There are currently 351 teams in Division I women’s basketball. Through the entire history of the sport, only 12 of those teams have accrued at least 1,000 wins.
Men's basketball: 9 winningest teams in Division I basketball
A few quick facts from the data before we get to the list:
- No team on this list has more wins per season than UConn. The Huskies have racked up 1,153 wins in just 45 seasons — an average of 25.6 per year.
- While Tennessee holds the record on this list for the earliest inception (1903), the Volunteers are far behind James Madison when it comes to total seasons played. Tennessee dropped women’s basketball from 1927 to 1960, so the Lady Vols have only played 65 seasons, while JMU has played continuously since 1921, giving them a whopping 97 years.
- One team, Notre Dame, finished the 2018-19 season at 999 total wins. The Fighting Irish fell to Baylor in the national championship last season, in what would have been the program’s 1,000th win.
- Before the 2018-19 season, UConn was the only team in DI women’s basketball with more than 1,000 wins and fewer than 300 losses. The Huskies went 35-3 last year, pushing their total losses from 298 to 301.
- There are six teams that are within single-season striking distance of the 1,000-win mark:
| Team | Wins | Losses | Percentage | Wins AWAY from 1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 999 | 333 | 0.75 | 1 |
| South Dakota St. | 995 | 424 | 0.701 | 5 |
| Georgia | 980 | 428 | 0.696 | 20 |
| North Carolina | 969 | 455 | 0.68 | 31 |
| Belmont | 968 | 518 | 0.651 | 32 |
But all of them have a long way to go to catch the top teams in the record books.
Here are the 12 winningest teams in women’s basketball history headed into the 2019-20 season:
(Records were taken from the NCAA’s official record book, which can be found here.)
12. Maryland — 1,001 wins
First season: 1972
Total seasons: 48
Program record: 1001-427 (0.701)
11. Western Ky. — 1,004 wins
First season: 1915
Total seasons: 56
Program record: 1004-492 (0.671)
10. Green Bay — 1,005 wins
First season: 1974
Total seasons: 46
Program record: 1005-350 (0.742)
9. Ohio St. — 1,040 wins
First season: 1966
Total seasons: 54
Program record: 1040-449 (0.698)
8. Old Dominion — 1,060 wins
First season: 1970
Total seasons: 50
Program record: 1060-453 (0.701)
7. Stephen F. Austin — 1,080 wins
First season: 1969
Total seasons: 51
Program record: 1080-457 (0.703)
6. Texas — 1,088 wins
First season: 1975
Total seasons: 45
Program record: 1088-398 (0.732)
5. Stanford — 1,091 wins
First season: 1975
Total seasons: 45
Program record: 1091-334 (0.766)
4. James Madison — 1,123 wins
First season: 1921
Total seasons: 97
Program record: 1123-549-2 (0.671)
3. Louisiana Tech — 1,124 wins
First season: 1975
Total seasons: 45
Program record: 1124-337 (0.769)
2. UConn — 1,153 wins
First season: 1975
Total seasons: 45
Program record: 1153-301 (0.793)
1. Tennessee — 1,363 wins
First season: 1903
Total seasons: 65
Program record: 1363-333-5 (0.803)
