Upset Alert!

Buzzer Beater! The 5 Best Upsets in Women’s March Madness History

By Bella Nevin|Updated on July 6, 2023 (originally published on March 16, 2023)

March Madness is such a fitting name for the NCAA's basketball championship tournament: I don't think we've ever seen a single March where everything went how it was supposed to. The whole tournament is always full of dramatics that you never see coming and that's what makes March great–here is a list of the most thrilling upsets in women's March Madness history:

1. 1988: #16 Harvard Beats #1 Stanford

In the first round of the 1988 NCAA tournament, Harvard made one of the biggest upsets in the history of women's college basketball. Winning 71-67, Harvard was able to complete every athlete's dream of being the underdog that could take down the giants of Stanford. This was the first time a #16 seed ever beat a #1 seeded team in men's or women's tournament history (the UMBC men's team pulled it off against Virginia in 2018). Watch the final four minutes of the game here.

2. 2013: #5 Louisville Beats #1 Baylor

This upset was the definition of a nailbiter. Winning by only one point with a score of 82-81, Louisville took down the heavy favorites to win the whole tournament. Louisville had been unreliable all season, losing games they should have blown out. People counted this team out until this Elite 8 matchup–but two made free throws with 2.6 seconds left in the game was all Louisville needed to defeat the defending champions. Watch the whole game here.

3. 2009: #9 Michigan State Beats #1 Duke

In the round of 32, Duke, a heavy favorite to win the whole tournament, fell to the unsuspecting Michigan State squad,with a final score of 63-49 and abysmal stats for the Blue Devils. Duke seemed to miss everything that came their way–the ball was not in their court this game and the result left everyone's brackets a mess. You can find a game recap here.

4. 2022: #10 Creighton Beats #2 Iowa

Just last year, we witnessed one of the best upsets in women's March Madness history. This thrilling game was separated by two points, with a score of 64-62. It all came down to the last seconds, where Creighton knocked down a 3-pointer to give Creighton the win. Watch the game highlights here.

5. 2000: #11 UAB Beats #6 Oregon

Another thrilling game, the UAB Blazers bested the Oregon Ducks in overtime with a score of 80-79. With three seconds left in the game, UAB pulled off an offensive rebound and a putback to put the team up by one point. Nobody saw UAB coming. UAB was a #8 seed in their conference tournament, so they had already pulled off a huge upset and nobody else thought they could do it again–until they did. Read the game recap here.

Have an idea for a story or a question you need answered? Want to set up an interview with us? Email us at [email protected]

Image Credit: Daily Iowan/SB Nation