NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship upsets

This is a list of upsets by teams seeded 11 or higher that have occurred in the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994.

First Round

16 vs. 1

The only 16 seed ever to win a game in an NCAA Division I basketball tournament, for either men or women, was Harvard in 1998 against Stanford. According to an Associated Press retrospective on the 10th anniversary of the game in 2008, "The difference between the teams was much smaller than usual for a No. 1 and a 16 seed."[1]

Harvard had two years of tournament experience and the nation's leading scorer that season in Allison Feaster. Stanford suffered two devastating injuries during the run-up to the tournament. First, Vanessa Nygaard tore an ACL in the Cardinal's final regular-season game against Oregon State. Because the extent of her injury was not known at the time the tournament field was selected, the Cardinal still received a 1 seed. Then, in the team's first practice after the tournament selection, leading scorer and rebounder Kristin Folkl also tore an ACL.[1]

Year Winner Loser Score
1998 Harvard Stanford 71-67

15 vs. 2 and 14 vs. 3

Unlike the men's tournament, in which seven 15 seeds and twenty 14 seeds have won their opening games since that tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, no 14 or 15 seed has ever won a game in the women's tournament.

13 vs. 4

Six 13 seeds have defeated 4 seeds in the first round.

By contrast, the men's tournament has seen 17 such upsets since 1994. Eight more occurred between 1985 and 1993, when the men's tournament featured 64 teams but the women's tournament had fewer entrants (32 in 1985, 40 from 1986 to 1988, and 48 from 1989 to 1993).

Year Winner Loser Score
2012 Marist Georgia 76-70
2007 Marist Ohio State 67-63
2005 Liberty Penn State 78-70
2004 Middle Tennessee North Carolina 67-62
2000 Rice UC Santa Barbara 67-64
1994 Texas A&M Florida 78-76

12 vs. 5

There have been twenty 12-seeds to defeat 5-seeds in the first round. The men's tournament has seen 31 such wins since 1994, with 10 more taking place between 1985 and 1993.

Year Winner Loser Score
2016 South Dakota State Miami 74-71
2016 UAlbany Florida 61-59
2014 BYU NC State 72-57
2013 Kansas Colorado 67–52
2010 Green Bay Virginia 69-67
2009 Ball State Tennessee 71-55
2009 Gonzaga Pittsburgh 75-59
2006 Tulsa NC State 71-61
2005 Middle Tennessee NC State 60-58
2004 Maryland Miami (FL) 86-85
2002 Mississippi State Boston College 65–59
2002 UC Santa Barbara Louisiana Tech 57–56
2000 SMU NC State 64-63
1998 Colorado State Drake 81-75
1998 Youngstown State Memphis 91-80
1997 Marquette Clemson 70-66
1996 Notre Dame Purdue 73-60
1996 San Francisco Florida 68-61
1995 Montana San Diego State 57–46
1994 Western Kentucky Rutgers 84-73

11 vs. 6

Twenty-five 11 seeds have won their first round games against 6 seeds. By contrast, 29 such upsets have occurred in the men's tournament since 1994, with 13 more occurring between 1985 and 1993.

Year Winner Loser Score
2014 Florida Dayton 83-69
2014 James Madison Gonzaga 72-63
2012 Gonzaga Rutgers 86-73
2012 Kansas Nebraska 57-49
2011 Gonzaga Iowa 92-86
2010 Arkansas–Little Rock Georgia Tech 63-53
2010 San Diego State Texas 74-63
2009 Mississippi State Texas 71-63
2006 West Virginia Xavier 65-52
2006 Hartford Temple 64-58
2006 New Mexico Florida 83-59
2006 TCU Texas A&M 69-65
2004 UC Santa Barbara Colorado 76-49
2003 Notre Dame Arizona 59-47
2002 BYU Florida 90-52
2001 TCU Penn State 77-75
2000 Stephen F. Austin Xavier 73-72
2000 UAB Oregon 80-79 (OT)
1999 Saint Joseph's Duke 83-72
1999 SMU Toledo 91-76
1998 UC Santa Barbara Vanderbilt 76-71 (OT)
1996 Stephen F. Austin Oregon State 67-65
1995 Louisville Oregon 67-65

Second round

13 seeds

Three 13 seeds have won their second-round games, compared to six in the men's tournament (with all of the men's wins occurring since 1998). All three of the winning 13 seeds in the women's tournament defeated 5 seeds.

Year Winner Loser Score
2007 Marist Middle Tennessee 73-59
2005 Liberty DePaul 88-79
1994 Texas A&M San Diego State 75-72 (OT)

12 seeds

Only three 12 seeds have won their second-round games, as opposed to 13 in the men's tournament since 1994 and seven more from 1985 to 1993. All three 12 seeds to win at this stage of the women's tournament defeated 4 seeds.

Year Winner Loser Score
2014 BYU Nebraska 80-76
2013 Kansas South Carolina 75-69
1996 San Francisco Duke 64-60

11 seeds

A total of nine 11 seeds have won their second-round games and advanced to the Sweet 16. This compares to eight in the men's tournament since 1994, with seven more occurring between 1985 and 1993.

Since no 14 seed has ever advanced to this point in the women's tournament, all defeated teams were 3 seeds.

Year Winner Loser Score
2012 Gonzaga Miami (FL) 65-54
2012 Kansas Delaware 70-64
2011 Gonzaga UCLA 87-75
2010 San Diego State West Virginia 64-55
2004 UC Santa Barbara Houston 56-52
2003 Notre Dame Kansas State 59-53
2002 BYU Iowa State 75-69
2000 UAB Mississippi State 78-72
1996 Stephen F. Austin Clemson 93–88 (OT)

Sweet Sixteen

11 seeds

Only one team seeded 11 or lower has won in the Sweet 16 and advanced to the Elite Eight—11 seed Gonzaga in 2011, who defeated 7 seed Louisville. By contrast, three such teams have won at this stage in the men's tournament since 1994, with two more doing so from 1985 to 1993.

Year Winner Loser Score
2011 Gonzaga Louisville 76–69

Elite Eight

No team seeded 11 or lower has ever advanced to the Final Four; Gonzaga lost its 2011 regional final 83–60 to Stanford. In the men's tournament, three 11 seeds have advanced to the Final Four—VCU in 2011, George Mason in 2006, and LSU in 1986.

References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 Associated Press (March 18, 2008). "No. 16 Harvard over No. 1 Stanford still resonates 10 years later". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
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