Basketball
We’re fast approaching conference play in women’s college basketball, with a number of teams still undefeated on the year. That includes No. 1 ranked UConn and No. 2 ranked Texas, but not the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the nation, as Texas handed defeats to both South Carolina and UCLA in November.
As the season goes on, more and more of these undefeated teams will fall. One will lose on Wednesday, actually, as Iowa takes on Iowa State.
Nine ranked teams are undefeated in women’s college basketball. At least eight of those have to suffer a loss at some point because that’s how a sport ending with a tournament goes, so let’s predict when each team will first lose. We start with No. 1 UConn.
UConn: Never
Let’s just keep this simple: I firmly believe that the duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd is about to lead the Huskies to an undefeated national championship.
UConn ranks seventh in the nation in net rating despite already having faced Louisville, Ohio State and Michigan, and the 72-69 win over Michigan is probably the closest any team will come to handing UConn a loss.
Texas: Jan. 15 vs South Carolina
The Longhorns were the victors in the first meeting of these two teams, but that game was on a neutral court. This time around, the sides will face in Columbia. Dawn Staley is going to have the Gamecocks ready for this one. I’d expect to see the team go to Madina Okot more than in the first meeting, and that will prove to be the big difference in this game.
LSU: Jan. 11 vs Texas
Not long ago, I predicted that Vanderbilt would upset LSU, but I’m walking that one back. LSU showed a resilience against Duke that has me higher on the Tigers than I had been. The team’s ability to dig itself out of an early hole and go on to dominate the rest of the game was impressive.
Maryland: Jan. 18 vs UCLA
I was worried that roster turnover would hit Maryland hard, but that was a silly worry in retrospect. No matter who is on the floor, the Terrapins are always a threat.
But I do think, when the tougher Big Ten games get here, that this team might lack a player who can definitively take over a game. Maybe Oluchi Okananwa can be that person, or maybe Yarden Garzon can, but I just don’t think this team has the personnel to upset a loaded UCLA squad.
TCU: Feb. 12 vs Baylor
TCU can push its undefeated season for a while still, as the inside-outside duo of Marta Suarez and Olivia Miles might actually be an improvement over last year’s duo of Sedona Prince and Hailey Van Lith.
All things (well, most things) must come to an end at some point, though, and a Feb. 12 road meeting with Baylor is likely to be a tough one. I could see Baylor star Taliah Scott having a huge night in an upset victory.
Iowa State: Dec. 10 vs. Iowa
This is going to be a big one that could go either way. Iowa State is the home team for Wednesday’s in-state rivalry game and Her Hoop Stats gives the Cyclones a 50.4 percent chance of winning this one at home. So, why pick Iowa?
IDK! I mean, the Hawkeyes have the better defense, and I’m betting on Hannah Stuelke being the first big to slow down Audi Crooks, but other than that, it’s really just a gut feeling with both teams fairly evenly matched.
Iowa: Dec. 20 vs UConn
Iowa might survive against Iowa State, but its undefeated season is set to hit a snag later in the month when the team takes on UConn. Iowa is a good team, and the game is at least at a neutral site, which will help the Hawkeyes stay competitive, but there’s also no shot that an upset happens here. Look for UConn to comfortably win in the 15-20 point range, with Iowa struggling big time to slow down Strong. Her athleticism is going to cause headaches for Iowa.
Vanderbilt: Jan. 4 vs LSU
Could the Commodores win this one? Sure. Mikayla Blakes is one of the best scorers in the nation and could easily go off on a heater, but this LSU team is deep, while I worry Vanderbilt could have issues if the Tigers devote their attention to stopping Blakes and forcing the rest of the team to beat them.
Which isn’t to discount the Vanderbilt talent. Aubrey Galvan and Justine Pissott have both been impressive while Sacha Washington has helped anchor things inside, and the team’s 81-68 win over Virginia was very impressive. I just think LSU is going to be able to overwhelm Vandy.
Nebraska: Jan. 1 vs Iowa
I think Nebraska ends 2025 with a big home win over USC, but opens 2026 with the team’s first loss of the season as the team takes on Iowa.
This Cornhuskers team didn’t get a lot of respect in the AP poll early this season, but now that the team is ranked, I expect it to stay ranked. This isn’t a championship-caliber team, but Britt Prince has made a legitimate leap as a scorer and Nebraska should be a threat to beat any team it faces.
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Read More Joan Kazmierczak