This women's college basketball season has featured significant parity, but as the year 2024 comes to an end, six teams from major conferences have managed to stay undefeated. Conference play is looming, which means a lot of these programs are about to face some serious tests.
Tennessee and LSU are entering the SEC portion of their schedules with perfect records, while the Big Ten has Maryland, Ohio State and No. 1 UCLA still unbeaten. Georgia Tech is the lone ACC team without a single loss.
Last season, South Carolina won the national championship to secure an unblemished 38-0 record. The Gamecocks can't do that again in 2025 because they already picked up a loss against UCLA. The 2023-24 South Carolina squad was just the 10th team in women's college basketball history to have a perfect season, showing just how hard of a feat it is.
We won't get too ahead of ourselves by trying to predict another undefeated season, but this is a good time to look at which of the unbeaten teams could remain perfect the longest. The following rankings are not necessarily based on which is the best team, but rather which is most likely to stay undefeated based on upcoming matchups.
6. Maryland (12-0)
Next game: vs. Rutgers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET
Kaylene Smikle leads Maryland's offense with 17.8 points per game, but one of the Terrapins' biggest strengths is they have multiple scoring weapons. Five players are averaging double figures, and seven players are averaging over seven points per game.
The Terrapins have picked up good wins against Duke and Michigan State this season, but they will have one of their most difficult challenges when they host USC on Jan. 8.
Maryland will have to work on taking care of the ball, as despite its 72-66 win against Michigan State on Dec. 29, the team had 25 turnovers and blew a 17-point lead. To be fair, Michigan State is in the top 10 nationally when it comes to turnovers forced, but USC is also in the top 30.
5. Tennessee (12-0)
Next game: at Texas A&M on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
The Lady Vols are a really tough team to play because of their up-tempo pace and ability to force turnovers -- one of the several stats in which they are the best in the country. Tennessee also showed it can be a dangerous 3-point shooting team when it drained an NCAA single-game record 30 3-pointers against North Carolina Central on Dec. 14.
Like other teams on this list, Tennessee is a team with multiple players who could go off any given night. Talaysia Cooper, who's averaging 18.1 points per game, leads seven Tennessee players who average over eight points per contest. The Lady Vols are scoring a nation-best 97.4 points per game.
However, Tennessee has some big tests early in the new year. The Lady Vols are taking on Oklahoma on Jan. 6, and that should be an interesting matchup because the Sooners are a high-assist, low-turnover team. There won't be much time to rest after that one because Tennessee hosts LSU four days later.
4. Georgia Tech (14-0)
Next game: vs. Syracuse on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET
The Yellow Jackets have been one of the most surprising teams this season, and are seeing their best start in program history with three wins against ranked opponents. Dani Carnegie, Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan are each averaging double figures in scoring, and the team as a whole is No. 8 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Georgia Tech started turning heads with a 74-58 win against then-No. 21 Oregon on Nov. 25. The Yellow Jackets' biggest win so far was an 82-76 victory over then-No. 14 North Carolina on Dec. 15. In that game, Morgan and Carnegie combined for 45 points against one of the top defenses in the nation.
The Yellow Jackets' third win against a ranked opponent was on Dec. 21, a 72-61 victory over then-No. 23 Nebraska. It's a fun time for the Yellow Jackets, but they can't get too comfortable because they have a date with Notre Dame on Jan. 16.
3. LSU (15-0)
Next game: at Arkansas on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.
Up until the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, Albany was getting close to handing the Tigers their first loss of the season. Even Kim Mulkey admits this year's team is not one that will blow out top opponents because of the new faces and roles. The roster still has to work on chemistry and consistency, but there are definitely some highlights.
Flau'jae Johnson has leveled up and is currently leading LSU with 20.5 points per game while shooting 51.3% from the field, which is 14th best nationally among guards. Meanwhile, Aneesah Morrow continues to be a double-double machine while averaging 18.4 points and 14.3 rebounds per contest.
LSU's top win so far has been against then-No. 20 NC State on Nov. 27. As SEC play begins, things will only get tougher for the Tigers. They will get tested early with a game against Tennessee on Jan. 9, and they will also have to take on reigning national champion South Carolina on Jan. 23.
2. Ohio State (13-0)
Next game: vs. Northwestern on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET
The Big Ten is tough, and Ohio State has been listed as one of the team's to watch since the preseason. All five starters are averaging double figures, led by Cotie McMahon and her 18 points per game. The Buckeyes are No. 10 in the nation in scoring offense with 86.7 points per game, which is one spot higher than Maryland -- a team they will face on Jan. 23.
Ohio State has also done well on defense, limiting opponents to just 54.6 points per contest. The Buckeyes didn't have too tough of a non-conference schedule, but they did grab an 83-74 win against then-No. 21 Illinois on Dec. 8, and a dominant 84-59 victory over Stanford on Dec. 20.
Maryland will be a difficult test for the Buckeyes, but they also have a strong opponent in Michigan on Jan. 8. If Ohio State survives January undefeated, it will have to carry that momentum into early February, when it takes on UCLA and USC in Los Angeles.
1. UCLA (13-0)
Next game: vs. Michigan on Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.
The Bruins reached the AP Top 25 No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history this season, and they were the ones responsible for ending South Carolina's 43-game winning streak. That 77-62 victory over the Gamecocks on Nov. 24 showed Cori Close's team shouldn't be overlooked.
Eight UCLA players are averaging over seven points per game, led by Lauren Betts, who is close to averaging a double-double with 19.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest. This roster is strong because the Bruins returned most of their top contributors from last season and added some solid transfers in Janiah Barker and Timea Gardiner. Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker is sitting out this season to continue recovering from a torn ACL, but the team has enough depth to be competitive even without her.
Big Ten play will be challenging, but the Bruins are one of the favorites despite this being their first season in the conference. The ranked opponents they are facing in January include Michigan and Maryland, but February won't get any easier. A week after taking on Ohio State, UCLA will be tested by Los Angeles rival USC on Feb. 13.
