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The biggest surprise of the 2025-26 season is Texas Tech, one of only three remaining undefeated teams in women's college basketball. The Lady Raiders have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2013, but they are currently off to a 19-0 start, including a 6-0 Big 12 record.

They have already surpassed last season's conference win total and matched the most Big 12 victories in the Krista Gerlich era, and there are still more than six weeks left of the regular season. The last time the program won 19 games in a row was the 1992-93 season, which ended with Texas Tech winning the national championship. Gerlich just happened to be a part of that team, too, as a guard.

"Wow, it's been a long time," Gerlich said earlier this week. "It's kind of crazy because obviously I would love to be on a 19-0 run at the end of the season. That would be fantastic to know where we ended up, right? But I'm just super proud of this team right now for just continuing to stack wins and showing up every day with a great attitude… It's just kind of unbelievable to me. It's kind of like I'm in a dream. Don't wake me up as far as the 19-0 goes."

The Lady Raiders have only faced two Quad 1 opponents so far, Baylor and West Virginia, but staying undefeated until mid-January is no small feat -- only UConn and Vanderbilt are in the same position.

Texas Tech's success has been a combination of returning players getting better and embracing bigger roles, as well as good additions from the transfer portal. Bailey Maupin is currently leading the team with 15.4 points per game. She was the second leading scorer last season, but she has become even more important for the team thanks to her shooting percentages improving. She went from shooting under 40% from the field and under 30% from beyond the arc to shooting 45.9% and 35.8% from 3-point range.

Jalynn Bristow only started two games last season and averaged 11.3 minutes per game. Now she's a starter, leads the team in rebounding and is third in scoring. Ole Miss transfer Snudda Collins is the second-leading scorer this season despite coming off the bench. Meanwhile, starting point guard Gemma Nunez transferred from Campbell. She is currently No. 15 in the nation in assist/turnover ratio.

Conference play won't get any easier, as Texas Tech still has to face teams such as Iowa State and TCU in the coming weeks, but the Lady Raiders have something -- or rather someone -- big to look forward to. They recently added 7-foot-1 Nigerian center Stephanie Okechukwu, who will be the tallest player in women's college basketball history once the NCAA officially approves her eligibility.

There's a lot of basketball left to be played this season, so only time will tell if this will be the year that Texas Tech finally ends its March Madness drought. But their early-season success is worth celebrating, and 

Here are other major topics from this week:

No. 2 South Carolina avenges loss against No. 4 Texas

Although it wasn't pretty, South Carolina pulled off a 68-65 victory over Texas on Thursday night. Both teams struggled to take care of the ball and combined for 42 turnovers. However, the Gamecocks found the momentum when it mattered the most. Raven Johnson was particularly impactful in the fourth quarter, but an unusual 3-pointer by Madina Okot also deserves credit for sparking the last push her team needed. Click here for a closer look at how South Carolina gutted out the win.

USC suffers fourth consecutive loss

On Jan. 12, USC dropped out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 2022-23 season. A few days later, the Trojans fell 62-55 to No. 12 Maryland, which marked their fourth consecutive loss. 

Despite the recent struggles, coach Lindsay Gottlieb said she was proud of the way her team fought against the Terrapins -- Kara Dunn scored 20+ points in her third consecutive game and freshman Jazzy Davidson registered her 17th consecutive game with at least one block, as well as her 14th straight game scoring in double figures.

"I thought we played our asses off, just because you do that doesn't guarantee an outcome," Gottlieb said. "… I'll take our effort every day of the week. This is a hard stretch for our group, but what I saw today was really meaningful in terms of how we were engaged."

Marta Suarez hits game-winner for TCU

No. 10 TCU had an upset scare against West Virginia on Wednesday night, but a clutch 3-pointer by Marta Suarez helped the Horned Frogs come out with a 51-50 road victory. Suarez finished the game with 11 points, nine rebounds and three steals, while Olivia Miles had a team-high 14 points.

The team registered a season-high 24 turnovers and only five assists, which is the Horned Frogs' second-fewest in a win in program history. Their 51 points also tied for the Horned Frogs' fourth fewest in a win. It was probably their worst game of the season, but at the end of the day, they succeeded because they showed a lot of resilience.

Vanderbilt is off to a historic start

No. 5 Vanderbilt's 18-0 start is the best start and longest winning streak in program history. It happened thanks to an 89-84 win over Mississippi State on Thursday, which included a 38-point performance by sophomore Mikayla Blakes.

This is also the first time Vanderbilt has started 5-0 in SEC play since the 1992-93 season. That is no small accomplishment in the toughest conference in women's college basketball. The Commodores have a big test coming up as they take on No. 8 Michigan on the road on Monday afternoon.

Top game to watch this weekend

There are multiple good matchups scheduled for this weekend, but the most intriguing one might be No. 6 LSU at No. 13 Oklahoma. LSU made a statement with a win against Texas, but as the Tigers already know, nobody can get too comfortable in the SEC conference. Oklahoma will have home-court advantage and will be hungry to bounce back after consecutive losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky.

As an extra way to get ready for this game, check out LSU star Flau'jae Johnson breaking down film with CBS Sports. The matchup is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET and will be available on ESPN2.