The women's NCAA tournament is often heralded for its huge upsets, game-winners at the buzzer and "one shining moment," championship runs, but a large contributor to the Madness we find in March is the blowout performances of teams looking to assert their dominance on their way to the next round.
Here are the 10 biggest blowouts in NCAA women's basketball tournament history, taken from NCAA.org.
2023 March Madness: Women's NCAA tournament schedule, dates, times
89-point diff. — Baylor vs. Texas Southern (2017)
Final score: 119-30
Leading scorer, points: Beatrice Mompremier, 22
Round winner was eliminated: Elite Eight
88-point diff. — UConn vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) (2018)
Final score: 140-52
Leading scorer, points: Azura Stevens, 26
Round winner was eliminated: Final Four
74-point diff. — Tennessee vs. N.C. A&T (1994)
Final score: 111-37
Leading scorer, points: Dana Johnson, 24
Round winner was eliminated: Sweet 16
72-point diff.— Cheyney vs. Monmouth (1983)
Final score: 107-35
Leading scorer, points: Rosetta Guilford, 28
Round winner was eliminated: Sweet 16
RELATED: Here is every HBCU that has won a women's NCAA Tournament game in history
72-point diff. — UConn vs. LIU (2001)
Final score: 101-29
Leading scorer, points: Diana Turasi, 13
Round winner was eliminated: Final Four
71-point diff. — UConn vs. Hampton (2000)
Final score: 116-45
Leading scorer, points: Shea Ralph, 20
Round winner was eliminated: N/A, National champions
69-point diff. — Duke vs. Southern U. (2006)
Final score: 96-27
Leading scorer, points: Monique Currie, 23
Round winner was eliminated: National championship
68-point diff. — UConn vs. Lehigh (1997)
Final score: 103-35
Leading scorer, points: Paige Sauer, 17
Round winner was eliminated: Elite Eight
68-point diff. — UConn vs. Idaho (2013)
Final score: 105-37
Leading scorer, points: Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, 22
Round winner was eliminated: N/A, National champions
65-point diff. — Tennessee vs. Stetson (2011)
Final score: 99-34
Leading scorer, points: Shekinna Stricklen, 22
Round winner was eliminated: Elite Eight
MORE: Best performances in the NCAA women's basketball tournament
Each of the games with the largest margins of victory in women's NCAA tournament history came in first round, 1-vs.-16 (or 8) seed games, where lopsided matchups are notorious for large point differentials. Of the matchup listed, only two of the losing teams scored over 40 points (Hampton- 45, Saint Francis- 52); all but two of the winning teams scored over 100 points in their victories (Duke- 96, Tennessee- 99)
UConn accounts for five of the top 10 blowouts of all time, while Tennessee is the only other program with multiple listings in the top 10 at 2. Additionally, the Huskies are the only program listed to have won a national title after their huge first-round wins, being crowned champs in 2000 and 2013.
Here is the complete list:
You'll note that the winning, No. 1 seed is listed first in each matchup. Additionally, the field of teams in the tournament was expanded from 32 to 64 in 1994.
| margin | matchup | final score | year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89 | Baylor vs. Texas Southern | 119-30 | 2017 |
| 88 | UConn vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) | 140-52 | 2018 |
| 74 | Tennessee vs. N.C. A&T | 111-37 | 1994 |
| 72 | Cheyney vs. Monmouth | 107-35 | 1983 |
| 72 | UConn vs. LIU | 101-29 | 2001 |
| 71 | UConn vs. Hampton | 116-45 | 2000 |
| 69 | Duke vs. Southern U. | 96-27 | 2006 |
| 68 | UConn vs. Lehigh | 103-35 | 1997 |
| 68 | UConn vs. Idaho | 105-37 | 2013 |
| 65 | Tennessee vs. Stetson | 99-34 | 2011 |
