There are currently 351 teams in Division I women’s basketball. Throughout the entire history of the sport, only 17 of those teams have accrued at least 1,000 wins.
However, a few recently joined the prestigious club, while others have been members for years.
Here are the 12 winningest teams in women’s basketball history, just a few games into the 2024-25 season:
(Records were taken from the NCAA’s official record book, which can be found here.)
WOMEN’S HOOPS 2024-25: Preseason poll | Must-watch matchups | No. 1 South Carolina beats Michigan in season opener
12. Green Bay — 1,039 wins
Green Bay’s Julie Wojta was an All-American Second Team selection and Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year in 2012
First season: 1973
Total seasons: 48
Program record: 1039-370 (0.739)
Green Bay has found success under all four of its head coaches since the program began over 50 years ago. After four straight NCAA tournament appearances in the mid-2010s, the Phoenix made it back to the Big Dance in the 2023-24 season.
11. South Dakota State — 1,039 wins
South Dakota State has won back-to-back Summit League tournament champions — the program’s 11th in 16 tries
First season: 1966
Total seasons: 55
Program record: 1039-434 (0.708)
The Jackrabbits have competed in 11 NCAA Tournaments, while making the Sweet Sixteen in 2019. Since joining the Summit League in 2007, South Dakota State has put together a .755 win percentage and .827 win percentage in conference play.
10. Maryland — 1,055 wins
Maryland forward Alyssa Thomas (left) and guard Laurin Mincy (right) high-five. Thomas was a 2,000-point scorer in College Park and is a five-time WNBA all-star
First season: 1971
Total seasons: 50
Program record: 1055-468 (0.711)
The 2006 national champions, Maryland has consistently been a team discussed come tournament time year in and year out. Coached by Brenda Frese since 2002, the program has produced seven seasons with at least 30 wins under her.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOP PLAYERS IN 24-25: Returners | Transfers
9. Ohio State — 1,074 wins
Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell was a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year for the Buckeyes in the 2010s
First season: 1965
Total seasons: 56
Program record: 1074-438 (0.691)
For older sports fans, most would remember how the Buckeyes dominated in the 1980s under coach Nancy Darsch, producing nine straight season with less than seven losses each year. And for the next generation, OSU and coach Jim Foster were dialed in during the 2000s and early 2010s with nine consecutive years of 22 or more wins.
8. Old Dominion — 1,097 wins
Old Dominion guard Jasmine Parker drives past her defender during the 2008 season, the last year the Monarchs made the NCAA tournament
First season: 1969
Total seasons: 52
Program record: 1097-470 (0.699)
Old Dominion found the most success in the 1980s, winning a national championship in 1985, and it didn’t stop there. The program reached the NCAA Tournament in 18 out of 20 times between 1990 and 2010.
2024 National Championship: South Carolina goes 38-0 and wins 2024 NCAA women’s basketball title
7. Stephen F. Austin — 1,127 wins
Stephen F. Austin’s 2022 team was the last time the program made the NCAA Tournament
First season: 1968
Total seasons: 53
Program record: 1127-466 (0.712)
Even though the Ladyjacks don’t have a national title like other teams below them, Stephen F. Austin was a consistent NCAA Tournament attendee in the 1980s and 90s. Out of the school’s 20 appearances, 14 came before the 2000s.
6. Texas — 1,128 wins
Texas made it to the Elite Eight in the 2024 NCAA Tournament — the 12th time in school history
First season: 1974
Total seasons: 47
Program record: 1128-419 (0.731)
When it comes to consistency, the Longhorns have been the definition of that, appearing in every NCAA Tournament since 1983. Texas only has one national title to show for it, but was one of the best teams in the 1980s with six straight undefeated regular seasons.
5. Stanford — 1,149 wins
Stanford’s Nneka Ogwumike helped the Cardinal make four consecutive Final Four appearances and she finished third in school history for total points
First season: 1974
Total seasons: 47
Program record: 1149-352 (0.775)
Tied for the third-most national championships in the nation, Stanford has made a deep postseason run in nearly every year since coach Tara VanDerveer took over in 1985. To show how dominant the Cardinal has been, the program hasn’t loss more than 10 games in a season since 2017, and done so only six times under VanDerveer.
Men’s basketball: 9 winningest teams in Division I basketball
4. Louisiana Tech — 1,153 wins
Louisiana Tech searches for its first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade
First season: 1974
Total seasons: 47
Program record: 1153-342 (0.755)
Louisiana Tech appeared in the Big Dance every season from 1982 to 2006, and snagged two national titles while at it. They haven’t made it back since 2011, but have put together seven seasons with at least 15 wins in the mean time.
3. James Madison — 1,162 wins
James Madison’s Peyton McDaniel (00) was named the Sun Belt’s 2024 Preseason Player of the Year
First season: 1920
Total seasons: 99
Program record: 1162-586 (0.673)
Like many teams on this list, James Madison thrived the most in the 1980s and 90s, making it there six of the 13 times in school history. In recent years, the Dukes have become a staple to WNIT and are favorites for the 2024-25 season to finish first in the Sun Belt Conference standings.
2. UConn — 1,271 wins
UConn raises its 11th title in school history — the program’s fourth-straight championship
First season: 1974
Total seasons: 47
Program record: 1271-318 (0.800)
When it comes to discussing women’s college basketball, there’s no way UConn and longtime coach Geno Auriemma. The Huskies lead the nation in national titles with 11 and have produced some of the best, and well-known, collegiate players the game has seen. Additionally, no team on this list has more wins per season than UConn.
Talk about dominance.
1. Tennessee — 1,451 wins
Tennessee’s Candace Parker won back-to-back titles for the Vols, and was named Naismith College Player of the Year in 2008
First season: 1902
Total seasons: 69
Program record: 1451-372 (0.796)
The Pat Summit era is still a hot topic in Knoxville, TN, as the Volunteers bagged all eight of their national championships under her.
Producing some of the best players to grace college basketball like Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings, Tennessee only has 13 of its 69 seasons with 10 or more losses — six in the last 10 years.
