After breakfast/pre-State House tour tidbits

From (newly re-named) High Post Hoops: The perpetual greatness of women’s basketball, on display

The Hall of Fame women’s basketball writer, Mel Greenberg, didn’t have to ponder much when asked if Friday, March 30, 2018 was the greatest night in the history of what is a rich, often hidden history of women’s basketball.

Sure, there was that night back in 2005 when Baylor and Michigan State roared back from steep deficits to upset Sylvia Fowles’ LSU and Kim Mulkey’s Baylor took down Tennessee, but the sheer magnitude of basketball, the punches and counter punches, well, Greenberg had it on his scorecard as the very top.

Michelle Smith: Women’s Final Four: On historic night, history repeats as UConn falls on OT buzzer-beater, this time to Notre Dame

It was a testament to talent and toughness and a rebuttal, all at the same time. It was the most heart-pounding night in the history of a sport, good for “the game” down to the last shot.

For the first time ever, two overtime games decided who will play for the NCAA Women’s Championship on Easter Sunday in Nationwide Arena.

Mississippi State punched its ticket with a 73-63 overtime win over Louisville in the opener, a game that looked like it couldn’t possibly be topped after Tierra McCowan finished with a Final Four record 25 rebounds in a game that featured 15 lead changes, four ties and a 3-pointer by fifth-year senior Roshunda Johnson with seven seconds to go in regulation to send the game into OT.

And then came Notre Dame.

GAME ON TOMORROW!

Everything you need to know about the NCAA title game

Final Four Q&A: Jessica Shepard is both veteran and newcomer for the Irish

GAME ON TODAY! 

Possible record crowd could witness WNIT title and future of IU women’s basketball

If you are a follower of Indiana University basketball, you have seen Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill more often than … well, more often than anyone else in the women’s game. Buss, with 1,439 minutes played, and Cahill, with 1,367, rank Nos. 1-2 in the NCAA this season.

But when a possible record crowd gathers Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, fans will be anticipating more than a WNIT championship. They will glimpse the future of the Hoosiers, who will be far from destitute once Buss and Cahill sign off.

Hoop Hall mates: Katie Smith, Tina Thompson Announced as Members of Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Speaking of history, at the Nationwide Arena tonight, Brian Agler, Katie Smith and those ABL kids.

Always got time for history: Flying Queens’ success, style was a game changer for women’s basketball

The trip from Kingfisher County took five hours by car, across Oklahoma and down the Texas panhandle.

A basketball star in high school, Kaye Garms had heard about a Baptist college near Lubbock that had a women’s team. She and another player wanted to try out.

“The local banker’s wife drove us,” Garms recalls. “She had a nice car.”

It was the mid-1950s, well before Title IX, and girls were still being told that basketball was too rough and tumble, that it might prevent them from having babies later in life.

Movin’ on : UMaine women’s basketball sharpshooter plans to transfer

Thinking ahead: Five questions for South Carolina women’s basketball heading into the offseason

How ’bout in 2020? GOLDSTEIN: Marquette will be great next year, but what about after that?

This sounds bad: Former NCCU women’s basketball players call foul

What North Carolina Central did with its players was within the rules — the days of a full four-year scholarship are over. While schools can provide multiyear deals, many offer one-year scholarships that are renewable each year.

Several North Carolina Central players said a December letter sent to parents from Stafford-Odom stated that some scholarships would not be renewed.

Yet, 10 players essentially being cut in one day — that number is shocking.

The Undefeated made several telephone and email requests to interview Stafford-Odom and North Carolina Central athletic director Ingrid Wicker McCree for this story, but neither was made available to comment.

In case you were wondering: Cheryl Reeve has a blueprint to convince a generation of sports fans to support women’s sports

BTW: Who are the WNBA Draft prospects in the Women’s Final Four?

How about me? Former Fairfield star Jill Barta preparing for WNBA draft, ready for anything

Orange talk: Syracuse Sports Podcast: A conversation with Breanna Stewart

Eyes on the Aussie: Brondello: Cambage ready to lead Games charge for hotshot Opals

WATN? UMaine hires Edniesha Curry as assistant coach for men’s basketball

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Are. You. Kidding. Me!?!?!??!

Guess that’s what happens when the top four teams reach the Final Four, huh?

What a joy it was to be in the arena last night. How SMART we are to be fans of the women’s game. And LOOK at those kids. LOOK at those coaches!!! LOOK at those fans. Wowza. Thank goodness we have a day to recover. Bunch of us need to send out for a new voice…. because…

Women’s Final Four produced many bananas statistics and the following incomplete sentences

Mississippi State over Louisville, OT.

