Just like Study programs, sports and athletics are also a main part of college curriculum nowadays. And it is not easy to decide which college to choose when there are so many options available. Getting into the sports team is an important part of a student-athlete college life and therefore this selection should be made by carefully analyzing different aspects. Student-athletes start receiving recruitment offers in their final high school year so it is important to make a choice which is beneficial for them in all aspects.
This article enlists the top 10 Colleges for Women’s basketball across the United States. After careful analysis, this list has been made for student-athletes to choose the one of their own liking. Not only the sporting factor, this list also offers the best educational experience for female Basketball athletes.
Different factors have been considered which include the overall ranking of the school, the quality of its sports team and its competitiveness, the athletic aid given to students etc. As mentioned earlier, a good sports team won’t do enough if there aren’t good academic opportunities. Let’s move on to the list of Top Colleges for Women’s Basketball.
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Stanford University
Located in Stanford California, Stanford University has a Top Women’s basketball Team. The team is known by the name Stanford Cardinal. Along with its athletic brilliance, the academic program is well known as well. Ranked as one of the top academic college, Stanford’s sports programs are no less. The Athletic Academic Resource Centre (AARC) of the college helps the student athletes in determining their interest and improving their gameplay under the guidance of experienced coaching staff.
The women’s Basketball team Stanford Cardinal is currently coached by Tara VanDerveer, who led the Stanford Cardinal to championship in 1990s. The brilliant track record of team’s Coach is akin to the success of Stanford Cardinal.
Stanford Cardinal has won 3 NCAA championships out of their total 5 appearances. Along with that, they have 14 final appearances. Stanford Cardinal has made its name in this list of Top colleges for Women’s Basketball through their consistent performance. Throughout, they have produced some of the best WNBA players. Two of those best players whose names are worth mentioning are sisters; Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike. Both of them were the top picks after their brilliant college record. Stanford Cardinal has also won their conference title; PAC-12, for 14 times.
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University of Connecticut
The women’s Basketball team of University of Connecticut is regarded as one of the top basketball teams of women in the entire States. The team is called UConn Huskies and is privileged to produce 38 players so far who have name in the draft of Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).
It would not be an exaggeration to say that UConn Huskies has been one of the most dominant and consistent Women Basketball team. They have a whooping win streak of 111 games, the longest held by any women basketball team. Along with that, they have won a record total of 11 NCAA championships. Their huge success rate and consistent performance is testament to the brilliant sports program offered at University of Connecticut.
Over the last 25 years, UConn Huskies have been a part of Atlantic Coastal and Big East Conferences, having won 25 major conference titles. The team is headed by former senior player Geno Auriemma who is widely respected due to their professional expertise. His coaching brilliance has not only led UConn Huskies to win NCAA titles but perform brilliantly at domestic and International levels as well.
Along with a NCAA title, UConn Huskies have managed to win a WNBA title, an Olympic and a FIBA World Cup Gold Medal.
- University of Tennessee
Known as the Tennessee Lady Volunteers, the women Basketball team at University of Tennessee is one of the greatest teams of all time. The have won a record number of 8 NCAA championships, only second behind the UConn Huskies.
Not only that, the team has won 17 SEC Tournaments. Lady Volunteers also have 400 regular season SEC victories to their names. The coaching staff is headed by veteran player Pat Summitt known for his exemplary record as a player as well as a coach.
Lady Volunteers are a regular participants of the South Eastern Conference and their majority of the success comes under this cloud. University of Tennessee enjoys a national repuatation not only due to its academic success but also because of its prominent sports programs specially Basketball.
For the motivation of future student athletes, it would be pertinent to mention one of the most successful and impactful player of Tennessee Lady Volunteers; Candace Walker, who led Lady Volunteers to back to back NCAA Championships in 2007 and 08.
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Baylor University:
Baylor University is one of the oldest Private University in Texas and is famous for its Basketball program along with other distinctions. The College team is known by the name of Baylor Lady Bears and represents Baylor University in NCAA’s Division 1 of Women Basketball Competition.
The College also offers athletic scholarships to the student athletes as per the NCAA guidelines. Moreover, College also has a system of need based and merit based scholarships to student athletes who excel in both academics and sports.
The Lady Bears have 3 NCAA titles to their name. Along with that, the team has won 21 conference titles overall. Out of these 21, Lady Bears have a phenomenal record of 10 straight titles starting from 2010. This consistent performance clearly makes them one of the top colleges for Women Basketball teams. Lady Bears established their sheer dominance by a conference record of 168-7. In 2016, they managed to score a NCAA record 140 points against Winthrop leading to a victory of 108 points.
