Ranking the Last 10 NCAA Women's Basketball Champions

Joel Piton
4 hours ago
8 min read

by Joel Piton

Sportz Nation - 4/3/2026

Another year, another champion—but in women’s college basketball, the path to the top has looked a little different. While the chaos and unpredictability of March are still very real, the last decade has been defined more by sustained excellence rather than surprise runs. Powerhouses have stayed powerful, dynasties have taken shape, and the sport’s biggest names have consistently delivered on the biggest stage just as expected. But don’t get it twisted—just because it’s been more linear doesn’t mean it hasn’t been just as captivating. Let's take a closer look at the last ten NCAA women’s basketball champions, break down how dominant they truly were, and how they compare to one another.

Notre Dame — 2018

Record: 35-3

Coach: Muffet McGraw

In 2018, the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball team was etched into history as one of the most resilient and clutch squads to ever win a national title. Before the season even peaked, the Irish lost four core players to ACL tears and essentially had a seven player rotation. Did that deter them? No. Coach McGraw's small-ball lineup was a nightmare for the opposition. They pushed the pace, took good shots, and ended up ranking among the top scoring offenses in the country. Ogunbowale was the heartbeat of the team’s offense. A pure three-level scorer, she averaged 20.8 points per game and hitting two-game winners. Her ability to create space off the bounce made her the ultimate late-game option. Marina Mabrey was the team's perimeter threat, and Jackie Young ended up evolving into the deadliest on-ball menace in college basketball, drafted number one overall to the WNBA the following year. You've got to respect this squad for everything they overcame.

South Carolina — 2017

Record: 33-4

Coach: Dawn Staley

The Gamecock's 2017 title was the first in program history, officially establishing South Carolina as a blue bloods university. Headlined by a young A'ja Wilson, this team shattered the ceiling for what the SEC saw possible. The run to a chip was legendary, and they did it without their starting center, Alaina Coates, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury just before the NCAA tournament. To make up for the loss, Staley integrated three high-level transfers into rotation—Allisha Gray, Kaela Davis, and Allisha Gray—who provided the perimeter scoring and skill to take the Gamecocks to another level. This team's defense was superb. And with Coates out, A'Ja made a name for herself as the best player in the world. She averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds while taking on a huge scoring load. They held opponents to just 56.9 PPG and their length at every position made it nearly impossible for teams to get open looks.

Stanford — 2021

Record: 31-2

Coach: Tara VanDerveer

The "Road Warriors" don't get as much love as they should. It's rare that anyone reflects on this bunch today given the winners since, but the 2020-21 Cardinals had to overcome the massive COVID-19 outbreak in Santa Clara County overcome a thirty year drought for Stanford. Credit goes to Coach VanDerveer, because she embraced positionless basketball to the fullest and it paid off massively. Stanford ran a system where everyone from positions 1 through 4 could handle the ball, pass, and shoot, which in turn made them nearly impossible to scout because any player could initiate the offense. With the emergence of freshman Cameron Brink, Stanford put together the top defense in Pac-12, and Brink gave the Cardinals a Great Wall. Captain Haley Jones was the team's glue, a streaky guard-forward hybrid who could shoot lights out or rebound aggressively despite being undersized. Senior Kiana Wilson ended up being the best pure shooter on the team. This squad prioritized team ball over everything. No one averaged more than 14 points, yet they were the most dangerous team because anyone could take the wheel.

LSU — 2023

Record: 34-2

Coach: Kim Mulkey

In only her second season as head coach for LSU after leaving Baylor, Kim Mulkey brought in nine new players (including four high-level transfers) and molded them into a 34-2 championship squad that became a cultural phenomenon as much as a basketball powerhouse. This team was too much fun to watch and the media knew it too. These girls were unapologetically bold, led by the "Bayou Barbie" Angel Reese and the budding rap star Flau'jae Johnson. They weren't just winning, but dominating headlines, as well as every other team in the Southeastern Conference. Angel Reese ensured LSU was a vacuum on the glass, and they ranked 4th in the NCAA in rebounds. The fastbreak buckets on this team were top tier too, if you turned the ball over, Alexis Morris or Flau'jae were going to punish you. While this roster was full of new transfers, a lot of them were experienced and knew how to get it done. Their 102 points in the final was the highest scoring total ever in a Women's National Championship game. I honestly wish I could rank this team higher.

South Carolina — 2022

Record: 35-2

Coach: Dawn Staley

This team harbored not one, two or three, but nine future WNBA players. With insane talent across the board, this team was about as close as it gets to an actual WNBA or olympic team. Finishing with a 35-2 record, this squad is widely considered one of the greatest defensive teams in the history of the sport. This team led the NCAA in both blocks and rebounds, headlined by Aaliyah Boston, who won just about every single collegiate award you can think of that year. She set an SEC record with 27 consecutive double-doubles, finishing the season with 30 total. Senior Destanni Henderson proved that height is just a number, pushing the tempo as a dedicated floor general who could also shoot 40% from three. She notably made Paige Buecker's life hell on defense in the championship game against UConn, dropping 26 and neutralizing her impact completely. They capped the season by ending UConn’s perfect 11-0 record with a dominant victory.