After a first quarter to forget, all bets were off….

• How Mississippi State beat Louisville in overtime in the Final Four
• Mississippi State women’s basketball win 73-63 against Louisville
• Rob Oller’s commentary | After slow start, women’s semifinal was sight to behold
  
• Mississippi State Headed to Women’s Title Game With Win Over Lousiville
  
• Women’s Final Four | Miss State earns second straight trip to final in 73-63 OT win over Louisville
  
• MSU women beat Louisville to reach national title game
  
• Vic Schaefer’s Bold Choices Helped Mississippi State Basketball Beat Louisville in the Final Four
  
• Behind monster day from Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State is back in Finals …
  
• What Mississippi State, Louisville coaches, players said after Final Four game
  
• Dogged determination, clutch shot put Mississippi State women in Final …
  
• State’s Schaefer captures USBWA Coach of Year
  
• With the season on the line, MSU’s Teaira McCowan, Victoria Vivians played their best games
  
• Big shot puts Bulldogs back in national title game
  
• Teaira McCowan pushes Mississippi State to NCAA championship game
  
• How Roshunda Johnson hit the shot of her life to save Mississippi State’s season
  
• Mississippi State earns second straight trip to women’s final, outlasting Louisville in overtime
  
• Mississippi State returns to national championship — and meets Kobe Bryant
  
• Mississippi State Tops Louisville In OT To Advance To Women’s Final
  
• Mississippi State to play for the National Championship after rallying to beat Louisville
  
• Mississippi State wins in overtime, advances to NCAA women’s championship
  
• Mississippi State dances to second straight National Championship, edges Louisville 73-63
  
• Danberry becomes big factor during Mississippi State win

• Mississippi State beats Louisville in OT after wild fourth quarter to reach national championship
  
• Mississippi State Basketball: Bulldogs Headed to National Title Game
  
• Women’s Final Four: Roshunda Johnson shoots Mississippi State past Louisville, back to title game
  
• Mississippi State’s late 3 sends Final Four game into OT
  
• Mississippi State outlasts Louisville in OT to advance to national championship
  
• Watch: Roshunda Johnson’s Shot Saved Mississippi State Basketball

• Louisville women fall to Mississippi State in overtime Final Four game
  
• Season ends in gut-wrenching fashion for Louisville at Final Four | Tim Sullivan
  
• A technical foul and opportunity lost for Louisville
  
• Hearts broke, but Louisville won’t let Final Four devastation define record-setting season
  
• Louisville’s season ends in Final Four with OT loss to Mississippi State
  
• Three biggest factors in Louisville’s Final Four defeat
  
• Louisville sees season end with Final Four loss to Mississippi State in OT
  
• Louisville can’t get past Mississippi State in Final Four
  
• Louisville’s title hopes rim-out at the last second
  
• BOZICH | Pain — and questions — after Louisville’s Final Four defeat
  
• CRAWFORD | Final Four frustration shouldn’t overshadow Louisvile’s shinning season …

Notre Dame over UConn, OT.

Quick flashback to their first game this season, then the Huskies went on a run, then Notre Dame refused to fold, then player after player after player made plays. YEA BASKETEBALL!!!

• History repeats: U-Conn. loses on OT buzzer-beater again, this time to Notre Dame in national semifinals
• How Notre Dame beat UConn in overtime in the Final Four
• Notre Dame stuns UConn to reach women’s NCAA title game
  
• Road to Final Four was tricky, trying for Notre Dame women
  
• Notre Dame beats UConn, will face Mississippi State in NCAA Women’s Championship
  
• Replay: Ogunbowale Dagger Beats UConn
  
• Notre Dame women beat UConn on last-second shot in OT
  
• Notre Dame, a UConn Nemesis, Topples the Huskies in a Final Four …
  
• Notre Dame’s Final Four win over UConn was shocking. Here’s how it happened
  
• Arike Ogunbowale Etches Her Name Into March Lore as Notre Dame Shocks UConn in Final Four
  
• Best ever? Notre Dame’s thrilling Women’s Final Four win over UConn will go down in history
  
• Women’s Final Four: In latest Notre Dame-UConn classic, Irish finally make the last shot count
  
• NCAA Women’s Final Four: Notre Dame stuns previously unbeaten UConn in overtime
  
• WATCH: Arike Ogunbowale sinks UConn, sends Notre Dame women to national title game
• UConn women stunned by Notre Dame, ousted from Final Four
• Unbeaten no more: UConn stunned by Notre Dame in Women’s Final Four
• Irish top UConn with last-second shot in OT
  
• Notre Dame upsets UConn in Final Four matchup with OT buzzer beater
  
• NCAA WOMEN: Notre Dame beats UConn on last-second shot in overtime
  
• Final Four: Notre Dame’s final punch knocks UConn out in heavyweight fight
  
• Final Four: Notre Dame’s final punch knocks UConn out in heavyweight fight
  
• Arike Ogunbowale Hits Game-Winner; Notre Dame Sinks UConn in Women’s Tournament
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: IRISH UPSET UCONN!!!
  
