NCAA Women's Tournament Dark Horses: Big Dance Storybook Runs

NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Seattle Regional - Practice Day
(Photo : (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)) SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 23: The Colorado Buffaloes gather during practice before the Sweet 16/Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 23, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.

The NCAA Women's Tournament is set to take center stage this week, pitting some of the best teams in the nation against each other. 

This year's field sees several teams looking to make a Cinderella run in hopes of winning a national title. 

Throughout NCAA Women's Tournament history, no team below a three-seed was able to make a deep run. Still, it would be hard to rule out the possibility of any team becoming this year's dark horse contender.  

Related Article: NCAA Tournament Dark Horses: Who Could Make the Cinderella Run?

NCAA Women's Tournament Dark Horses: Florida State Seminoles 

The No.9 seed Florida State Seminoles are back in the tournament for the eleventh time and have been looking for their first win since 2019.

They are set to take on No.8 Alabama (23-9), who have had a strong season in their own right. 

The Seminoles are looking to build off a solid season. One where, despite losing in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to NC State, they managed to make some noise in a crowded ACC division. 

The Florida State Seminoles were ranked a top AP 25 team throughout the first 12 weeks. They are a team that relies heavily on its defense, as last season they only allowed 71.2 points per game.

Florida State will be getting lead scorer T'Niya Latson back, who missed last year's NCAA Tournament's first-round game against Georgia. 

Latson had a strong season posting 21.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the Seminoles. She has proven to be a star for FSU and could do some real damage for whoever they face, if they can get past Alabama.  

NCAA Women's Tournament Dark Horses: Colorado Buffaloes

The No.5 Colorado Buffaloes are back in the tournament after making it to the Sweet 16 last year.

It's been an excellent season for the Buffaloes; who after picking up a win against Angel Reese and LSU at the start of the season, have looked formidable in beating foes by double-digits. 

The Buffaloes should be a tough team to take out for any top seed as they have four starters who average nine points or more.

Frida Formann has proven to be a 3-point assassin, making over 2.5 3-pointers per game at a 42.7% clip, 17th best in the nation. 

The Colorado Buffaloes take on a tough Drake team in the first round led by Allison Pohlman. 

If they can somehow get past Drake, then there's no telling what the Buffaloes could do in the second round

Related Article: NCAA Tournament Dark Horse: James Madison Is a Mid-Major With a High Ceiling

NCAA Women's Tournament Dark Horses: Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles 

No.12 seed FGCU is back in the NCAA Women's Tournament for the seventh time in a row. The Eagles are set to take on No.5 Oklahoma Sooners in the first round.

The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles are prime to make a run. They have had some success in knocking out their opening round opponents in the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons; knocking off Virginia Tech in 2022 and Washington State in 2023. 

The Eagles have all the makings to go on a Cinderella run, as the team does have the experience of going to seven straight NCAA Women's Tournaments. 

FGCU is a team that could prove to get hot, being the highest in 3-point attempts with a 51.3 percentage.

Read More: NCAA Tournament Upset Alert: Teams That Could Run Wild in Round of 64 Games

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