this past weekend unbeaten, but another name was trimmed from the list Saturday.
Nothing is guaranteed as conference play heats up, and Kansas State proved that, going into Lubbock and knocking off then-No. 17 and undefeated Texas Tech on Saturday, 65-59. The Lady Red Raiders rolled through the first half of the season but faced only one ranked team, a one-point win at No. 15 Baylor. TTU dropped a second consecutive game Wednesday at BYU.
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Now, No. 1 UConn (18-0) and No. 5 Vanderbilt (19-0) are the last of the unbeatens.
The Huskies have beaten each of their past 14 opponents by at least 26 points, dating back to a three-point win Nov. 21 against No. 6 Michigan, including a pair of ranked wins against USC and Iowa. UConn doesn’t have many tough challenges remaining in the regular season, outside of a home game against No. 17 Tennessee on Feb. 1.
Vanderbilt has earned its top-five ranking and undefeated record in recent weeks. The Commodores beat then-No. 5 LSU on Jan. 4 then bested No. 7 Michigan, 72-69, on Monday. But staying unbeaten will be a tall task in the SEC. Eight of Vandy’s final 11 opponents are ranked, including their biggest test Sunday, which is previewed below.
Heavyweight clash: No. 2 South Carolina vs No. 5 VanderbiltThe Commodores will have their test of all tests on the road against reigning national runner-up South Carolina (19-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday in the game of the week.
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Vanderbilt enters with a top-10 offense, led by Mikayla Blakes, who is second nationally with 25.0 points per game. She is also 16th nationally in steals per game. But the Gamecocks can score, too, as they sit fifth in points per game. Four players average at least 13 points, including Joyce Edwards’ team-best 20.6.
South Carolina’s defense is ranked eighth nationally, giving up 53.9 points a night. The Gamecocks boast an impressive 9.9 steals and 6.5 blocks per game – but Vanderbilt also takes the ball away more than 12 times a game.
This is a pivotal heavyweight matchup in the SEC standings between the league’s top two teams. South Carolina is a sizable favorite – ESPN’s analytics give the Gamecocks a 90.5% chance to win – but Vanderbilt could cement its status with an upset or even by keeping the game close. South Carolina avenged its lone loss with a win against No. 4 Texas this past Thursday, and this win would be its third top-10 victory this season.
Iowa State slidingOn Dec. 31, Iowa State was ranked No. 10 and defeated Houston to move to 14-0 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones were a projected 3-seed in the NCAA tournament.
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After that? Iowa State went 0-5, including a 28-point loss to Oklahoma State on Sunday, and finally picked up its first win of 2026 on Wednesday against Cincinnati. The Cyclones plummeted out of the rankings and are now on the bubble for making the tournament. ESPN’s latest bracketology has them as one of the last four teams in.
The Cyclones were once posting 90 points nightly, with star junior center Audi Cooks averaging more than 27 points per game through the first 14 games. Six times she scored at least 30. Opponents seem to have figured out the ISU offense, though.
During the five-game losing streak, ISU didn’t surpass 70 points and was held to a season-low 58 against OSU. Crooks’ points total gradually decreased every game during the streak – 26, 23, 22, 17, 15 – and the Cyclones haven’t found consistent scoring across the board to assist Crooks.
The Cyclones rebounded with a 93-68 win against the 7-13 Bearcats thanks to a 44-point performance from junior guard Jada Williams, but they still have ground to make up in the league.
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ISU’s fall has dropped it to 11th in the Big 12 standings and opened the door for others in the league. No. 9 TCU and No. 14 Baylor sit tied atop the conference standings with one conference loss each, and No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 22 West Virginia, Utah and OSU just behind with two conference losses.
