And then there were two. With Texas Tech losing over the weekend, UConn and Vanderbilt are left as the two remaining unbeaten teams in women's college basketball. The Huskies sit at No. 1 in the nation and are the championship favorite, while Vanderbilt is No. 5 and is largely still considered a title dark horse instead of a favorite.
It's time to place these teams in conversation. Which has been most impressive so far and, perhaps more importantly, which will have a more impressive resume at the end of this season considering Vanderbilt has eight remaining games against ranked opponents while UConn has one left? If Vanderbilt drops two or three games but still wins the SEC, is that more or less impressive than UConn winning a Big East that's frankly not that good this season?
Vanderbilt proves its mettle against Michigan
I'm not going to lie here: I thought Monday would be the end of Vanderbilt's undefeated season. The Commodores faced Michigan, the only team to really threaten undefeated UConn all season. It seemed like a game where Vanderbilt could get out of rhythm on offense and struggled to slow down a deep Wolverines team defensively.
And Vanderbilt did struggle a bit more on offense, with its 72 points marking its second fewest of the season. The defense held up, though, limiting Michigan to 69 points and giving Vanderbilt its 19th win in a row.
Earlier in the season, it was fair to question if Vanderbilt's strong run was simply a product of a weak schedule. In non-conference play, the Commodores played just one team that currently has a top 50 Her Hoop Stats rating: Virginia, which ranks 43rd. Wins over the Cavaliers plus BYU, Cal and South Florida are good wins, but they aren't great wins, so I get the skepticism. Even the huge win over LSU seemed like it could be a bit of an illusion, as the Tigers had question marks of their own.
But wins over LSU and Michigan? Yeah, it's time to take Vanderbilt seriously.
UConn keeps rolling
UConn is essentially the opposite story of Vandy: a perennial powerhouse that's played a tough schedule and has come out of it unscathed.
The Huskies are second in the nation in net rating despite having faced Louisville, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Iowa and Notre Dame so far. Of those games, only the Michigan game was close, and on Sunday, UConn flexed its might with a 38-point win over the Irish.
UConn is led by Sarah Smart, the frontrunner for the Naismith Award, and the team lacks any real holes. Azzi Fudd is a knock-down 3-point shooter who is somehow hitting 45.5 percent of her looks. KK Arnold has been a reliable ball-handler and defender. Serah Williams offers paint protection.
What's next for both teams?
I would argue that what UConn has done so far has been more impressive than what Vanderbilt has done, but the Commodores have a chance to completely flip that script, and they don't even need to stay undefeated to do it.
Here's the thing for UConn: the team only has one more "hard" game, which is a Feb. 1 home meeting with Tennessee. Otherwise, it's just Big East games, and UConn is simply too good for the Big East. It's not quite as bad as when the team was dominating the American, but the disparity is still huge. Villanova is an objectively solid team and sits 39th in Her Hoop Stats rating, but UConn just beat the Wildcats by 49 points.
UConn is likely a better team than Vanderbilt, but the Commodores have a better opportunity from here on out to impress critics. UConn's stock can't rise anymore. It can only go down with a loss to Tennessee. Vanderbilt, though, has plenty of room to grow, as the team still has to face South Carolina and Texas, plus has games against Ole Miss, Kentucky (twice), Oklahoma, Alabama and Tennessee to go. It's a gauntlet, but if Vanderbilt emerges from that with only one or two losses and claims the SEC title, I think that we have to say that what the Commodores will have accomplished will be the most impressive thing in the nation. Yes, UConn has some huge wins, but a team that didn't enter the season as one of the elites emerging as the SEC champs would be the nation's best story.