• Notre Dame Beats UConn In Overtime Thriller
  
• Notre Dame beating UConn in the Final Four even had Kobe Bryant fired up
  
• Notre Dame knocks off UConn in OT thriller
  
• Notre Dame stuns UConn 91-89 in NCAA Final Four national semifinal
  
• Notre Dame’s Final Four Victory Over UConn Was College Basketball’s Most Bonkers Game Of The Year
• Canada’s Kia Nurse and top-ranked UConn lose to Notre Dame in Final Four
• Undefeated Connecticut Falls to Notre Dame in the NCAA Women’s Final Four
  
• UConn women’s basketball, Geno Auriemma come to grips with consecutive NCAA setbacks
  
• Women’s Final Four: UConn stunned by Notre Dame on last-second shot in OT
  
• For UConn, déjà vu hurts a little bit more
  
• Another deadly dagger
  
• UConn lost in the Final Four two years in a row on basically the same shot
  
• Geno Auriemma Reacts To UConn’s Final 4 Loss vs. Notre Dame
  
• FINAL FOUR FAILURE: Huskies fall to Notre Dame in overtime loss mirroring 2017 semifinal
  
• Jeff Jacobs: Yes, it sucks for UConn, but it was great for women’s basketball

And more

• Video Notebook: Mississippi State, Notre Dame win OT thrillers
  
• NCAA women’s basketball: Mississippi State and Notre Dame to meet in national championship game Sunday
  
• Bulldogs to play Notre Dame for national championship
  
• Women’s Final Four | Beating UConn is ‘great’ but Notre Dame knows title game is next

ALSO

• Fans hooked by women’s college basketball and players swarm Columbus for Final Four
  
• Is UConn’s women’s basketball dominance bad for the sport? Of course not
  
• UConn’s dominance is good for basketball. The 2018 Final Four just proved it
• Female assistant coaches have big presence in Final Four
• Today’s Final Four is far cry from early days of women’s basketball
  
• Women’s Final Four | Columbus wouldn’t mind memorable moments like these

Random note to the NCAA: Your in-arena game graphics stink. Put up photos and names of folks getting awards!!!! (Also, please move the banners so we can see the game stats.)

Random note to the NCAA, #2: YES to “Greats of the Games” doing free-throw/shooting contests during the game. More please.

Random note to the NCAA, #3: HOW COOL TO HAVE THE “This Award Was Named After Me” folks on the court. MORE OF THAT, PLEASE!!!!

Random note to the NCAA, #4: Remember when the D2/D3 Championships happened at the Final Four. AGAIN!!!

Final note to readers: If you complain about coverage, and haven’t clicked on a ton of these links, hush. If you have, THANK YOU!!! If you feel inspired, drop the writers and editors a quick note of thanks, please do. It helps.

And, as always, check out the Columbus Dispatch coverage. Support local papers.

Now I gotta go grab some throat lozenges and a gallon of coffee. WHAT A NIGHT!!!!!!

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Gotta pack. Wait, just one more article…

Final Four

• Michelle Smith: Women’s Final Four Preview: For UConn, heavy is the head that (usually) wears the crown

No one does more to leech the madness out of March than the Connecticut Huskies.

The Final Four trip is practically a timeshare for Geno Auriemma and his team. First weekend in April. Book it and see you there.

But Auriemma, who has made more Final Four trips that any coach in college basketball history (19), would like everyone to know that being a heavy favorite also comes with a sometimes soul-crushing weight of expectations.

