Are early women's March Madness upsets becoming more common? - ESPN

Creighton coach Jim Flanery had a simple message for his team headed into the 2022 women's NCAA tournament, as a No. 10 seed playing on the road and a possible game against No. 2 seed Iowa and Caitlin Clark looming.

«We're going to Iowa City to win two games,» Flanery told his team.

He knew the odds and history were against them, but someone had to instill belief the Bluejays could do it. Since women's college basketball went back to playing first- and second-round games on home courts in 2015, top-two seeds had gone 74-4 at home. Of the four that pulled the upset, only one was a double-digit seed.

To win two games in Iowa City, the Bluejays would have to pull two upsets. First up: an 84-74 win over No. 7 seed Colorado in the first round. Up next: the Hawkeyes, playing on their home court, in front of nearly 15,000 fans, with the Clark effect in full swing. She had won her first Big Ten Player of the Year award as a sophomore that season, leading the nation in scoring at 27 points per game.

Flanery felt confident going into the game because Creighton had more familiarity with Clark than most teams. Sure enough, the Bluejays slowed her down enough to pull a 64-62 stunner.

A few hours later, fellow 10-seed South Dakota beat No. 2 seed Baylor in Waco. Then last year, No. 9 seed Miami beat No. 1 seed Indiana, and No. 8 seed Ole Miss beat No. 1 seed Stanford, both road teams coming out victorious.

These types of upsets remain rare in the women's NCAA tournament, but it's a trend worth monitoring when the first round tips Friday. Should top-two seeds be on alert headed into this year's NCAA tournament? Factor this in, too: The No. 2-ranked team in the AP poll this season has lost 11 times, the most in a season over the past 25