UCLA and UConn, the two best teams in the nation, are charging into their conference tournaments this week unscathed.
UCLA put the finishing touches on an undefeated conference season by defeating crosstown rival USC, 73-50, on the road on Sunday. The Bruins’ only loss was to Texas, 76-65, on Nov. 26 in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.
Advertisement
It’s the program’s first perfect conference regular season in the NCAA era, and the Big Ten’s first undefeated season since Maryland in 2015. Purdue (16-0) in 1999 and Ohio State (18-0) in 1985 are the only other Big Ten programs to do it.
The Bruins are in their second season as members of the coast-to-coast Big Ten conference after reaching the program’s first Final Four a year ago. They’re looking to continue matching and, in one case, exceeding their predecessors. The Bruins have never won a national championship in the NCAA era. (They won the 1978 title when it was under the guidance of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.)
Purdue won its lone national championship in 1999 under head coach Carolyn Peck, with senior All-American Stephanie White leading the offense. The Boilermakers lost one game all season, to Stanford by one in late November non-conference play.
Advertisement
Maryland, which completed the undefeated job in their inaugural season in the conference, went on to the Final Four for a second consecutive season. But the Terps lost to UConn, 81-58, in the semifinals. UConn went on to win its third of four consecutive national championships.
The Huskies are accustomed to undefeated conference records and finished off their most recent run through the Big East with an 85-49 win over St. John’s to conclude the final day of the regular season. The reigning champions are widely viewed as the favorites heading into the NCAA Tournament, led by National Player of the Year contender Sarah Strong and projected WNBA lottery pick Azzi Fudd.
UCLA didn’t stand a chance against UConn in the 85-51 Final Four loss last year in Tampa. This Bruins team is different, should they meet in the national championship game as the top two true seeds. Their offense is averaging 13 more points per 100 possessions, they have more shooters around center Lauren Betts when she’s doubled or tripled, and most importantly, they can build off the experience of being at a Final Four. It allowed head coach Cori Close to prepare her team better coming into March.
Two teams can join UCLA and UConn as undefeated regular-season conference champions, though their postseason outlook is less bright.
Rice (26-3, 16-0) finishes its first season in the American Conference with Charlotte on the road and UTSA at home. The last time the Owls went undefeated in conference play was 2019 in the CUSA, when they finished the season ranked No. 24 in the AP poll. They’ve reached the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently in 2024.
Advertisement
Fairleigh Dickinson (26-4, 17-0) concludes the Northeast Conference regular season against Saint Francis on Thursday. The Knights won, 73-28, in the first meeting. It would be their second consecutive and overall undefeated season. The Knights are fresh off their first NCAA Tournament berth in program history.
The zero next to their names will be wiped clean this week for UCLA and UConn, and next week for Rice and Fairleigh Dickinson when their conference tournaments begin. Everyone wants to play the spoiler, a role that Notre Dame already embraced.
Stat of the week: 2
Twice in NCAA DI women’s basketball history have the No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds been the four Final Four teams from the previous season. That would become three if UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas stay as the top four overall seeds. Texas moved back up over Vanderbilt in the committee’s second reveal on Sunday.
Advertisement
In 1984, the returning Final Four teams to secure No. 1 seeds were Georgia, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion and USC. In 2013, it was UConn, Notre Dame, Baylor and Stanford.
Performance of the week: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Hidalgo had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals to secure Notre Dame’s 65-62 upset win over then-No. 10 Louisville. The junior played through four fouls in the fourth quarter and poked away a steal with 14 seconds left that helped decide the game. Louisville could have earned a piece of the ACC regular-season championship with a win after Duke’s loss earlier in the day.
Honorable mentions: Elina Aarnisalo scored a career-high 22 points and hit 4 of 5 3-point attempts to lead North Carolina over rival Duke, 74-69, while teammate Nyla Harris scored 10 of her 19 in the fourth quarter. South Carolina’s Madina Okot (21 points, 13 rebounds) and Kentucky’s Clara Strack (24 points, nine rebounds) battled in the paint in the Gamecocks’ tight 60-56 win. Iowa State’s Audi Crooks scored 41 points with 13 rebounds in a 93-79 win over Kansas State. It’s her fifth 40-point game, tying her with former Baylor star Brittney Griner as the most in the Big 12.
Advertisement
Games of the week: Conference tournaments
The SEC and Big Ten Tournaments will dominate headlines for their impact on the top of the NCAA Tournament seed lines. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC Tournaments all begin on Wednesday. The Big East begins on Friday. Most mid-major tournaments also begin this week, with the notable exception of the Ivy League. Ivy Madness is March 13-14.
Yahoo Sports AP Top 25 ballot
1. UConn
2. UCLA
3. South Carolina
4. Texas
5. LSU
6. Vanderbilt
7. Iowa
8. Oklahoma
9. Kentucky
10. Michigan
11. Ohio State
12. Duke
13. TCU
14. Louisville
15. Maryland
16. West Virginia
17. Minnesota
18. Michigan State
19. Baylor
20. Princeton
21. North Carolina
22. Ole Miss
23. Georgia
24. Tennessee
25. Notre Dame
Advertisement
Official AP Top 25
1. UConn
2. UCLA
3. South Carolina
4. Texas
5. Vanderbilt
6. LSU
7. Oklahoma
8. Michigan
9. Iowa
10. TCU
11. Ohio State
12. Louisville
13. Duke
14. Maryland
15. West Virginia
16. North Carolina
17. Kentucky
18. Michigan State
19. Minnesota
20. Baylor
21. Texas Tech
22. Georgia
23. Princeton
24. Ole Miss
25. Fairfield
#Top #UConn #UCLA #rolling #conference #tournament #week #chasing #history