The 2023 women’s NCAA tournament is headlined by plenty of well-known programs like reigning champions South Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, Stanford and UConn. However, in a deep 68-team field, there are plenty of potential spoilers throughout the bracket. All eyes will be on the Gamecocks and star Aliyah Boston; as well as the Hawkeyes and sharpshooter Caitlin Clark; but there are other teams and talent capable of making deep runs. Here’s who can bust some brackets as March Madness gets underway.
No. 4 Tennessee
The Lady Vols may not have lived up to their No. 5 AP preseason ranking after dropping early-season games to Ohio State and Indiana, but Tennessee has had a strong finish to the 2022–23 campaign. Downing LSU in the SEC tournament semifinals in a thrilling 69–67 victory, Kellie Harper’s squad enters the Big Dance with added confidence. Finishing with a 23–11 record, the Lady Vols’ résumé has some blemishes, but they are battle-tested with a solid nonconference schedule under. Lifting the NCAA trophy may be a long shot, but Tennessee's upset over the Tigers shows what Jordan Horston, Rickea Jackson and the Vols are capable of.