• Everything you need to know about the Final Four field
• Women’s Final Four: A look ahead to the historic matchups between all No. 1 seeds
• Final Four Preview: No Introductions Required
• With four No. 1 seeds in women’s Final Four, everyone needs to be at their best …
• Women’s Final Four | Columbus wouldn’t mind memorable moments like these
  
• Final Four teams look to stay on top with impactful incoming recruiting class …
• Women’s Final Four 2018: Geno Auriemma shouldn’t have to defend UConn’s success this much
• Listen up! LaChina’s live at the Women’s Final Four in Columbus, OH. They are joined by coaches Katie Smith (Liberty), Curt Miller (Sun), and Amber Stocks (Sky); former WNBA All Stars Chasity Melvin, Ticha Penicheiro & Rushia Brown, and WNBA prospect Kelsey Mitchell.

Final Four Talking

WATCH: Women’s Final Four teams hold press conference ahead of Friday’s semifinals

Columbus Hosting

• Arena District bars ready to rock with fans of women’s Final Four teams
• Women’s Basketball Fans Explore Columbus As Final Four Takes Over Downtown…
  
• Everyone can have a ball during Women’s Final Four

Mississippi State v. Louisville

• WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT: Bulldogs, Cards eager to make their own mark on Final Four
• Column: The Final Four: What’s yet to come?
• Women’s Final Four | Mississippi State sees mirror image in Louisville
• Mississippi State women peaking at the right time for a Final Four run
  
• ‘Final Four, no doubt’: Child chooses MSU basketball over Disney
• Mississippi State women dreaming big
  
• Women’s Final Four | Mississippi State’s Schaefer builds winner with defense
• Inside ‘The Shot’: A year later, looking back at Mississippi State’s upset of UConn
  
• Mississippi State’s Morgan William is on a never-ending mission to prank her roommate
  
• Vic Schaefer Has Built Women’s College Basketball’s Newest Power Program
  
• To be an All-American, Teaira McCowan first needed to know it was OK to stand out
  
• Vic Schaefer has pushed the right buttons to get Mississippi State back to the Final Four
  
• Teaira McCowan at the center of Mississippi State’s Final Four run
  
• Mississippi State coach defends Morgan William, 2017 title game decision
• LOOK: Lounge for Mississippi State women’s basketball team at Final Four includes amazing features
• Want to watch the Final Four with a crowd? Where you can join other Mississippi State fans
• Mississippi State’s McCowan, who is ‘just taller and stronger,’ poses a problem for Louisville
  
• How much money will Louisville and Jeff Walz make from playing in the MCAA Final Four? …
• You better know these names. Meet Louisville basketball’s starting five in the Final Four
• CRAWFORD | Louisville women locked in on Mississippi State task in last Final Four practice
  
• Stephanie Norman is a ‘grinder’ and a ‘steady’ presence for Louisville women’s basketball

UConn v. Notre Dame

• No. 1 Irish Seek Program’s Second National Title this Weekend in Columbus
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball vs. UConn: Tale of the Tape
  
• Irish Culture: Big Expectations
• Noie: Notre Dame not intimidated by big, bad UConn, but is that enough?
  
• The rivalry: History of UConn women vs. Notre Dame
  
• ND, UConn women ready for latest chapter in sport’s best rivalry
  
•  UConn, Notre Dame ready to resume rivalry in Final Four
  
• Gabby Williams on boards as milestone approaches
  
• Accepting challenges comes with territory for UConn’s All-Americans
  
• Hyped: UConn Hits The Final Four Scene, Prepares For Friday’s Game vs. Notre Dame
• 11 Memorable Geno Auriemma Quotes From UConn’s 2017-18 Season (So Far)
  
• Irwin finds her place in UConn’s program
• UConn women keep winning without spotlight
  
• Geno Auriemma on UConn’s loss in 2017 Final Four: ‘It was time’
  
• UConn women’s basketball hopes to forget about last year’s Mississippi State loss in return to the Final Four
• Is There Any Way UConn Blows This?
  
• At UConn, No Losses and No Apologies
  
• Jeff Jacobs: How to beat UConn? Be fearless
  
• Women’s Final Four | UConn’s Geno Auriemma and his players know the drill
  
• UConn Insider Podcast: Setting The Scene From The Women’s Final Four In Columbus
  
• Women’s Final Four: Could Notre Dame Beat UConn? It’s Very Possible
• O’Boyle: Matchup with UConn about Notre Dame’s future as much as result,

Awards? We got awards! 

News Conference: WBCA Coaches’ All-American Announcement

Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw wins AP Coach of the Year after tough road to Final Four

Best in the country! A’ja Wilson named National Player of the Year twice in one day

WBCA Defensive Player of the Year is Nurse

Championship on the line! Saturday, March 31 Virginia Tech at Indiana, 3 p.m. ET CBS Sports Network

Emery Scores 13 in Fourth to Push Virginia Tech Women’s Basketball into WNIT Final

Tyra Buss leads IU to WNIT final: ‘Our ultimate goal, you know, is to hang that banner’ (btw: Fourth-largest crowd in @IndianaWBB history watched the Hoosiers advance)

Job opening

SC State Will Not Renew The Contract of Women’s Basketball Coach Doug Robertson, Jr.

