Perfection is rarely achieved in sports. We need to recognize and celebrate it when it happens. In the past 41 years of the DI Women's Basketball Tournament, only 10 teams have finished the season as undefeated champions.
There have been 10 undefeated seasons, but only five programs have had perfect seasons. Baylor, UW, Tennessee, Texas and most recently he is South Carolina in 2024. UW has six undefeated seasons, while Baylor, South Carolina, Tennessee State and Texas all have it.
Final Four: Here's how often No. 1 seeds make it to the women's Final Four.
Let's take a look at all 10 of these historic teams.
1985-86 Texas Longhorns (34-0)
Texas became the fifth national champion in DI women's basketball history in 1986 and the first team to finish the season undefeated.
In the final season without a 3-point line for DI women's basketball, the Longhorns averaged 83.9 points per game. They had four players finish with 10 or more points per game. A player named Clarissa Davis appeared in all 34 games, but started only five. Davis shot 66 percent from the field (99-150) and led the team with 262 rebounds and 23 blocks.
In this tournament, Texas State won the first two games by 41 points and then by 26 points, struggled in the regional finals, and dominated the national semifinals with a 90-65 victory over fourth-seeded Western Kentucky, leading to a 90-65 victory over Southern was defeated in runner-up. Scored 16 points in the national tournament.
After the win, head coach Jody Conrad spoke about the team's historic accomplishment:
“The first thing I thought about was perfection. Every year there will be a champion, but the undefeated champions will form an elite group.”
1994-95 University Con Huskies (35-0)
As Geno Auriemma's University Huskies start to come into their own, that elite group will continue to grow. This was the program's first national championship and certainly a memorable one, as the Huskies were only the second team to go undefeated.
Rebecca Lobo was a huge addition to the 1994-1995 team. As a senior, Lobo averaged 17.1 points per game, shooting 50 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from 3-point range.
In the 1995 tournament, the Huskies quickly defeated all their opponents. His average winning percentage at UW was 25.3. The team's closest game was against No. 3 Virginia, where they lost to the Huskies by four points.
UW had to play Tennessee State in the national championship game. This is the second time this season that the two teams have met, with the Huskies defeating the Lady Vols both times.
1997-98 Tennessee Lady Volunteers (39-0)
Tennessee would use that loss in the 1995 title game as motivation to aim for three consecutive championships from 1996 to 1998. The 1998 Lady Volunteers were Pat's first Summit team to go undefeated.
The combination of Shameek Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings was dangerous. Holdsclaw ended up winning nearly every player of the year award, and Catchings also became an All-American. These two combined for him to exceed his 41 points per game.
Following the lead of the first two undefeated champions, Tennessee dominated each round. Interestingly, Tennessee (1998), UW (1995), and Texas (1986) were all his single-digit wins in the regional semifinals. The Lady Vols capped off their record with a 93-75 win over Louisiana Tech in the national championship.
History: Check out all past NCAA DI women's basketball champions
2001-02 University Con Huskies (39-0)
At the beginning of the millennium, UConn won two of the first three national titles (2000, '02). The second made the Huskies the first program to go two undefeated seasons with a national championship.
This Huskies team was led by star players like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams, and A'ja Jones. All five of them averaged over 10 points per game that season. They set the NCAA single-season record for winning margin (35.4).
The big wins in the regular season continued in the NCAA Tournament. This year marked the beginning of their dominance over Tennessee. The Huskies defeated the Lady Vols in early 2002 and then won the Final Four en route to defeating Oklahoma in the title game.
2008-09 University Con Huskies (39-0)
Just as quickly as UConn became the first program to go two undefeated seasons in the championship, the Huskies completed their third undefeated season in 2009.
Like the 2002 team, the 2009 Huskies had some superstars. Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery, and Tina Charles all worked together to average over 50 points per game as a group.
The Huskies never really encountered a close game. The closest game was a 10-point win in the regular season finale against Rutgers. Not every game in the tournament was close. UW defeated Louisville by 22 points to win the title for the sixth time in program history.
2009-10 University Con Huskies (39-0)
The 2008-09 season was just the beginning of a historic run for the Huskies. From 2009 to 2010, UConn finished his second straight undefeated season. Auriemma's teams won 78 games over the past two seasons. It was carried over into the 2010-11 season, but ended with a score of 90.
Eight players returned from the previous perfect season, continuing the streak. Tina Charles, Maya Moore, and Karana Green were some of the leaders on this season's team.
If the program becomes established to the level that UConn is, the Huskies will have the best shot at each team. It wasn't much of an issue during the regular season. The Huskies often held teams under 50 points.
However, there were some close games in the postseason. In the Big East tournament, the Huskies were held to fewer than 60 points twice, but won with solid defense. In the national title game, Stanford almost caught up with UW, but fell short, 53-47.
2011-12 Baylor Bears (40-0)
A new member of the undefeated club took off in 2012, when Kim Mulkey's Baylor Bears became the first team to go 40-0.
Brittney Greiner and Odyssey Sims were the headliners for the program's second national title. That season, Griner had 160 blocks (the following year she set the NCAA all-time career block record with 748 blocks).
Baylor won nine games in the top 25 during the regular season and then defeated two No. 2 and No. 1 seeds to win the national title. Griner recorded his fourth double-double of the tournament as the Bears defeated Notre Dame 80-61.
2013-14 University Con Huskies (40-0)
Collegiate Con had to make it two years later, as he would not be able to make it to Baylor University's 40-win season.
This time, the Huskies' balanced roster was led by Karina Mosqueda-Lewis, Stephanie Dolson, Brianna Stewart, and Kelly Faris. Four players averaged over 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
The title marked the UConn team's third straight title, but the title didn't end after the 2013-14 season.
2015-16 University Con Huskies (38-0)
The most recent UConn championships so far were four in a row. Over those four seasons (2012-2016), the Huskies were 151-4 with him.
Brianna Stewart continued to perform well, scoring 19.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field.
The Huskies had one game all season decided by 10 points or less. Everything was smooth sailing for Auriemma's team. In the title game, they defeated 4th place Syracuse 82-51.
2023-24 South Carolina (38-0)
The most undefeated national champion in Division I women's basketball is South Carolina in 2024. From the unique season opener in Paris to the Final Four and the national championship game in Cleveland, Ohio, the Gamecocks came out victorious.
South Carolina got its revenge in the national title game with an 87-75 victory over Iowa State, which ended the Shamcocks' undefeated run to the Final Four just one year ago. In the win that sealed an undefeated season, star center Camila Cardoso had 15 points and 17 rebounds, and freshman Tessa Johnson led all scorers with 19 points.