The team is coached by Nicki Collen. Brittany Griner is one of the top names who have helped Lady Bears in establishing their glory run.
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University of North Carolina:
Located in the footholds of Chapel Hill, the Women Basketball team of University of North Carolina is one of the finest team in the States. The team goes by the name of North Carolina Tar Heels and represent University of North Carolina at the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division 1.
Along with the one of the best women’ Basketball teams, UNC offers some great academic programs. University of North Carolina excels in both regards. UNC is regarded as one of the top college for student athletes and it is not just limited to the sports of Basketball. Obviously, Tar Heels have a high reputation owing to their brilliant track record in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tar Heels is currently being headed by senior Coach Courtney Banghart for the session 2021-22. Other than that, the college has shown excessive intent to further accommodate the female student athletes. A new program has been launched to further facilitate and allocate more funds and resources to the female student athletes.
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Louisiana Tech University:
The female basketball team at Louisiana Tech University is one of the older teams to play the sport. Going by the name of Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters, they were the 1st team to win the first ever NCAA championship. With that, the announced themselves as one of the most competitive and Top teams for Women Basketball. The team regularly competes in the Conference USA.
The Lady Techsters have the 3rd best winning percentage in the Division 1 program of NCAA Championship. The team has phenomenal record all around. Like their unique name, they certainly possess unique qualities as well. Currently headed by Brooke Stoehr, the Tech Lady Techsters has competed in 13 Final Fours of NCAA Championship. Along with that, they have 3 Wade Trophies to their names, five Olympic medalists and 21 WNBA players.
As mentioned earlier, the team was one of the first dominant teams having marked their spots early in the 1980s. They won the title in 1982 under their Point Guard Kim Mulkey. They lost to University of South Carolina in the following year by a mere 2 points lead.
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University of Texas:
The female Basketball team known as Texas Longhorns represents the University of Texas. The team is a regular participant of Big 12 Conference. The Longhorns are a considerate power in the national female basketball league. One of their record is finishing the 1984 season with 34-0.
They have won 22 Conference titles out of which 12 are regular season titles whereas 10 conference tournament titles. In the NCAA championship, the Texas Longhorns have made around 33 appearances. However, they have only one title to their name which came in 1984, their most successful year yet.
The team is one of the dominant teams in the Big 12 Conference. The team has been equipped with new Coaching staff since 2020. Now, the Longhorns are coached by Vic Shaefer, who has been the national coach of the year twice. Longhorns have also produces some fine talents over the years. Their recent pick Charli Collier and Clarissa Davis are worth mentioning.
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University of South Carolina:
University of South Carolina is a well reputed Research university with its main campus at Columbia. The university has also made its name due to its athletic friendly environment and opportunities offered to student athletes.
Their female Basketball team is called South Carolina Gamecocks. Over the last 2 decades, the Gamecocks have made their name in the Women National Basketball Association with their consistent performance. The Basketball program at University of South Carolina is now regarded as one of the most foremost choices for student athletes.
The Gamecocks have won two NCAA titles recently in 2017 and 2022. With this, they are at the 4th spot with the most NCAA titles in the history. Along with this, they also have 6 SEC Tournaments to their name. Their title claim is evident to their super performance lately.
Their recent success is also due to their ability to produce some top notch players across the format. A’Ja Wilson, Shannon Johnson, Alaina Coates are some of the notable names who have pushed the South Carolina Gamecocks to reach new heights of success.
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University of Notre Dame, Indiana:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish represent the University of Notre Dame as their Female Basketball team. The team is a participant in NCAA Division 1 program. It is a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA. Notre Dame has the status of a reputable college for its athletics brilliance and its Female Basketball Program is no exception.
The Fighting Irish have 2 NCAA titles to their name. Their record in the conference tournaments has also been a huge success. They won the Big East Tournament in 2013 and also have 5 ACC tournament wins. Moreover, this team has the 15th most wins in the history of NCAA championship.
The Fighting Irish have also produced some of the top WNBA players, the most famous of them include Jewell Lloyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Arike Ogunbowlae.
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Princeton University:
Princeton University Female Basketball team is called Princeton Tigers. The team competes in the Ivy League Division of NCAA Championship. To this date, the Princeton Tigers have won 6 Ivy League championships. This year will be their ninth appearance in the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Championship. The team had a winning streak of 22 games during the 2019-20 session under the great coaching of Carla Berube. Also, the team held the record of 26-1 that year.
Princeton Tigers have made their reputation in the Ivy League championship. Their former Coach Courtney Banghart played a major role in their outstanding performance, bringing home 200 wins during her coaching period.