Wanna help?

Mercedes Russell’s mom launches GoFundMe to join daughter for WNBA Draft

Hey, History Buffs!!! 

Jon Newman‏ @jonnew; #Rutgers fans, 36 years ago today @TheresaGrentz12 and @RutgersWBB won the last AIAW championship. A bunch of us old @WRSUsports guys with @RUAthletics help are working on a documentary to make sure they’re not forgotten. Here’s the trailer, more coming.

More history with a FIBA flashback as Paul asks: What happened to the USA players who won the first ever FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2010? (Steward, Loyd, Tuck, Williams, Graves, Stafford, Massengale, Lewis, Laney, Burdick, Adams, Smith)

If the front page article at the Washington Post (She coached her team to the NCAA tournament. Then she quit, for her daughter.) wasn’t enough to convince you, how about Vic Dorr.

Joanne Boyle, who retired Tuesday after seven seasons at the helm of the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball program, likely will never become a hall of fame coach. But that’s OK. To me she is — and always will be — a hall of fame human being.

Here’s why: In October of 2002, Boyle was very nearly late for her first practice as the new head coach at the University of Richmond. As she drove toward the Robins Center, she saw an elderly man in distress on the shoulder of College Road. He had slipped on loose gravel and fallen. He could not climb to his feet. Boyle stopped to assist. She helped the man into her car and drove him to his home. He asked to be taken into the TV room. Once there, he asked that the television be tuned to NBC for that afternoon’s Notre Dame football game. Boyle did as the man requested. She made certain that he was comfortable and calm before leaving for practice.

Then she did something remarkable. She returned after practice to not only check on the man but also to watch some of the football game with him. I know this because I knew the man. He was my father.

Good luck and Godspeed, Joanne. You’re something special. 

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*all sing* I’m BACK! Back in a

New York groove! *tries to get out of bed* WHOA. Lemme sit down and pop some more cold meds. Bleh.

So yea, was able to track the UConn and Notre Dame wins through a feverish blur. How good a coach is Muffet McGraw! How much fun is it to watch the Huskies pass the ball?

UConn over South Carolina

• UConn women sail past Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks to advance to Final Four
• UConn Crushes South Carolina en Route to 11th Straight Final Four
• UConn routs South Carolina 94-65, heads back to Final Four
• Don’t blame UConn’s dominance for consumer apathy about women’s college basketball
• UConn women rout South Carolina, advance to Final 4
• Columbus calling
  
• Outmatched, Outclassed: Dangerfield’s, Williams’ individual brilliance helps Huskies trounce South Carolina in Elite Eight
  
• UConn’s Crystal Dangerfield on returning to Final Four
  
• FT Roundup: UConn Thrashes USC in Elite 8
  
• USC’s repeat dreams, A’ja Wilson’s historic career over as UConn routs Gamecocks
  
• South Carolina’s season ends in Elite 8 by UConn
  
• Defending champs defeated, Wilson’s career ends as UConn tops USC
  
• Recapping the best and worst from South Carolina women’s basketball season
  
• Ty Harris can be the leader South Carolina needs with departure of A’ja Wilson
  
• Without Wilson, job gets tougher
• WATCH: South Carolina forward A’ja Wilson posts emotional video
• A’ja Wilson looks back at collegiate career with no regrets
• End of the Road: A’ja Wilson’s career, South Carolina’s season end in Elite Eight
• South Carolina seeks to keep winning without A’ja Wilson
• Futures of South Carolina women’s basketball players Alexis Jennings, Bianca Cuevas-Moore up in the air
• South Carolina’s championship aftermath was a year of glory

Notre Dame over Oregon.

