Ten teams have completed undefeated seasons in women’s college basketball history, the latest in 2023-24 when South Carolina went 38-0, ultimately defeating Iowa in the national title game to capture the program’s third championship.
The school with the most unbeaten campaigns is, of course, UConn — owners of six of them. The first was in 1994-95 when the Huskies won their first national championship under Player of the Year Rebecca Lobo, and it has been 10 years since the most recent perfect campaign in 2015-16 when Breanna Stewart completed a four-for-four.
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After ending its title drought in April in emphatic fashion, UConn is poised to once again enter rarefied territory. The Huskies are 10-0, already finished with the toughest stretch of their schedule. They just went across the country and clobbered USC to collect their third Quad 1 win. Per Her Hoop Stats, UConn has only five more games all season against top-50 opponents. They’ll host three of those, and their matchup against Iowa is in Brooklyn, which isn’t exactly neutral. It would be more surprising if the Huskies ended their regular season with at least one loss than with none.
UConn has the nation’s fifth-best net rating, per CBB Analytics, despite playing a front-loaded schedule. The Huskies’ best players are still averaging less than 30 minutes a game, suggesting this team can get even better. UConn’s been a buzzsaw with a hand tied behind its back.
With any luck, UConn is on a collision course with Texas, the program to produce the NCAA’s first undefeated season 40 years ago. Although the Longhorns have been as impressive as the Huskies — third in net rating with four Quad 1 wins after squashing Baylor — the depth of the SEC makes it less likely they’ll escape January and February unscathed. If they do, the stakes at the Final Four will be even more historic than usual.
Texas would be a worthy No. 1 in almost any other situation, but the defending champs haven’t surrendered their perch. In a year that has been defined more by parity than super-teams (both in college and the WNBA), the end of 2025 is shaking up that paradigm. There is true greatness at the top of the power rankings, and it’s hard to downgrade teams that suffer defeats at their hands.
|
Rank |
Team |
Previous rank |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
UConn |
1 |
|
2 |
Texas |
2 |
|
3 |
South Carolina |
3 |
|
4 |
UCLA |
4 |
|
5 |
LSU |
5 |
|
6 |
Michigan |
6 |
|
7 |
Iowa State |
10 |
|
8 |
Maryland |
7 |
|
9 |
TCU |
9 |
|
10 |
Louisville |
16 |
|
11 |
Oklahoma |
12 |
|
12 |
Iowa |
8 |
|
13 |
North Carolina |
11 |
|
14 |
Kentucky |
13 |
|
15 |
Vanderbilt |
14 |
|
16 |
Nebraska |
15 |
|
17 |
Tennessee |
17 |
|
18 |
USC |
18 |
|
19 |
Baylor |
19 |
|
20 |
Alabama |
21 |
|
21 |
Washington |
20 |
|
22 |
Ole Miss |
22 |
|
23 |
Notre Dame |
23 |
|
24 |
Ohio State |
24 |
|
25 |
Georgia |
25 |
Also considered: NC State, Michigan State, Minnesota
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This is the real Azzi Fudd
One thing that stands out for opponents against UConn is how hard it is to create high-quality shots. The Huskies snuff out other teams’ preferred actions and defend on a string, forcing individuals to beat them. Michigan caused UConn some difficulty because the Wolverines have multiple perimeter players who can generate their own looks off the dribble.
Though the Huskies’ defense suffocates opponents, they can always get good shots, and much of that success is because of Azzi Fudd. This is the version of the player promised when Fudd was the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021. If a defender loses contact with her for an instant, she will pop out for a 3-pointer. She is shooting an astounding 53.1 percent from beyond the arc. Only three players in the last 15 seasons have shot at least 50 percent from 3-point range and made at least two triples per game, and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough is the only one who has done so in a power conference. Fudd could obliterate that mark as she makes 3.4 3s per contest.
Fudd isn’t just a shooter anymore. Two years removed from her latest ACL injury, she has regained her burst in the halfcourt and can create separation driving to the basket. She finishes strong in the paint and hasn’t missed a free throw this season. Against USC freshman Jazzy Davidson, who has been solid defensively, Fudd was toying with the rookie. She would get Davidson leaning one way and zoom the other. Fudd was quickly launching out of screens and filling the wings in transition. And she was a massive presence on defense, getting good position in the paint and using her height and length to disrupt the smaller Trojans guards.
Fudd returned to UConn because she’d had only a handful of games in her first four seasons when she showcased her full potential. She has already added another handful to that total. This is one of the country’s most consistent, potent players.
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Texas creates full-court havoc
Through 12 games this season, the Longhorns have forced 25 turnovers in half of them, including 30 against ranked Baylor on Sunday. They don’t just full-court press; they apply pressure and speed up opponents for 94 feet. After trailing 11-8 in the first quarter, the only one even remotely competitive, Texas started to force Baylor into a variety of errors.
