The Last of Women’s College Basketball’s Undefeated Teams

UConn, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech are the only unbeaten teams left in the Top 25 rankings, plus this week’s riser and faller.

Azzi Fudd (35) and the Huskies have sat atop the rankings since preseason. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Now in the 11th week of the season, women’s college basketball has just three teams without a loss left in the AP Top 25. No. 1 UConn being undefeated is probably not surprising to most fans. But No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 17 Texas Tech may not have been quite as predictable. 

In this week’s roundtable, let’s take a look at how these three teams have stayed unbeaten until now and if they are the real deal. 

How did each undefeated team get here? 

UConn: Pure dominance. The Huskies have beaten their opponents by an average of 38.1 points per game, which includes four wins by more than 50 points, and they have the air of the UConn teams of old that had an overwhelming level of talent. Lose Paige Bueckers to the draft? No problem: Senior Azzi Fudd, in her fifth season, has shot an eye-popping 48.2% from beyond the arc. Need another star to pick up the slack? No sweat: Sophomore Sarah Strong has played at such a high level that people are making legitimate comparisons to Maya Moore. Looking for another up-and-comer? Easy. Blanca Quiñonez comes off the bench with a tantalizing amount of talent. That’s before mentioning the rest of the starting lineup (KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade and Serah Williams) and key pieces off the bench (Kayleigh Heckel and Allie Ziebell). Oh, wait. What about UConn’s two centers from last season’s title win? Ice Brady and Jana El Alfy are still in Storrs and are contributing. Outside of one scare against Michigan, the Huskies have looked invulnerable. —Dan Falkenheim

Texas Tech: If you look at the last week, the answer for Texas Tech has been Bailey Maupin. The senior guard led the Lady Raiders to a trio of gritty wins over West Virginia, Cincinnati and Houston. She averaged 21 points across those three games, shooting 48.73% from the field. While Maupin has been a standout, Texas Tech is far from a one-woman show. Rather, a confluence of factors has led the team to its best start in program history. The team has a well-rounded offense, with Snudda Collins contributing off the bench, averaging 14.3 points per game, and guard Jalynn Bristow making an impact on multiple levels, averaging 12.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. This is an experienced squad that can play disciplined ball and eke out ugly wins when necessary. “They can win ball games when they’re not playing their best, and they really stick together,” said coach Krista Gerlich after Wednesday’s win over Houston. “I think that togetherness has been really instrumental in our success this year.”

The schedule is also a factor worth noting. This is not to discredit what Texas Tech has accomplished, but this group has played only two Quad 1 teams in Baylor and West Virginia. As the schedule heats up, how will this group fare? —Clare Brennan

Mikayla Blakes (left), currently third in the country with 24.9 points per game, has been the key to Vanderbilt’s success. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt: The two-word answer for Vanderbilt is Mikayla Blakes, but there’s more context. Before the season, the Commodores lost their second- and third-leading scorers, Khamil Pierre and Iyana Moore, to the transfer portal. Forward Justine Pissott and true freshman guard Aubrey Galvan stepped up in their stead, and Vanderbilt has improved its defense year-over-year. The Commodores also limit their own turnovers (they have a 13.8% turnover rate, seventh-best in Division I) while forcing other teams to make mistakes (they force opponents to cough up the ball 27.3% of the time, 11th best in D-I). Each of those aspects helped Vanderbilt upset LSU, which spurred the program’s ascension to No. 5. But this rise would not have happened without Blakes. She’s one of the rare guards who blends high usage with efficiency, and her star power is the fuel for Vanderbilt’s hot start. —Falkenheim 

Are they the real deal? 

UConn: Yes. Where’s the weakness? The Huskies’ offensive efficiency, rebounding and assist percentage have all improved since last season, and their defensive numbers (already near the top of D-I) have remained the same. They’ve beaten quality teams. It would be a surprise if anyone upset them before the tournament, and once they get there, it’s hard to think of any opponent who would hold a matchup advantage against them.

Texas Tech: This has been the prevailing question since Texas Tech started on its surprise run. Gerlich’s group is atop the Big 12 with a 6–0 conference record; however, that could soon change as the Lady Raiders’ schedule toughens. They’ll face a formidable challenge against Utah next week, but are capable of pulling off a tight victory over the Utes. Texas Tech’s first loss very well could come in late January, against Iowa State. Audi Crooks presents a tough matchup problem—perhaps one too daunting to overcome. 

Vanderbilt: Real enough to make noise in the SEC? Yes. Real as in a Final Four contender? Not yet. Vanderbilt’s schedule has been relatively soft: The only two top-50 teams the Commodores have played (excluding LSU) have been Cal and Virginia. It’s tough to know how much of the team’s defensive improvements on paper will hold up once it hits a brutal run of SEC opponents in February. Before then, though, Vanderbilt will test its strength against Michigan on Monday, as the two top-10 teams are slated to face off on neutral territory at the Prudential Center. That game should offer more clarity on whether Vanderbilt is truly the real deal.

Riser (Ohio State) and faller (Iowa State) of the week

Ohio State: Have you tuned into the Jaloni Cambridge show yet? The sophomore guard dropped 41 points against Illinois, had a stat-stuffing 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the Buckeyes’ 89–76 upset of then-No. 8 Maryland, and then dropped 33 points, six assists and 5 rebounds against Penn State on Wednesday. She has been electric, and now Ohio State has won 14 of its last 15 games. (Its only losses have come against UConn and UCLA.) There is a ceiling to how good the Buckeyes can be—their top three players are all shooting under 29% from beyond the arc, and they don’t have a ton of frontcourt depth—but they are making their case among a jam-packed middle tier of Big Ten teams.

Iowa State: Three straight losses—including one to a Cincinnati team that was at the bottom of the Big 12—is cause for alarm, and the Cyclones are facing two major concerns. First, their defense isn’t always at the level of a Top 25 team. (Even Indiana scored 95 points against them.) Second, junior forward Addy Brown is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury, and the Cyclones need to figure out how to stop the bleeding without her. If neither of those concerns is addressed soon, Iowa State’s tumble down the ranks may not be over.

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