This women’s college basketball season has featured a ton of parity, so the race for Coach of the Year is still ongoing as March approaches.
Niele Ivey has Notre Dame as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2019. Meanwhile, Vic Schaefer has Texas as the top program in the CBS Sports Power Rankings.
Geno Auriemma recently showed UConn can still keep up with elite teams with a dominant win over reigning national champion South Carolina. However, Dawn Staley has had the toughest strength of schedule in Division I, and despite some hiccups, her Gamecocks are still very much a force to be reckoned with.
Los Angeles brought the heat to the Big Ten conference with Cori Close’s UCLA and Lindsay Gottlieb’s USC. Meanwhile, coaches like Kentucky’s Kenny Brooks and Tennessee’s Kim Caldwell are making noise in their first year with their respective programs.
There is still a lot of basketball left to be played, but here is where the Coach of the Year race stands as we inch closer to March.
5. Geno Auriemma, UConn
Geno Auriemma has been setting the standard for decades and became the all-time winningest coach in college basketball earlier this season. Injuries have limited the Huskies the past few years, but Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are finally playing more games together. The Huskies also improved with the addition of Sarah Strong, one of the top candidates to win Freshman of the Year.
And yet, the Huskies had some moments this season in which they seemed to be lacking the “it” factor — until the South Carolina win. Auriemma was constantly making adjustments to make sure the Gamecocks never got comfortable, and even guided his team to win the rebounding battle despite the Gamecocks having the size advantage. UConn finally played like the aggressor and did what was necessary to snap the Gamecocks’ 71-home game winning streak.
The Huskies showed they have what it takes to make another deep run in March. They are strong on both sides of the court with the best scoring margin in the nation and also the best assist/turnover ratio.
4. Cori Close, UCLA
UCLA missed the 2022 NCAA Tournament but has been on the rise since. They are fresh off back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances, and this season has already been one for the books. The Bruins were the last undefeated team in the nation with a 23-0 record, their best start in program history, before falling to USC on Feb. 13.
The Bruins were also No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for 12 consecutive weeks, setting a new record for any Big Ten women’s basketball program.
Cori Close’s team is led by junior center Lauren Betts, who is averaging 19.5 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per contest. However, UCLA has multiple contributors with seven players averaging over seven points, and six putting up at least three rebonds per contest. Betts is a key piece of the team, but the Bruins showed they can win without her when a foot injury kept her from playing in Sunday’s win over No. 22 Michigan State.
3. Dawn Staley, South Carolina
Dawn Staley’s teams are always difficult to scout against because she makes sure her players spread the responsibilities. Six active players are averaging over seven points per game points per game, while Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Te-Hina Paopao average double figures in scoring. No one averages more than 25 minutes per game, and South Carolina’s bench leads the nation with 41.6 points per contest.
The Gamecocks have suffered three losses this season and two of them came in February. However, Staley’s team has the toughest strength of schedule this season, and has handled it well with an impressive 9-3 record against AP Top 25 opponents. Those three losses were against UCLA, Texas and UConn, all top-10 opponents.
As Staley put it after the loss to UConn, her team just needs to get back to their identity.
2. Vic Schaefer, Texas
No other team is on a more impressive streak than the Longhorns. This month, Vic Schaefer’s group became the first program to win three straight games against AP Top 10 opponents since Rutgers in 2004-05, collecting victories over South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU. The SEC is a tough conference and this is the Longhorns’ debut season in it, but they have climbed to the top of the standings with just three regular-season games remaining.
The Longhorns can win physical battles but are also mentally strong, especially when things don’t go their way. As Madison Booker put it, her team got “out-toughed” in the loss to South Carolina in January. However, Schaefer helped his team make the right adjustments and get revenge over the Gamecocks this month.
The same can be said about the game against LSU. The Longhorns shot just 18.9% in the first half but bounced back in the second by finding better offensive looks and turning up the heat defensively.
Madison Booker and Taylor Jones lead Texas with averages of 16.2 and 12.5 points, respectively, while also averaging almost seven rebounds apiece. Rori Harmon helps the offense with 9.5 points and 6.1 assists per contest, eighth best in the nation.
1. Niele Ivey, Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish are No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2019. Notre Dame is known for its star guards Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, who play a key role in the team owning the No. 4 scoring offense in the nation.
However, Niele Ivey encourages versatility and has other valuable pieces such as Sonia Citron and Liatu King. This is a team that has struggled with injuries, but the return of Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen added depth to the roster.
Their defense is sometimes underrated, but the Irish have caused major problems for stars like USC’s JuJu Watkins. Notre Dame has also quietly become the No. 5 team in the nation in rebounds per game.
Despite falling to TCU and Utah in November, the Fighting Irish showed their win against USC was not a fluke. Ivey’s team is currently on an 18-game winning streak with strong victories over teams like Texas and UConn.
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