The first turnover came before the Bears crossed half court, part of a traditional “press.” The next came because Rori Harmon challenged Darianna Littlepage-Buggs for a rebound, forced her into a corner, and goaded the Baylor senior into a bad pass. Then, Jordan Lee stayed attached to Jana Van Gytenbeek, pushing her up against the halfcourt line and allowing Teya Sidberry to pick off a pass. Lather, rinse, repeat.
There is no breathing against Texas’ defense. Turnovers happen up and down the court because the Longhorns never let up.
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It doesn’t even really matter if opponents shoot well because Texas is winning the possession battle so decisively. The Longhorns take 18 more field goals per game. Only LSU has a field-goal margin of at least 15 among Power 4 schools, but that has come against a significantly weaker slate.
Sahara Williams’ secondary playmaking
Sahara Williams is the unsung hero of Oklahoma’s starting lineup. Next to star freshman Aaliyah Chavez and seniors Raegan Beers and Payton Verhulst, Williams doesn’t draw as much defensive attention, and she’s using that space to create more for teammates. She has nearly doubled her assist average from last season, and the two highest assist totals of her career have come in the last three games. Her second-highest mark of seven assists came in a rivalry win over Oklahoma State.
Coach Jennie Baranczyk’s offense emphasizes quick decisions. Williams is turning more of those choices into passes instead of looking to score. The Sooners put Williams at the free-throw line against zone and trust her to find the right option. She’s finding shooters on the wings, delivering hi-lo passes to Beers inside and even displaying some flair.
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Check out these no-dribble passes in the half court against the Cowgirls. The first (behind the back!) hits Chavez cleanly at the elbow. The second comes after Chavez is doubled in the corner and Williams keeps the ball high, sending a water polo strike to Beers. As Oklahoma enters SEC play, anything to diversify its offense will help it compete against the conference’s best.
Audi Crooks decisively wins battle of Iowa bigs
In the much-anticipated in-state battle (at least on my end) between Iowa and Iowa State, Cyclones’ post star Audi Crooks proved why she is still the best center in the Hawkeye State. Although Ava Heiden had her moments slowing Crooks, they were only moments, as the sophomore big was limited to 16 minutes due to foul trouble. Iowa won Heiden’s minutes by six points but was outscored by 11 when she was off the court.
Heiden held up reasonably well against Crooks in isolation defense, except when Crooks went to her fadeaway to evade Heiden’s 6-foot-4 frame. The issue came earlier in possessions — Heiden was overmatched physically trying to stop Crooks from sealing in the post, and that resulted in reach-in fouls. At this phase of their careers, Crooks has superior footwork, and that allowed her to get to her spots and forced Heiden to hers on the bench.
The teams’ second options evened out — Addy Brown scored 20 points by shouldering her way into the paint, and Chitchat Wright lived in the midrange against Crooks’ drop coverage, scoring 21 — the difference came down to the bigs. The nation’s leading scorer asserted herself. Iowa’s most concerning takeaway wasn’t necessarily its defense, however, but rather how hard it was to create shots inside the arc when Heiden was out of the game. That does not bode well for the Hawkeyes’ upcoming date with UConn.
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Sayvia Sellers scoring in every which way
Twenty-three players are averaging at least 20 points per game this season, led by Crooks at 27.8. Washington’s Sayvia Sellers squeaks in with 20.3, and the Huskies have needed all of that production, especially in a five-point win over Green Bay. Sellers was the lone bright spot in Washington’s loss against USC (and that’s saying something since she shot 7 of 23 from the field) and dialed up the efficiency against the Phoenix to avoid the upset.
Sellers does so much for the Huskies’ offense. She brings the ball up and initiates possessions, but she also is constantly moving when she gets off the ball. She is always weaving at the top of the key, relocating and setting screens. The movement benefits her, of course, but it’s a lot of energy to expend, particularly because Washington also relies on her to call her own number at times. There aren’t many scorers who can duck in the post and also hit crossover, stepback 3-pointers.
The Huskies haven’t exactly proven anything yet this season. They lost their only big test to the Trojans, and their win over Green Bay, though exciting, need not have been that close. But they have a go-to option in Sellers, who makes it hard to bet against their ceiling.
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Games to watch
(All times Eastern)
South Dakota State at Duke, 7 p.m. Thursday, ACCN
Washington at Stanford, 10 p.m. Friday, ACC Extra
Iowa vs. UConn, 1 p.m. Saturday, FOX
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Maryland Terrapins, Ohio State Buckeyes, UCLA Bruins, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Baylor Bears, Alabama Crimson Tide, North Carolina Tar Heels, Kentucky Wildcats, Washington Huskies, Vanderbilt Commodores, Louisville Cardinals, Iowa Hawkeyes, TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State Cyclones, Connecticut Huskies, LSU Lady Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Texas Longhorns, Women’s College Basketball
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