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The contenders are locked-in. At the top of the field of 68 in the 2025 Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament are some familiar faces.
The UCLA Bruins secured the No. 1 overall seed while Texas, South Carolina and USC grabbed the remaining No. 1 seeds in their respective regions. Naturally, it’s assumed that one (or more) of these four No. 1 seeds will be competing for a nationals championship in Tampa on April 6. However, history has proven that the NCAA Tournament is more about a team’s placement in the bracket and how they match-up against their opponents than their seeding. This opens the door for some talented under-seeded squads to have a magical march run as NCAA Tournament “Cinderella teams.”
With this in mind, the CBS Sports women’s basketball team took a long, hard look at the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket. In doing so, they each identified a program that they believe could shock the nation by becoming a “Cinderella” team.
But, before we share our selections, we first have to define what a “Cinderella team” is: For the purpose of this exercise, a Cinderella team is any team ranked as an 11-seed or lower. Aside from this requirement, it’s up to the expert to decide what qualifies their favored team as an NCAA Cinderella. But, like our dark horse team predictions, there is an exception to this rule based on the way the country views the program.
No. 5-seed Ole Miss Rebels
I know that a No. 5-seeded Ole Miss team doesn’t fall into the Cinderella category. But coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is someone who should never be overlooked in March, especially when she’s commanding five players who average over nine points per game.
The Rebels already picked up wins over Associated Press top-10 opponents Kentucky and LSU, the latter of which came on the road in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss also gave Texas a tough battle in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament with a strong fourth quarter effort. They now hold the badge of being one of the few teams this season to out-rebound the Longhorns. A little extra motivation in the NCAA Tournament could help Ole Miss surprise some teams. — Isabel Gonzalez
No. 12-seed Green Bay Phoenix
The Phoenix are back in the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year and are looking to win their first game in the Big Dance since 2012.
They’ll face a tough test in Alabama, but there are a few reasons why they might be able to pull off the upset. First and foremost, the Phoenix play a style that lends itself to upsets. They shoot it well from 3-point range (36%, 26th in the country), play extremely slow (64.1 pace, 340th) and take care of the ball (15.5% turnover rate, 21st). Plus, they have a veteran squad with seven seniors and a junior in their rotation. This should bode well against a Crimson Tide team that has lost three of its last five games. — Jack Maloney
No. 11-seed Iowa State Cyclones
In a conference sending 12 teams to the NCAA Tournament, Iowa State averaged a Big 12-leading 77.9 points per game.
Audi Crooks leads all Cyclones with 23.2 points per game. Like their First Four opponent Princeton, Iowa State is making their sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. This offensive efficiency and experience could help Iowa State shock the world. — Erica Ayala
No. 14-seed San Diego State Aztecs
This pick has little to do with the capabilities of the Mountain West Tournament Champions. Instead, it’s more about where San Diego State falls on the bracket. In the first round, the 14-seeded Aztecs face-off against No. 3-seed LSU. While this may seem like a daunting take for an undermanned San Diego State team, the Tigers are literally limping into this game as stars Aneeash Morrow and Flau’jae Johnson are both injured. If these key pieces are sidelines or can only see limited action, then LSU has unintentionally leveled the playing field, giving the Aztecs a fighting chance.
And, if San Diego State can get past LSU, they’ll face either George Mason or Florida State — two teams that can be beaten by a confident team. These back-to-back victories could pave the road for a mystical run for the Aztecs.” — Xavier Hamilton
