The South Carolina women’s basketball team is two wins away from perfection.
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are entering their fourth consecutive Final Four having not lost a single game all season.
This is actually the second straight NCAA Tournament where South Carolina carried a perfect record in the Final Four. Last year, the then-36-0 Gamecocks were stunned by Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the national semifinals.
While South Carolina could still run into Clark and Co. again, it won’t be in the Final Four. This time around, the 36-0 Gamecocks are up against No. 3 NC State, which is making just its second Final Four appearance and first since 1998.
Before the Gamecocks and Wolfpack square off, here’s a look at the history South Carolina is closing in on:
How many undefeated NCAA women’s basketball champions have there been?
There has been an undefeated champion nine times in women’s NCAA Tournament history. The rare feat has been accomplished by four different programs: Baylor, Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
The 1985-86 Longhorns were the first to pull it off.
When was the last undefeated NCAA women’s basketball champion?
UConn is the only program with multiple unblemished championship seasons. Geno Auriemma’s Huskies went unbeaten a staggering six times, with two coming in consecutive seasons.
Here’s a full look at each undefeated women’s champion:
Texas, 1985-86: 34-0
UConn, 1994-95: 35-0
Tennessee, 1997-98: 39-0
UConn, 2001-02: 39-0
UConn, 2008-09: 39-0
UConn, 2009-10: 39-0
Baylor, 2011-12: 40-0
UConn, 2013-14: 40-0
UConn, 2015-16: 38-0
How many undefeated NCAA men’s basketball champions have there been?
There have been even fewer perfect championship seasons on the men’s side. It’s been done a combined seven times by four different programs: Indiana, North Carolina, San Francisco and UCLA.
San Francisco became the first undefeated men’s champ in 1955-56.
When was the last undefeated NCAA men’s basketball champion?
It’s been nearly 50 years since the last unbeaten men’s champ, which was the 1975-76 Hoosiers. Gonzaga was on the brink of ending the drought in 2020-21, but the Bulldogs fell to Baylor in the national title game.
Here’s a full look at each time it’s been done:
San Francisco, 1955-56: 29-0
North Carolina, 1956-57: 32-0
UCLA, 1963-64: 30-0
UCLA, 1966-67: 30-0
UCLA, 1971-72: 30-0
UCLA, 1972-73: 30-0
Indiana, 1975-76: 32-0
There is a lot on the line in the 2024 men’s Final Four. UConn is looking to go back-to-back as champions while the other teams are looking for their first win, or first win in over four decades.