NCAA women's basketball: The top five games of February, including LSU vs. Texas

Two of our five games of the month take place this Thursday, Feb. 5

By Isabel Gonzalez

Feb 4, 2026 at 10:15 am ET • 4 min read

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February started off strong with 20 ranked women's basketball teams playing on Sunday, and the action will just continue to ramp up as the last stretch of the regular season develops. The 2025-26 campaign has been total chaos with multiple upsets, which means this month will feature plenty of matchups that could have significant consequences for the NCAA Tournament.

No. 1 UConn has already played its toughest opponents and just needs to continue taking care of business in the Big East to end the regular season with a perfect record. However, there are plenty of other top-ranked teams that still have some of their most difficult challenges ahead of them.

Here is a closer look at the top five matchups to watch in February:

LSU at Texas

Feb. 5 | Austin, Texas | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN

The SEC is the most competitive conference in the nation, and a battle between two of the top teams is a must-watch event. LSU took a 70-65 home win over Texas on Jan. 11, but now it will be the Longhorns' turn to host. Before that loss, Texas had a perfect 18-0 record, which was the program's best start since the 1985-86 season. The team then lost a close one to South Carolina, but now the Longhorns are on a three-game winning streak, including a quality win over Oklahoma. Now, the question is: Will the Longhorns keep the momentum going, or will LSU stump them again? The Tigers started conference play 0-2, but things have been clicking during their seven-game winning streak. A second win against Texas could also mean Kim Mulkey's group has a chance at potentially taking the final No. 1 seed from the Longhorns for the NCAA Tournament.

Duke at Louisville

Feb. 5 | Lexington, Kentucky | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN

Duke fell off the AP Top 25 after a tough stretch in November. However, the Blue Devils have bounced back with 13 consecutive wins. This will be a key game for Kara Lawson's team to show they can compete and win against top opponents. As great as this opportunity is, Louisville won't be an easy challenge, especially in Kentucky. The Cardinals are on a 14-game winning streak that started after Louisville fell short of an upset against South Carolina in a two-point loss in December. Since then, the team has picked up some quality wins that include North Carolina, Tennessee, Notre Dame and NC State -- all at a neutral site or on the road.

South Carolina at LSU

Feb. 14 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC

This is another matchup that could help LSU's case for a No. 1 seed. Although South Carolina is 22-2 overall, the Gamecocks are not exactly crushing opponents every night. They have had a few upset scares, and they recently struggled to pull away from an unranked Texas A&M team until the fourth quarter. However, the Gamecocks were playing that one without Ta'Niya Latson and Ago Makeer, who are both out with leg injuries without a timetable for their return. The game will be in Baton Rouge, which should give the Tigers an edge. That being said, nothing is guaranteed in this conference and Dawn Staley's squad surely circled this one on the calendar. We also have to point out the obvious storyline of MiLaysia Fulwiley transferring from South Carolina to LSU in the summer. Just like she did with the Gamecocks, Fulwiley has been a key part of LSU's bench leading the nation in scoring with her energy and athleticism.

UCLA at Michigan

Feb. 8 | | Ann Arbon, Michigan | 3 p.m. ET | ABC

The Bruins have one of the toughest strengths of schedule this season and have handled it nicely with a 21-1 overall record. They recently dismantled Iowa, which further helped their case as the top team in the Big Ten. However, Cori Close's squad can't get too comfortable in a road game against Michigan, the No. 2 team in the conference standings. The Wolverines know how to rise to the occasion when playing tough opponents, as they showed when they almost upset No. 1 UConn at the Wall of Fame Women's Showcase in November. They are also fresh off a gritty overtime victory over Michigan State on the road, which should help the Wolverines' confidence coming into this game – assuming they don't slip against Nebraska on Wednesday.

TCU at Baylor

Feb. 12 | Waco, Texas | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN

Baylor's recent loss to West Virginia was yet another example of how messy the Big 12 is right now. The same goes for TCU falling to Texas Tech. According to CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel, both are hovering around the hosting cutoff for the NCAA Tournament, which means every win matters a little more right now. They faced each other in the Big 12 title game last season as the top two seeds, and TCU won by just five points. Now here they are again trying to figure out who rules the conference. This will be the first time they meet this season, and what adds to the intrigue is the fact that they will also be playing their last conference game on March 1 against each other.