The NCAA Women’s Tournament begins Wednesday, March 18. Before that, teams across the country will compete for the chance to win their respective conference championships.
Conference tournaments begin the first week of March, highlighting some of the best talent across women’s college basketball. It also puts a spotlight on some teams that have a lot of talent but may be underachieving.
Several programs fall into the overrated category given their program’s expectations. With this in mind, here are five of the most overrated teams in the nation.
1. Tennessee Lady Vols
Tennessee beat UConn during the 2025 regular season and went to the Sweet 16 under then-first year head coach Kim Caldwell. In Year 2, the expectations were high and not only did the Lady Vols have melted down. Since January 29th, Tennessee has dropped games to six ranked teams, including a 30-point loss to UConn and a historic 43-point defeat to South Carolina.
The Lady Vols seem to lack consistency and poise, especially when things aren’t going their way. In the team’s 12 losses this season, including seven in February alone, Tennessee has had a tendency spiral and never recover. It’s not for lack of talent as the roster includes WNBA draft prospects Janiah Barker, Talaysia Cooper, Zee Spearman, Mia Pauldo and Nya Robertson.
2. Iowa State Cyclones
Entering January, Iowa State was 14-0 and star center Audi Crooks was a significant reason for its success. Crooks, who averages 25.1 points per game, had seven 30-plus point games, including a 47-point outing on against Indiana. However, when Addy Brown (12.5 points per game) missed time with an injury, the Cyclones lost five straight.
Brown’s back and Iowa State had mostly righted the ship since, but their 9-8 record in Big 12 play, with only one win over a ranked opponent, feels concerning ahead of conference championships. It looks eerily similar to the 2024-25 season. The Cyclones had a 12-6 record in the conference, but again, only one win over a ranked team. Last season ended with a Big 12 conference quarterfinals loss and an exit in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
3. USC Trojans
USC was not going to be the same without Juju Watkins in the starting lineup. However, the Trojans also had four other players transfer and hasn’t really looked the same all season. USC lost two games during the regular season last year but has already dropped 11 during the 2025-2026 season. Eight of those losses have been to ranked opponents.
What’s more, USC’s star freshmen guard Jazzy Davidson leads the team in every major statistical category. Davidson is fantastic, but she should not be the focal piece of the team on a roster that has Kennedy Smith, Kara Dunn and Londyn Jones.
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish lost four players to the transfer portal last season, including former starting guard Olivia Miles. They replaced them with a mix of seniors and grad transfers, which should have helped Notre Dame stay competitive. The Irish lost to unranked Georgia Tech to open the year, and nothing felt the same until it upset Louisville to end the regular season.
5. Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels haven’t put together a consistent resume. One moment, Ole Miss loses to Texas and the next, it beats Oklahoma. Then, it loses to unranked Georgia before upsetting Vanderbilt. Ole Miss even lost a Feb. 19 game it led by as many as 13 points against LSU because it didn’t score a single field goal (0-17) in the fourth quarter. That feels maddening to watch in real time.
Forward Cotie McMahon leads the Rebels in assists with 2.9 per matchup, which is an issue. McMahon also leads Ole Miss in scoring, averaging 19.9 per game. The Rebels rise and fall with McMahon’s production and if teams contain the Ohio State transfer, Ole Miss has yet to figure it out.