In honor of the start of March Madness and Women’s History Month, let’s take a look at teams who have dominated the NCAA Tournament the past few seasons.
2025 UConn Huskies
This season may be the year for the No. 3 ranked UConn Huskies since this is the team’s last chance to win a championship with Paige Bueckers. Bueckers, in her fifth and final year of NCAA eligibility, has yet to win a championship in her impressive young career. This past season, Bueckers recorded over 2,000 career points and just won the Women’s Player of the Year in the Big East Conference.
Bueckers is an asset to this roster and has gained a lot of media attention the past few seasons. Alongside her, Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd were named to the All-Big East First Team. Strong also won Big East Freshman of the Year, and Head Coach Geno Auriemma earned the honor of Big East Coach of the Year.
This season, the Huskies had many statement Quad 1 wins, especially their 87-58 win over No. 4 University of South California on the road, which ended the Gamecocks’ 71-game winning streak at home. UConn won the 2024-25 Big East Conference Championship, one of a few championships they are looking toward. The Huskies are projected to be a No. 2 seed in the tournament and have a +300 odds to win the championship according to ESPN, so it seems like this is the year for UConn.
2024 South Carolina Gamecocks
The South Carolina Gamecocks are coming off of a historical season, beating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the national championship, capping their unbeaten season. The Gamecocks will be the No. 1 seed overall in this year's NCAA Tournament once again.
The Gamecocks are not given enough recognition, considering their dominance in recent years. Last season, South Carolina took command of the tournament, finishing 38-0 on the season and doubling their opponents scores. The defending champs are given +350 odds to win the national championship again this year, and should be talked about more.
2023 Louisiana State University Tigers
The 2023 LSU Tigers did something special. LSU finished the regular season at 34-2, second in the SEC, and were selected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They completed a few upsets that year, making them national champions.
Angel Reese and the Tigers were able to defeat Caitlin Clark, making a statement in women’s college basketball. Although Reese may be a controversial athlete, she is someone who has gained much media attention for not only herself, but for the game of basketball as a whole.
Reese was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award in 2023, after leading her team to its first ever championship in program history. This season, LSU will be a No. 3 seed once again, coming off of a 28-5 season, 3rd in the SEC.
Iowa Hawkeyes
You can’t talk about women’s college basketball without mentioning the pioneer of the game herself – Caitlin Clark. Despite never winning a national championship in her time at Iowa, Clark did incredible things for the sport. It is unfortunate that the Hawkeyes were unable to win a national championship with Clark on their team, but she led them to do great things.
Clark’s historic career ranks her among college basketball’s all-time greats. She ended her career as the all-time leading scorer in all of Division 1 basketball (mens’ or womens’) with 3,951 points. Clark was able to carry her team to the final four of the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years.
In her very impressive career, Clark won Big Ten Player of the Year and recorded her third (unanimous) First Team All American during her senior season, won the Naismith Trophy, the Wooden Award and was named the Associated Press Player of the Year. Clark’s co-captains Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall, also helped lead this team. In their last seasons, Martin was named Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Outstanding Sportsman, and Marshall named a First-team All-Conference honoree.
These teams, along with these incredible women, have become trailblazers for the game of basketball. They have expanded NCAA women’s basketball so much and now the WNBA, as well. I am excited to see what will come next for these amazing athletes.
Edited by Taylor N. Hall
very well said, love the uprise of women in sports!❤️
Gina this is amazing!!! Love the representation of women in sports!