• Fighting Irish toughen up in second half to fend of Ducks
• For resilient Notre Dame, long road back leads to Final Four
  
• Defense carries Notre Dame into Final Four
• Notre Dame women get past Oregon 84-74
  
• Women’s NCAA Tournament: Notre Dame heads back to Final Four with win over Oregon
  
• Toughness a calling card for Notre Dame women’s basketball
• No. 1 Irish Advance to Eighth Final Four After 84-74 Win Over No. 2 Oregon
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish are Final Four bound!
• Second-half surge puts Notre Dame women’s basketball team into Final Four
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: The Fighting Irish Defeat Oregon 84-74 and Are Final Four Bound
  
• Irish Dancing Back To Final Four After Beating Oregon
  
• Dream ends for Oregon women’s basketball
• Oregon Ducks women denied Final Four by Notre Dame
  
• Oregon Ducks fall to Notre Dame in NCAA women’s tournament Elite 8: Live updates recap
  
• Oregon’s historic season comes to a close in Elite Eight with 84-74 loss to Notre Dame
  
• Last dance for Ducks
  
• Oregon loses to Notre Dame in Elite Eight, Irish 84 – Ducks 74
  
• Oregon’s memorable season ends with Elite Eight loss to Notre Dame
• Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team already looking ahead to next season

Gettin’ Ready for Columbus:

Ben Baskin at SI: Women’s Final Four Preview: Can Notre Dame Stop UConn? Who Will Win Louisville-Mississippi State?

Notre Dame v. UConn

• NCAA: UConn stands out as elite in women’s Final Four
• UConn hoping to forget about Mississippi State as it returns to the Final Four
• Accepting challenges comes with territory for UConn’s All-Americans
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball vs. UConn: Tale of the Tape
• Accepting challenges comes with territory for UConn’s All-Americans
  
• UConn Holds Rally Before Departing For Final Four
  
• Photo Gallery: UConn Women Head To Final Four
• Huskies reach Final Four destination but journey not complete
• UConn Huskies prep for 11th consecutive Final Four
• Will this UConn team go down as one of the program’s greatest ever?
• Send-off for UConn women heading to their 11th Final Four
  
• UConn’s excellence rare, even among greats
  
• Toughness a calling card for Notre Dame women’s basketball
• Point/Counterpoint: Will the UConn women’s basketball team win the national championship?

Louisville v. Mississippi State

• NCAA women’s basketball: Mississippi State’s Vic Schaefer’s blueprint to back-to-back Women’s Final Fours
• How Johnnie Harris earned Vic Schaefer’s trust and became assistant coach of the year
• Kellenberger: Driven, determined Mississippi State is back in the Final 4
• What to know if you’re following Mississippi State to the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio
• 3 things to know about Mississippi State’s Final Four opponent Louisville
• Mississippi State women peaking at the right time for a Final Four runFormer Mississippi State coach Sharon Fanning-Otis enjoying its success unde Vic Schaefer
• You better know these names. Meet Louisville basketball’s starting five for the Final Four
• CRAWFORD | Even ‘haters’ can’t diminish Walz’s excitement for Louisville’s Final Four run
  

• CRAWFORD | Louisville’s Walz speaks from the bottom of his heart, and the top of his game

In other news

GAMES TONIGHT!!! WNIT Semifinals

• Virginia Tech at West Virginia, 7 p.m.
• TCU at Indiana, 7 p.m. ET

Award time! Women’s Basketball: Kelsey Mitchell becomes first four-time All-American in Ohio State history

On the move: Michelle Clark-Heard leaving WKU for head-coaching job at Cincinnati

Him too: Jay Parry, WNBA COO, stepping down at end of April

Moving up: WKU Loses Women’s Basketball Coach, Promotes Top Assistant

WNBA star Pondexter trains Stateline kids at basketball camp

Lindsay Whalen Continues to Give Back to the Game

A loss: Former UMaine women’s basketball star with ‘a heart of gold’ dies of cancer at 42

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*all sing* I’ve got a fever

FEVER! No. Really. I have a fever. Totally stinks.

Know who else is smokin’? The unday #1 seeds. They were NOT messing’ around.

Louisville over Oregon State by 33.

• Louisville women’s basketball is taking the fast lane to the Final Four …
• Top-seeded Louisville locks up spot in Final Four
• Louisville romps at Rupp, punches third ticket to the Final Four
• Louisville women have already made history this year; now a chance for more in the Final Four …
• Women’s basketball decimates Oregon State, reaches Final Four
• Walz impressed by Louisville champs, on and off the court
• CRAWFORD | You could tell: Louisville women fulfill Final Four promise …
• University of Louisville women earn a ticket to the big dance; going to the NCAA Final Four in Columbus
  
• Louisville women’s basketball continues dreamlike season with Final Four bid
  
• Louisville women enjoy home cooking
  
• Morning Coffee: For Louisville this year, facing Mississippi State in the Final Fours is chance for payback
  
• LACETT | Cards to face Mississippi State in Final FourFive things to know about Louisville basketball’s Final Four opponent, Mississippi State
  
