Parity is at an all-time high in women’s college basketball, yet a dozen teams remained undefeated nearly halfway through the season. That all changed in the matter of seven days as conference play got underway.
Eight undefeated teams lost for the first time between Monday, Dec 29 and Sunday Jan. 4 — No. 5 LSU, No. 6 Maryland, No. 7 TCU, No. 10 Iowa State, No. 24 Alabama, No. 26 Nebraska, in addition to Arizona State and Georgia — marking the first time that many teams with a 10-0 or better record lost in that span in 27 years. Only four undefeated teams remain.
Perfection is hard to achieve. Only 10 teams have completed an undefeated season in four decades, most recently the 2024 champion South Carolina Gamecocks. But if you’re going to lose a game, it’s best for it to happen before the postseason and could prove to be beneficial in the long run.
‘You don’t want to play your best basketball in January,’ said Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, who leads the nation in scoring. ‘You don’t want to be a monster in January. You want to be a monster in March, and in order to do that you need to recognize your flaws. You need to recognize your shortcomings.’
Here’s a rundown on where every team stands:
Which undefeated teams lost?
Here’s a timeline of how it all went down:
Dec. 29: Nebraska lost at home against No. 16 USC, the Cornhuskers’ first ranked opponent of the season. Nebraska followed up the loss with a double-digit loss to No. 14 Iowa on Jan. 4.
Jan. 1: Alabama ran into a buzzsaw against No. 3 South Carolina and the Crimson Tide’s 14-game win streak was snapped with a 83-57 loss.
Jan. 1: LSU opened SEC play with a 80-78 loss to No. 12 Kentucky on its home floor. Wildcats guard Tonie Morgan knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to hand LSU its first loss of the season. The Tigers had the opportunity to bounce back on the road on Jan. 4 against No. 11 Vanderbilt, but suffered LSU another loss after surrendering 22 turnovers. Kim Mulkey ripped her team as ‘not tough enough.’
Jan. 1: Georgia faced its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 17 Ole Miss. Dani Carnegie dropped 24 points, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs fell 79-62.
Jan. 1: Maryland’s Yarden Garzon (17 points), Saylor Poffenbarger (15) and Oluchi Okananwa (12) each reached double-digits, but Illinois came out with the win after a fourth quarter surge. The Fighting Illini went on a 10-1 run late in the game to capture the lead and the win.
Jan. 3: Arizona State’s best start in program history ended at 15 consecutive wins after suffering a 71-62 loss at BYU. The Cougars outrebounded the Sun Devils 54-25, leading to a 20-7 second-chance points advantage that proved the difference.
Jan 3: TCU suffered an 87-77 overtime loss at Utah to snap the Horned Frogs’ 14-game win streak to start the season. Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for TCU, but Utah went on a 7-0 run to secure the win. The Utes held the Horned Frogs to a season-low 37% shooting from the field.
Jan. 4: Iowa State matched its best start in program history with 14 consecutive wins before falling to Baylor, 72-70. Bears guard Taliah Scotthit a 15-foot jumper with 2 seconds remaining to win the game.
Which undefeated teams remain?
No. 1 UConn (15-0), Big East: The reigning champion Huskies have held down the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll for the entirety of the season and for good reason. UConn’s average margin of victory is by 37 points and that includes four wins over ranked opponents Louisville, Michigan, USC and Iowa. The Huskies’ winning streak is likely to continue as they enter Big East conference play, where UConn is on a 53-game win streak.
No. 2 Texas (17-0), SEC: Texas has the most Quad 1 wins of the remaining undefeated teams with five, including back-to-back victories over No. 4 UCLA and No. 3 South Carolina. Texas has had its fair share of blowout victories, but the Longhorns have also shown their ability to grind out tough matchups, including the team’s dramatic 67-64 win over No. 17 Ole Miss to open SEC play and improve to 17-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.
No. 21 Texas Tech (16-0), Big 12: Texas Tech has benefitted from a lighter schedule to reach the program’s best start in school history. The Lady Raiders have only faced one ranked opponent so far, defeating No. 21 Baylor by a point on Dec. 21. The back half of the season won’t be as friendly. Texas Tech will face Big 12 foes Iowa State on Jan. 31 and TCU on Feb. 1, matchups that’ll serve as a barometer for Krista Gerlich’s squad.
No. 12 Vanderbilt (15-0), SEC: Vanderbilt’s best win of the season came against No. 5 LSU, where the Commodores held the nation’s highest scoring offense to 61 points, 45 points under the Tigers’ average. The win marked Vanderbilt’s lone Quad 1 win. Vanderbilt is three wins away from tying the program’s best start in history — the 1992-93 Final Four squad started 17-0 — but the competition will ratchet up with matchups against SEC powerhouse No. 8 Michigan, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 17 Ole Miss in January.
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