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

Now successful nan 11th week of nan season, women’s assemblage hoops has conscionable 3 teams without a nonaccomplishment near successful nan AP Top 25. No. 1 UConn being undefeated is astir apt not astonishing to astir fans. But No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 17 Texas Tech whitethorn not person been rather arsenic predictable. 

In this week’s roundtable, let’s return a look astatine really these 3 teams person stayed unbeaten up until now and if they are nan existent deal. 

How did each undefeated squad get here? 

UConn: Pure dominance. The Huskies person beaten their opponents by an mean of 38.1 points, which includes 4 wins by much than 50 points, and they person nan aerial of nan UConn teams of aged that had an overwhelming level of talent. Lose Paige Bueckers to nan draft? No problem: Senior Azzi Fudd, successful her 5th season, has changeable an eye-popping 48.2% from beyond nan arc. Need different prima to prime up nan slack? No sweat: Sophomore Sarah Strong has played astatine specified a precocious level that group are making morganatic comparisons to Maya Moore. Looking for different up-and-comer? Easy. Blanca Quiñonez comes disconnected nan chair pinch a tantalizing magnitude of talent. That’s earlier mentioning nan remainder of nan starting lineup (KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade and Serah Williams) and cardinal pieces disconnected nan chair (Kayleigh Heckel and Allie Ziebell). Oh, wait. What astir UConn’s 2 centers from past season’s title win? Ice Brady and Jana El Alfy are still successful Storrs and are contributing. Outside of 1 scare against Michigan, nan Huskies person looked invulnerable. —Dan Falkenheim

Texas Tech: If you look astatine nan past week, nan reply for Texas Tech has been Bailey Maupin. The elder defender led nan Lady Raiders to a trio of gritty wins complete West Virginia, Cincinnati and Houston. She averaged 21 points crossed those 3 games, shooting 48.73% from nan field. While Maupin has been a standout, Texas Tech is acold from a one-woman show. Rather, a confluence of factors has led nan squad to its champion commencement successful programme history. The squad has a well-rounded offense, pinch Snudda Collins contributing disconnected nan bench, averaging 14.3 points, and defender Jalynn Bristow making an effect connected aggregate levels, averaging 12.9 points and 7.1 rebounds. This is an knowledgeable squad that tin play disciplined shot and eke retired disfigured wins erstwhile necessary. “They tin triumph shot games erstwhile they’re not playing their best, and they really instrumentality together,” said coach Krista Gerlich aft Wednesday’s triumph complete Houston. “I deliberation that togetherness has been really instrumental successful our occurrence this year.”

The schedule is besides a facet worthy noting. This is not to discredit what Texas Tech has accomplished, but this group has played only 2 Quad 1 teams successful Baylor and West Virginia. As nan schedule heats up, really will this group fare? —Clare Brennan

Vanderbilt: The two-word reply for Vanderbilt is Mikayla Blakes, but there’s much context. Before nan season, nan Commodores mislaid their second- and third-leading scorers, Khamil Pierre and Iyana Moore, to nan transportation portal. Forward Justine Pissott and existent freshman defender Aubrey Galvan stepped up successful their stead, and Vanderbilt has improved its defense year-over-year. The Commodores besides limit their ain turnovers (they person a 13.8% turnover rate, seventh-best successful Division I) while forcing different teams to make mistakes (they unit opponents to cough up nan shot 27.3% of nan time, 11th champion successful D-I). Each of those aspects helped Vanderbilt upset LSU, which spurred nan program’s ascension to No. 5. But this emergence would not person happened without Blakes. She’s 1 of nan uncommon guards who blends precocious usage pinch efficiency, and her prima powerfulness is nan substance for Vanderbilt’s basking start. —Falkenheim 

Are they nan existent deal? 

UConn: Yes. Where’s nan weakness? The Huskies’ violative efficiency, rebounding and assistance percent person each improved since past season, and their protect numbers (already adjacent nan apical of D-I) person remained nan same. They’ve beaten value teams. It would beryllium a astonishment if anyone upset them earlier nan tournament, and erstwhile they get there, it’s difficult to deliberation of immoderate force who would clasp a matchup advantage against them.

Texas Tech: This has been nan prevailing mobility since Texas Tech started connected its astonishment run. Gerlich’s group is atop nan Big 12 pinch a 6–0 convention record; however, that could soon alteration arsenic nan Lady Raiders’ schedule toughens. They’ll look a formidable situation against Utah adjacent week, but are tin of pulling disconnected a tight triumph complete nan Utes. Texas Tech’s first nonaccomplishment very good could travel successful precocious January, against Iowa State. Audi Crooks presents a reliable matchup problem—perhaps 1 excessively daunting to overcome. 

Vanderbilt: Real capable to make sound successful nan SEC? Yes. Real arsenic successful a Final Four contender? Not yet. Vanderbilt’s schedule has been comparatively soft: The only 2 top-50 teams nan Commodores person played (excluding LSU) person been Cal and Virginia. It’s reliable to cognize really overmuch of nan team’s protect improvements connected insubstantial will clasp up erstwhile it hits a sadistic tally of SEC opponents successful February. Before then, though, Vanderbilt will trial its spot against Michigan connected Monday, arsenic nan 2 top-10 teams are slated to look disconnected connected neutral territory astatine nan Prudential Center. That crippled should connection much clarity connected whether Vanderbilt is genuinely nan existent deal.

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

Ohio State: Have you tuned into nan Jaloni Cambridge show yet? The sophomore defender dropped 41 points against Illinois, had a stat-stuffing 28 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists successful nan Buckeyes’ 89–76 upset of then-No. 8 Maryland, and past dropped 33 points, six assists and 5 rebounds against Penn State connected Wednesday. She has been electric, and now Ohio State has won 14 of its past 15 games. (Its only losses person travel against UConn and UCLA.) There is simply a ceiling to really bully nan Buckeyes tin be—their apical 3 players are each shooting nether 29% from beyond nan arc, and they don’t person a ton of frontcourt depth—but they are making their lawsuit among a jam-packed mediate tier of Big Ten teams.

Iowa State: Three consecutive losses—including 1 to a Cincinnati squad that was astatine nan bottommost of nan Big 12—is origin for alarm, and nan Cyclones are facing 2 awesome concerns. First, their defense isn’t ever astatine nan level of a Top 25 team. (Even Indiana scored 95 points against them.) Second, inferior guardant Addy Brown is retired indefinitely pinch a lower-body injury, and nan Cyclones request to fig retired really to extremity nan bleeding without her. If neither of those concerns is addressed soon, Iowa State’s tumble down nan ranks whitethorn not beryllium over.

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