Last season, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) set an all-time Associated Press poll record by placing 10 teams in the Top 25 simultaneously and sending six programs to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. This season, the conference has once again demonstrated why it is regarded as one of the deepest and most dominant forces in women’s college basketball.

As shared by the SEC on X, the conference opened the 2026–27 women’s college basketball season by finishing Week 1 with an undefeated 41-0 combined record across all 16 member programs. This historic milestone makes the SEC the only undefeated conference in Division I and marks the first time in league history that every team has come through the opening week without a loss.

This impressive start featured several dominant blowout performances, including triple-digit scoring displays from LSU, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt. LSU delivered a record-breaking 131-22 rout of Texas Southern before following it up with a 129-35 victory over Southeastern Louisiana. Vanderbilt, on the other hand, recorded a commanding 100-42 win over Queens, and No. 1 South Carolina cruised to a 45-point victory over a ranked North Carolina squad.

Other notable performances included Kentucky’s 79-28 blowout of Northern Kentucky, Alabama’s 73-point victory over LSU New Orleans, and triple-digit season openers from Arkansas (127 points) and Tennessee (109 points).

Entering the 2026-27 campaign, seven SEC programs were ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll, including Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Vanderbilt. While this is fewer than the 10 teams the conference had ranked simultaneously last season, its performances during the opening week suggest that another strong NCAA Tournament campaign could be on the cards. 

With six SEC programs reaching the Sweet 16 last season, it will be interesting to see whether the conference can match or even surpass that number this time around.

Of course, several of these opening-week victories came against overmatched opponents from outside the major conferences. However, the results still speak to the depth and scoring power across the SEC. In fact, South Carolina, in particular, has faced only ranked opponents so far this season and has recorded commanding victories in both games, including its latest 45-point demolition of North Carolina.

“Work in Progress”: Dawn Staley Offers Honest Assessment of South Carolina After 45-Point Win

The South Carolina Gamecocks have faced two Associated Press Top 25-ranked opponents so far this season and have recorded commanding victories in both games. The Gamecocks opened their campaign in Paris at the Oui-Play event, holding off a late rally from the Maryland Terrapins to secure a 101-93 victory. Returning to the United States for the Ally Tipoff in Charlotte, they dismantled their border rival, North Carolina, 84-39.

For South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, however, there is still plenty of work to be done, even though her team has delivered impressive performances in its opening two games. Despite the commanding victories, Staley believes the Gamecocks are still developing and expects to see further improvements as the season progresses.

“I think we’re a work in progress,” Staley said. “You know you’ll see us make jumps from, from game to game. And I thought we did. We put 40 minutes together, and I was really, really proud of the group that finished the game. I mean, ’cause they, they just picked up where everybody else left off. We need more, more of that.”

South Carolina entered the 2026-27 season ranked No. 1 in the country, and its performances so far suggest the Gamecocks are living up to that billing. They will face their first unranked opponent of the season when they take on Clemson in their next game.

But after that, they will face No. 3 USC and No. 4 UConn. These two matchups will provide much tougher tests for Staley’s squad and offer a better indication of the Gamecocks’ quality and how far they have progressed as they prepare for the rather strong challenges ahead.