• Louisville’s national footprint continues to grow under Jeff Walz
  
• Louisville women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz: A Type B personality with an A game | Tim Sullivan
• Louisville’s Final Four Bound After Flying Past Oregon State
  
• Asia Durr leads Louisville to Final Four
  
• Oregon State’s season comes to an end in the Elite EightBeavers’ Tournament run is done
  
• Oregon State Beavers overwhelmed by Louisville in women’s NCAA Tournament Elite 8
  
• Oregon State women crushed by Louisville in NCAA Elite Eight
  
• Beavers Fall to Louisville in Elite Eight
  
• Beavers bounced
  
• Oregon State women ousted by Louisville in Elite Eight

Mississippi State over UCLA by 16

• Top-seeded Bulldogs punch ticket to second straight Final Four
  
• Mississippi State beats UCLA 89-73 to reach second straight Final Four
  
• “We were fine.” Mississippi State holds off late UCLA push to advance to Final Four
  
• Mississippi State Basketball: Bulldogs to Face Louisville in Final Four
  
• How Mississippi State advanced to its second-straight Final Four …
  
• Mississippi State offense has all the answers to punch Final Four ticket
  
• Victoria Vivians and Teaira McCowan are dynamic duo in Mississippi State women’s win
  
• Miss St beats UCLA 89-73 to reach second straight Final Four
  
• Mississippi State holds on to knock off pesky UCLA
  
• Bulldogs head back to Final Four
  
• Balance brings Bulldogs back to Final Four
  
• Mississippi State dances into Final Four
  
• Kellenberger: Driven, determined Mississippi State is back in the Final 4
  
• Mississippi State Earns Final Four Berth After Hard-Fought Win Over UCLA
  
• UCLA women’s run ends with loss to Mississippi State in Elite Eight
  
• Mississippi State Ends UCLA’s Final Four Hopes, 89-73
  
• UCLA women’s basketball falls to Mississippi State in Elite Eight
  
• How Mississippi State advanced to its second-straight Final Four and beat UCLA in Elite 8
  
• UCLA women fall to No. 1 seed Mississippi State 89-73 in Elite Eight
  
• Mississippi State, Louisville to Final Four; Who’s next?

Monday!

South Carolina v. UConn

• A Call to the Pen: UConn women should be celebrated, not trivialized
• UConn, South Carolina to meet in Albany Regional final
• Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks, Geno Auriemma’s Huskies to face off
• UConn-South Carolina showdown is upon us
• UConn not letting earlier win over South Carolina provide false sense of security
• Women’s basketball gameday: UConn vs. South Carolina
• Jeff Jacobs: Inspiring words build a healthy dialogue
• Geno Auriemma compares pressure UConn women face to Nick Saban, Alabama football
• All the pressure on Huskies
• South Carolina senior A’ja Wilson ready for one final shot at UConn
• USC women aim to conquer UConn Monday night in Elite Eight
• ‘You’re going to believe that there’s a God’: How USC thinks it can take down UConn

Oregon v. Notre Dame

• How to Fall in Love With a Team in the NCAA Tournament: Sabrina Ionescu and the Oregon Ducks tick all the boxes you need in a squad to root for during March Madness
• Kelly Graves had smooth recruiting transition from Gonzaga to Oregon
  Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Oregon Ducks Preview
• Short-handed Notre Dame facing deep Oregon Ducks in Elite Eight
• Ducks calm, cool as they stare down history, Notre Dame
  
• Oregon women shoot for first Final Four berth
  
• Notre Dame’s defense must be on the spot against Oregon
• Satou Sabally could be in line for big game for Oregon Ducks …
  
• Shooting stars, offensive fireworks on tap when Irish, Ducks face off

In other news:

USA Bball: Team Quest Wins USA Basketball Women’s 3×3 U18 National Championship

WNIT post-season‘s at the semis: Wednesday, March 28

• Virginia Tech at West Virginia, 7 p.m. ET
• Indiana vs. TCU, 7 p.m. ET

Congrats to DII Champions: Central Missouri stuns Ashland to win NCAA Div. II Championship

Congrats to NJCAA DII Champions: Kirkwood women’s basketball falls to Monroe in national championship

Hello! Nation’s top HS player Christyn Williams gets added surprise

Listen up! Cheryl Reeve Offseason Interview, Part Three: Lynx Have ‘Succession Plan’ in Place, but Focus on 2018

Hello, Columbus!

8

 

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*all sing* Steady On! (Game’s ON!)