Baylor — 2019

Record: 37-1

Coach: Kim Mulkey

This team the pinnacle of Bully Ball, as well as Kim Mulkey's last big hoorah before transferring to LSU. The late 2010's was peak perimeter shooting for college ball but Mulkey doubled down on interior finishing and defense. This team’s identity was defined by having two of the most skilled frontcourt players in the country on the floor at the same time in 6'7" Kalani Brown and 6'4" Lauren Cox. Brown was a literal and figurative mountain averaging 16 and 8 on two blocks a night. And then there's the unsung hero Chloe Jackson, an undersized transfer student who ended up being the MVP in the national championship game due to her fearless shot making. You may be curious as to why I have this team so high, but after watching them—it's a no brainer. They went 18-0 in conference play, winning by an average margin of nearly 30 points, and to be honest, that Notre Dame championship game shouldn't have been as close as it was.

UConn — 2025

Record: 37-3

Coach: Geno Auriemma

After a decade of injuries and "near-misses," the Huskies returned to the mountaintop with a 37-3 record and capturing their twelfth championship in one of the most fun to watch seasons in program history. Headlined by soon to be No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, tis team swept the Big East and steamrolled through the tournament, culminating in an 82-59 blowout of South Carolina in the National Final to avenge their notable loss in 2024. Finally shaking off the injury bug and ready to battle, Bueckers averaged 26 points in the NCAA tournament as the team's leader. Phenom Azzi Fudd provided the floor spacing (43% from 3) that mirrored KMA from a decade prior, and Ivy League transfer Kaitlyn Chen ended up being a remarkable floor general. To top it off, freshman sensation Sarah Strong (who was just named the NCAA's player of the year) put one one of the greatest freshman campaigns in NCAA history and was named the freshman of the year for insane two-way contribution. This 2025 squad was extremely resilient and they played with the biggest chip on their shoulders.

UConn — 2015

Record: 38-1

Coach: Gino Auriemma

The 2014-15 UConn squad was likely the most balanced version of the Huskies we've seen, with equal dominance on both the offensive and defensive end. Winning their third consecutive title, they finishing the season on a 37-game win streak. Fans remember Stewie as the MVP, but truthfully, this was Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis's year, setting the then-record for career three-pointers as arguably the greatest shooter in the NCAA. Moriah Jefferson had fully evolved into he fastest player in the gym. She led the team in assists and steals, making the "full-court press" a death sentence for opponents. The young guns—Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams (future WNBA standouts) were lethal off the bench as defenders and both went on to win defensive accolades. With Breanna Stewart securing her title as the consensus best player in the world, and a long-list of WNBA talent extending to the depths of the bench, you really get the full picture of just how dominant this team was.

South Carolina — 2024

Record: 38-0

Coach: Dawn Staley

For all of UConn's dominance, this particular South Carolina squad cemented the Gamecock's as the runner up powerhouse over the last decade. Finishing 38-0, they became the first undefeated champion in eight years. And the context makes things even more fascinating. Dawn Staley lost all five starters from the 2022 championship core (the "WNBA Nine" so to go undefeated with a brand-new starting lineup is a feat that might just cement Staley as the greatest floor general in coaching history. How'd she pull it off? Staley and the coaching staff prioritized depth and made sure to maximize every single player on the roster's potential. This team didn't have an explosive starting five, it had 11 players who all had heart and wanted to contribute. Senior Kamila Cardoso stepped into the spotlight and dominated, averaging a 14 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks. Te-Hina Paopao became college basketball's deadliest sniper, and MiLaysia Fulwiley's shifty play made her a viral sensation. On paper this team doesn't look insane, but the synergy from the starters to the bench made them dominant. They beat teams by nearly thirty points on average and defeated Iowa in the championship game where their bench outscored Iowa's 37-0.

UConn — 2016

Record: 38-0

Coach: Geno Auriemma

Maybe the folks saying 2016 was "the greatest year of all time" were on to something. Coming in at number one, same as the men's ranking, is UConn's 2016 chip. This should come as no surprise: this roster was stacked with a multitude of players who went on to have superstar careers. The other teams we’ve discussed were elite, but this UConn squad was statistically perfect, finishing 38-0 and winning every single game by double digits. This was peak Stewie in her final form, but the lore gets even more interesting here. Three players from this team were drafted Top 3 overall in the WNBA draft: Breanna Stewart at one, Moriah Jefferson at two, and Morgan Tuck at three. It remains the only time in history three players from the same team were taken as the top three picks. How good was this tandem? They won games by an average of 39.7 points per game. They essentially started every game up 40-0 in spirit. This was UConn's fourth consecutive chip, and it looked like the equivalent of an All-Star NBA team going up against G-League prospects. It just wasn't fair.

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Now that we’ve taken a step back and sized up the last decade of champions on both sides, one question stands out—what surprised you more? The dominance and consistency we’ve seen on the women’s side, or the unpredictability of the men’s tournament?

And with the Final Four tipping off tonight, it’s time to stop looking back and time lock in on the present. Who’ve you got making it through to the championship? Who are you rooting for to cut down the nets and take it all?

Let us know your picks, and if you haven’t already, be sure to check out our breakdown of the men’s side of things here—because not all championships are created equal.

NCAA Women's Final Four basketball goes down TONIGHT 🚨 Can't keep up with the games? Be sure to stay tuned into Sportz Nation for your sports updates on all things basketball.

Thanks for reading!

-Joel Piton

(@jpiton7)