Which March Madness team will break brackets and simultaneously capture the hearts of millions?
That’s an important question as we enter the women’s 2025 NCAA tournament. Every year, at least one program defies the odds, taking down proverbial Goliaths as they push for a national title. Some of the best Cinderella teams in women’s college history include incredible tournament runs, like the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who upset the No. 3 seed UCLA Bruins during their inspiring journey to the Elite Eight in 2011.
MARCH MADNESS ODDS: Final Four and national championship odds for all 68 women’s NCAA tournament teams
With this in mind, it’s always important to remember that anything can happen on the hardwood, and March Madness seeding goes out the window once the clock starts. So, let’s look at teams nationwide who could be great Cinderella candidates during the 2025 women’s NCAA tournament.
Here are four Cinderella teams to keep an eye on during March Madness:
As a No. 6 seed, Florida State is primed to unravel several teams throughout the women’s NCAA tournament. The team is led by guard Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer. It also has several sneaky good players on the roster, including defensive powerhouse center Makayla Timpson and guard O’Mariah Gordon.
Florida State had several quality wins throughout the season, including a stunning 86-61 victory against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in February. How high is the ceiling for Florida State? It may make the Sweet 16, pending a possible matchup with the LSU Tigers during the round of 32.
2. Iowa Hawkeyes
Without former Iowa Hawkeyes standout Caitlin Clark, Iowa started the season ranked No. 20 on the AP Poll. It had an up-and-down year with several quality wins but also head-scratching losses. Still, don’t count out the No. 6 seed Hawkeyes.
The most prominent case for their Cinderella story starts with an upset win over the USC Trojans in early February, just a two-point loss to the UCLA Bruins the same month and victories over the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans during the Big Ten tournament. Indeed, Iowa can go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams nationwide. If Iowa makes a deep tournament run, look for guard Lucy Olsen to be a breakout star.
3. Tennessee Lady Volunteers
The No. 5 seed Tennessee Lady Volunteers haven’t exactly gone into March Madness with momentum. They lost three of their last four games, including a stunner to the Vanderbilt Commodores and a Kentucky defeat so bad head coach Kim Caldwell said the Volunteers would watch it in slow motion.
However, Tennesee perhaps had the most shocking win of the college basketball season when it beat the UConn Huskies, 80-76, in Storrs, Connecticut. The Volunteers had four players in double figures, including team-leading scorer Talyasia Cooper, who averages 16.7 points a game. If the Volunteers recoup some of the magic they unleashed against the Huskies, their glass slipper will fit perfectly.
4. Harvard Crimson
Perhaps one of the best stories of the college basketball season has been about guard Harmoni Turner and No. 10 seed Harvard. Turner’s recent 44-point outing against Princeton, which included seven (!) 3-pointers, broke a university single-game record and sent Harvard to the Ivy League championship game.
Turner and the Crimson won the Ivy League title matchup against Columbia, 74-71, and punched their ticket to March Madness for the first time since 2007. The Crimson guard had nine games with 25 or more points this season and has averaged 31 points during March thus far, making Harvard a top candidate to break the hearts of multiple top-seeded programs.