The Stanford Cardinal have been one of the best programs in all of women’s college basketball in recent years. They came into this year’s NCAA Tournament as a one-seed. However, they saw an unceremonious exit on Sunday night at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels in a shocking upset loss.
1-seed Stanford came into the matchup as 12.5 point favorites. 8-seed Ole Miss proceeded to overcome those odds by forcing Stanford into 21 turnovers in the game.
It was a close matchup throughout, but the Rebels came away with a 54-49 victory after Stanford’s final shot to cut the lead to two went off the side of the backboard.
Ole Miss stuns 1-seed Stanford in the Women's NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16! 🏀🔥 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/T90g0CtD2j
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 20, 2023
This win for Ole Miss marks the 11th time that they will be headed for the Sweet 16. It’s the first time since 2007 that they have done so, and the first under head coach Yolett McCuin.
Not a cinderella story.
Ole Miss is Sweet Sixteen bound for the 11th time and first since ’07! pic.twitter.com/o4Cjm6S408
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) March 20, 2023
Perhaps the only ones who saw this upset coming is the players and coaching staff of Ole Miss. Many took to social media to express their disbelief of this wild upset.
Major props to Coach Yo and Ole Miss for toppling a giant. Rare to see these kinds of upsets on the WBB side, and yet, the way Ole Miss has played all year, it's hard to call it that surprising. The Rebels are for real, and then some.
Still, shocking to see Stanford out so early
— Brett Williams (@BrettW_Voice) March 20, 2023
https://twitter.com/primetimeMitch/status/1637666771648774144
At home, too. Great performance by Ole Miss tho. https://t.co/PPz3SYp0Rr
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) March 20, 2023
Ole Miss turned over a team that had been to back-to-back Final Fours 21 times, creating 24 points. It had a 20-13 offensive rebounding advantage against a team with far more size.
Shot 5-11 from 3 coming in at under 30%.
And, crucially, nails at the FT line down the stretch.
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) March 20, 2023
McCuin took to social media after her team’s shocking upset win, writing out a detailed post of what the win meant to here.
“My parents prepared me for the moment. My husband prepared me for this! The SEC perpared me for this moment! Jose Fernandez prepared me! Karl Smedko & Lynne Brian prepared me for this moment! My Lord & Savior anointed me for this exact moment!”
My parents prepared me for the moment. My husband prepared me for this! The SEC prepared me for this moment! Jose Fernandez prepared me! Karl Smesko & Lynne Bria prepared me for this moment! My Lord & Savior anointed me for this exact moment! #NoCeilings #StampThat ❤️💙
— Coach Yo (@YolettMcCuin) March 20, 2023
Ole Miss will now prepare for their Sweet 16 matchup between the winner of Monday’s game between Texas and Louisville.
[ESPN]
