Who has gone undefeated in NCAA DI women's basketball history? South Carolina looks to be next.

John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK

Dawn Staley has turned South Carolina into a powerhouse in women's college basketball over the last handful of years.

After all, the Gamecocks' numbers and results since 2021 speak for themselves: three straight SEC regular season titles, two SEC tournament titles, a national championship and three straight Final Four appearances. Record-wise, South Carolina has gone 126-7 overall and 60-3 in SEC play while losing only one home game during that span.

But there still remains a feat Staley and South Carolina haven't reached: an undefeated season.

REQUIRED READING: Why Dawn Staley isn't ready to call South Carolina basketball a dynasty after 8th SEC title

The Gamecocks came close to reaching this feat last year but ultimately fell two games short, as they lost to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four. Former Gamecock and reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston was held to just eight points in South Carolina's 77-73 loss.

One year later, South Carolina is once again on pace to go a perfect 38-0 as it enters the final weekend of the regular season at 28-0 overall and 15-0 in the SEC. This season, Staley's squad has taken down No. 10 UConn, for the second straight season, No. 7 LSU, then-No. 10 Notre Dame, then-No. 14 Maryland and then-No. 24 North Carolina.

And so, if South Carolina can go undefeated in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, the Gamecocks would become the 10th team — and the first team since UConn in 2016 — in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to go undefeated for an entire season. The Gamecocks are currently the favorites on BetMGM, with odds at -125, to hoist the national championship trophy inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland next month.

Who was the last undefeated NCAA women's basketball team?

The last NCAA Division-I women's basketball team to go undefeated in a season was Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies in 2015-16 when they went 38-0.

There was no more dominant program or team in the country in the 2010s than UConn as it won four straight national championships and went 151-14 from 2012-16. During the Huskies 2015-16 run, UConn star and now WNBA forward Breanna Stewart spearheaded the Huskies offense averaging 19.4 points per game.

Undefeated NCAA women's basketball teams

South Carolina would become the fifth different women's basketball program to go undefeated for an entire season, joining the likes of Baylor, Texas, Tennessee and UConn.

Here's a full list of those who have gone on to have undefeated seasons that were capped off by winning a national championship title:

  • 1985-86: Texas Longhorns (34-0)

  • 1994-95: UConn Huskies (35-0)

  • 1997-98: Tennessee Lady Volunteers (39-0)

  • 2001-02: UConn Huskies (39-0)

  • 2008-09: UConn Huskies (39-0)

  • 2009-10: UConn Huskies (39-0)

  • 2011-12: Baylor Bears (40-0)

  • 2013-14: UConn Huskies (40-0)

  • 2015-16: UConn Huskies (38-0)

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Undefeated women's basketball teams: South Carolina looks to join UConn

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