After Shea Ralph’s Vanderbilt team fell 103-74 to South Carolina, the UConn Huskies became the only team left without a loss in college basketball this season. However, that is not unfamiliar territory for Geno Auriemma and his Lady Huskies. Of the 20 times a program has finished a regular season unbeaten, UConn accounts for nine.

The UConn Huskies women’s basketball program is built on records, and in over 40 years under Geno Auriemma, they have piled up more than anyone else in the sport. Just look at what they lead the sport in:

• Most NCAA titles in men’s or women’s hoops (12)
• Most Final Four appearances in Division I history (24)
• Most 30-win seasons in D-I history (27)
• The longest streak of consecutive national titles in women’s hoops (4 from 2013 to 2016)

And the list just goes on and on, but college basketball has never experienced dominance on this scale.

The reigning champions sit at 21-0 overall and 11-0 in the Big East, chasing another perfect season. The last time they were unbeaten heading into the big dance, Notre Dame ended the run in an overtime Final Four classic. This year’s group looks even stronger, and that is bad news for the other 67 teams in the field.

But as they chase what could be their 10th unbeaten season in program history, how much of that dominance comes from playing in the Big East?

In our flagship WNBA newsletter, She Got Game, we posed the question to readers: “Is UConn’s dominance a result of the conference they play in?” The result?

56.5% of readers (372 votes) felt that the Big East not being as competitive has played a huge part in UConn running the table so many times and doing it again now. So let’s dive into UConn’s relationship with the Big East and why fans feel this way.

Inside UConn Huskies’ College Basketball Dominance

As we mentioned above, UConn have been the gold standard in college basketball. Last year was their fifth straight sweep of the Big East regular season and tournament, marking their 12th straight conference tournament title and fifth straight since returning to the league. In total, UConn have secured 30 conference tournament titles, including 23 in the Big East.

That is what dominance looks like. But many of our readers believe that a lack of strong competition also contributes to it. As one reader said: “They don’t get beat in the conference they are in. Rare that they have a close game.” Numbers do back such claims. At the moment, the Big East has zero ranked teams, and it shows. UConn is sitting at 11-0 in conference play.

You have to go back to the 2022-23 season to find the last time UConn lost a Big East game. That year, the Huskies were beaten twice in conference play, by Marquette and St. John’s. One reader even pointed out that UConn might not go unbeaten against stronger competition, saying, “They would have a harder time in the SEC games, would be more competitive for sure.”

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And that is a very valid point. Right now, the SEC has 10 ranked teams — yes, you read that right. In a 16-team conference, 10 of them are nationally ranked, making it easily the most competitive league in the country at the moment. And it is not the only one stacked with talent. The Big Ten also has seven ranked teams.

Both of these conferences have high-intensity games almost every night. Look at South Carolina, for example. They just lost to an Oklahoma team that had dropped its previous three games against ranked opponents. That is what a brutal conference slate can do to an otherwise dominant program. And right now, UConn does not have that. The luxury of not having to travel long distances to face tough opposition is definitely a big advantage.

But that does not mean they are a bad team. As one reader pointed out, “they good enough for any conference.” And they are right. With the way UConn is playing right now, you could put them against any ranked team in the country, and chances are the duo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd would be too much to handle.

The ranking might be up for debate because of the conference they play in, but remember, the Huskies were not the No. 1 team heading into the Big Dance last season — they were third in the AP poll. That said, they absolutely deserve to be considered the best team in the country right now.

Why? Because, as one reader pointed out, “They have played a tough non-conference schedule as well and won those games handily. However, their conference is not as tough, so they will need to avoid complacency setting in.”

UConn’s non-conference slate has been no joke. They started the year against then-No. 20 Louisville, and followed that up with matchups against No. 6 Michigan, No. 16 USC, and No. 11 Iowa. Those rankings have moved around since, but what has not changed is the UConn Huskies winning every one of those battles.

Which is why their resume should be evaluated on their full schedule, rather than solely their conference slate. Which brings us to the elephant in the room…

Verdict: Is UConn’s Perfect Record a Big East Product?

It depends on how you want to look at it.

From one POV, an easier Big East schedule definitely helps them stay unbeaten. But the Lady Huskies have countered that by taking on a tough non-conference slate. They currently own the best NET ranking in the country and boast a 5–0 Quad 1 record.

There is no doubt UConn is one of the best teams in the country right now… maybe even the best. But if you are not facing tough opponents on a nightly basis, complacency can creep in. That is one way to look at it. Then again, the Huskies did just fine last season without needing a brutal conference slate to win the championship.

On this one, we are siding with the readers. SEC and Big Ten teams spend hours traveling and running into tough matchups night after night. That is something UConn does not have to deal with, and it is a massive advantage when it comes to going unbeaten.

We still have zero doubts about UConn being a Final Four team, but if Geno Auriemma’s side remains unbeaten, the Big East being less competitive than other conferences will definitely be one of the contributing factors.