Women’s College Basketball Conference Tournament Opening Round Upsets

Majority of the opening round games throughout the premiere Division I conferences in the country playing this week went as expected with lower seeds defeating higher seeds. However, there were upsets, excitement, and even a buzzer beater during the opening round.

Clemson Shocks Stanford

In the ACC, Clemson (#15) defeats Stanford (#11) by a 17 point margin 63-46, outscoring the Cardinal in the first three quarters, on the back of guard Loyal McQueen who contributed 17 points, 6 assists, and two steals. In the second half, three point shooting came alive for the Tigers, as they shot 71.4% in the third quarter and 60% in the fourth from beyond the arc, allowing them to finish the game 8-for-17 (47%) from three compared to Stanford’s 3-for-11 (27.3%).

Stanford is typically a powerhouse program coming off being an overall two seed last year in the NCAA tournament, making it to the Final Four in 2022, and winning the National Title in 2021, all under Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer. However, this is Stanford’s first year in the ACC and under new head coach Kate Paye. With Stanford losing early in the ACC Tournament it will be interesting to see where they are seeded now in the NCAA tournament.

Day One Chaos in the Big 12

Perhaps the conference that had the most upset first round movement was the Big 12.

First, UCF (#13) beats BYU (#12) by 12 points, 81-69. For UCF, leading all scorers, Kaitlin Peterson finished the game with 35 points, shooting 12-for-21 and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Next, the Black Knights offense was rounded out by three additional teammates in double digits, Emely Rodriguez (15 points, 8 rebounds), Khyala Ngodu (12 points, 8 rebounds), and Achol Akot (10 points, 8 rebounds). Additionally, UCF out rebounded BYU 40 to 30 in the win and committed four less total turnovers. Even with the loss, BYU had four players score in double digits, Delaney Gibbs (15), Amari Whiting (14), Kemery Congdon (11), and Kendra Gillispie (10).

Arizona State (#15) prevails over the Cincinnati Bearcats (#10) 82-75 with four players in double digits and their two leading scorers Jalyn Brown and Tyi Skinner contributing 51 of the team’s total 82 points. Brown and Skinner were assisted by Nevaeh Parkinson (15 points, 7 rebounds), Jyah LoVett (10 points), and Kennedy Basham (10 rebounds). This win was a huge upset for the Sun Devils as they had gone 3-15 in Big 12 play before this win to start the Big 12 tournament. The Bearcats despite the loss had three players in double digits with Reagan Jackson (24 points), Tineya Hylton (18), and Jillian Hayes (11).

Conference underdogs Texas Tech (#14), who went 4-14 in conference play, squeaked by Kansas (#11) 57 to 53. Kansas Jayhawk Brittany Harshaw led all-scorers with 15 points, but both teams struggled with field goal percentage throughout the game thanks to the defensive emphasis for both squads causing 15 turnovers for the Jayhawks and 20 turnovers for Texas Tech. However, Tech outscored Kansas in the first three quarters and that was enough for them to hang on to win the game, as well as they out rebounded the Jayhawks 37 to 24.

Other Notable Opening Upsets

In the Big East, Georgetown (#10) stole a win from Providence (#7) 58-56, with Kelsey Ransom dominating the game with 36 points and 7 rebounds. The Hoyas had the double threat of Olivia Olsen (21 points, 7 rebounds) and Grace Efosa (14 points, 8 rebounds) who came up just short for their squad in the loss.

In the Big South, Winthrop (#5) pushes past Charleston Southern (#4) on a buzzer beater winning their first game in the Big South tournament since 2014. Olivia Wagner scored on a deep three as time expired to give the Eagles the edge 48 to 45. The Eagles were led by scoring 50% in the fourth quarter and their leading scorer Amourie Porter, who had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards.

More updates and news to come on all the women’s basketball Division I conference tournaments, continue to stay tuned.

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