For the 11th time in program history, the UConn Huskies women’s basketball program completed an undefeated regular season with an 85-49 win at St. John’s on Sunday. This 2025-26 group compares favorably against any of the previous 10 unbeaten teams, as the Huskies 37.8 point average margin of victory this season ranks third in both UConn and NCAA women’s basketball history–trailing only the 2014-15 and 2015-16 teams led by Breanna Stewart. 

To fully illustrate UConn’s dominance this season, allow me to run through some numbers. The Huskies earned two 65+ point wins in Big East play, beating DePaul by 67 and Xavier by 65 within a span of eight days on Nov. 30 and Dec. 7. They won a total of six games by at least 50 points and beat ranked opponents by an average of 20 points per game. Aside from a 3-point win over Michigan in November, all of UConn’s other wins came by at least 13 points. 

31-0

the 11th undefeated regular season in program history - but we're not done yet pic.twitter.com/uwndKjlHbm

— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 2, 2026

Deserving Favorites?

Led by the nation’s best 1-2 punch in senior guard Azzi Fudd and sophomore forward and likely National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, UConn enters the postseason as a decisive favorite to win a second straight national title and extend their record mark to 13 total. However, one valid criticism of the Huskies’ 31-0 mark this season is that they’ve managed to avoid the other meaningful national title contenders in regular season play, which could certainly leave the potential for surprise in the Final Four or National Championship game. 

UConn ended the regular season as the unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Poll, so the Huskies have certainly gotten the respect it deserves. Still, lingering in the back of any of their fan’s minds has to be a bit of apprehension about potentially having to face a team like UCLA–or even Texas, who beat UCLA. South Carolina always poses a significant threat in any March scenario, but UConn’s systematic dismantling of the Gamecocks in the 2025 Final Four surely gives them an abundance of confidence headed into that hypothetical (but very possible) matchup.

While the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is trending toward becoming another edition of the UConn Invitational, there is a handful of contenders who have the potential to knock off the Huskies if things break the right way. After all, UConn has fallen victim to an unlikely upset in March more than once within the last decade. Will Geno Auriemma and company get to lucky No. 13, or will we see a surprise spoiler? 

Potential UConn Threats

UCLA

If there’s one team in the country that has the right to feel confident against UConn in a one game scenario, it's UCLA. The Lady Bruins finished the regular season 28-1, beating opponents by an average of 29.2 points per game. UCLA tore through Big 10 play with an undefeated 18-0 record and won those games by an average of 25.2 points per game. The lone slip up for Cori Close’s unit came against fellow national title contender Texas in a 76-65 non-conference loss at the Players Era in November. However, while UConn played just five games against ranked opponents, UCLA played 11 and went 10-1 in those games with a 19.7 point average margin of victory.

South Carolina

You know you’re a top-flight program when you go 29-2 and win the regular season SEC Championship in a rebuilding year. That’s just par for the course for Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks, who’ve only lost eight regular season games on this side of the 2020s. Sophomore Joyce Edwards has impressively led the charge this season, averaging 19.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in her first season as a full-time starter in the program. Center Madina Okot has also established herself throughout the season, leading the team with 10.9 rebounds to go along with 14 points per game. South Carolina’s two slip ups this season have both come against ranked SEC opponents, one against Texas–which the Gamecocks avenged two months later, and one against Oklahoma–which they could potentially avenge in the SEC Tournament this week.

Texas

Vic Schaefer’s Longhorns have made an impressive ascension into the top ranks of women’s college basketball over the course of the last few seasons, but the 2025-26 group is pretty clearly the best team he’s put together in Austin. The Longhorns split the season series with South Carolina for the second straight season and also split with LSU, but they did have quite the stumble in an 86-70 loss to Mikayla Blakes and Vanderbilt last month. While that blowout loss puts a blemish on the resume other contenders don’t have, Texas’ win over UCLA in November is still the best win by any team in the country this season.

Vanderbilt

The truth is pretty simple when it comes to Vanderbilt. They have Mikayla Blakes, so it has a chance in any scenario. Blakes leads the country with 27.1 points per game and was the engine behind Vanderbilt’s remarkable 27-3 regular season, leading the Commodores to wins over Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. However, a recent 74-72 loss to unranked Georgia may be cause for pause when considering Vanderbilt’s path to the Final Four in March. As dangerous as Vandy can be against any opponent in a one-game scenario, it is also the most vulnerable team among those listed to potentially falter in the Round of 32 or Sweet 16.

LSU

LSU hasn’t been perfect this season, but you’d still be foolish to count out a Kim Mulkey led team against any opponent when the calendar turns to March. Add Flau’jae Johnson’s national championship experience and guru-like control of the Bayou Bengals’ offense to the mix, and it’s not hard to picture this team controlling the pace and making any opponent, even UConn, have to capitulate to their style. The SEC is still the head and shoulders the toughest conference in women’s college hoops by the way, so four losses (all against opponents ranked 11th or better in the AP Poll) surely shouldn’t be enough to make you discount the Tigers.

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