Steady on! Learning lessons from Baylor and Texas, the rest of the top-seeds made sure they took care of business.

Louisville over Stanford. Still impressed by the final Tara crafted out of a tough season.

• NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: Louisville Overpowers Stanford, 86-59
  
• Louisville women roll into Elite Eight, but look what awaits.
  
• Louisville women handle Stanford 86-59 in NCAA Sweet 16
  
• Louisville women just having fun in win over Stanford
  
• Asia Durr, a star all season, breaks through for Louisville in Sweet 16 win over Stanford
  
• March Madness: Stanford women routed in Sweet 16
  
• Stanford women’s NCAA tournament run ends in loss to Louisville

Mississippi State over NC State. 

• Mississippi State Basketball: Bulldogs Beat North Carolina State
  
• Teaira McCowan is a ‘daggum’ All-American
  
• Mississippi State routs NC State 71-57 to reach Elite 8
  
• The mood from Mississippi State women’s basketball’s winning Sweet 16 locker room
  
• Bulldogs end Wolfpack women’s tournament run
  
• NC State’s tournament run comes to an end in 71-57 loss
  
• Picked 10th in the ACC? 3 things coaches got wrong about NC State

Notre Dame over Texas A&M. Coach McGraw’s team continues its improbable run. And the Aggie’s Carter is ONLY a freshman!

• Notre Dame women’s basketball finds another comeback to land in Elite 8
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish Advance to Elite Eight
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Fighting Irish Defeat Texas A&M …
  
• Notre Dame women earn date with Ducks
  
• Notre Dame women back in Elite Eight after beating Texas A&M
  
• Notre Dame holds off A&M for 90-84 victory
  
• Women’s basketball falls short against Notre Dame in Sweet 16

Oregon over Central Michigan. Ionescu doin’ Ionescu things. Thank goodness she’s only a sophomore! And what a run for CMU (and Buffalo)! MAC attack, indeed!

• Oregon Ducks women advance to Elite Eight
  
• Hebard leads Oregon women to 83-69 win over Central Michigan
  
• Oregon advances to Elite Eight for second time in as many years after 83-69 win over Central Michigan
  
• Ducks pop Central Michigan, repeat as Elite Eight qualifier
  
• As Oregon reaches Elite Eight again, Ducks say they want more
• Ducks Keep Dancing, Oregon 83 – Central Michigan 69
  
• Ducks impressed by Central Michigan’s NCAA Tournament run
  
• CMU women’s basketball loses to Oregon in Sweet 16
  
• Central Michigan women’s NCAA run ends in loss to Oregon
  
• CMU’s 38 days of glory ends with Sweet 16 loss to Oregon
  
• Women’s basketball loses to Oregon in Sweet 16 round of NCAA

South Carolina over Buffalo. A couple of observations from my Albany road trip:No surprise, a great turnout for the Bulls. They kept the Gamecocks honest – especially Cierra Dillard. She reminded me of Gopher Whalen – fearless, surprisingly quick, relentless. A’ja Wilson is a joy to watch in person.

• South Carolina battles past feisty Buffalo to advance to Elite Eight
  
• NCAA Women’s Tournament: South Carolina Eliminates Upstart Buffalo …
  
• Gamecocks beat Buffalo by going big — literally — with guard-like post players
  
• Bulls lose in the Sweet Sixteen to South Carolina
  
• Defending champs stay alive with win
  
• South Carolina freshman Lele Grissett shines in Sweet 16 win
  
• ‘It was pretty hard to hide’: A’ja Wilson reveals her battle with dyslexia
  
• Gamecocks want to clean up turnovers for Elite 8
• Mid-Major Success Demonstrates the Growth of Women’s College Basketball,
• South Carolina Gets An Elite Eight Date With UConn After 79-63 Win,
• How Dawn Staley helped A’ja Wilson overcome dyslexia and her fear of reading
  
• No apologies from Cierra Dillard and the UB women: ‘We want people to remember our name. Our name is Buffalo.’
• Dear Cierra Dillard: Former Section V teammates and rivals are proud

UConn over Duke. Is it possible Gabby Williams is a rubber band in human form? And, did anyone else watching the Blue Devils’ Odom have flashbacks to UNC’s LaToya Pringle?

• UConn rolls past Duke to move win away from record 11th straight Final Four
  
• UConn’s Nurse up to the challenge in defending fellow WNBA prospect Lexie Brown
  
• Jeff Jacobs: Duke plays defense but coach just gets defensive
  
• UConn tops Duke 72-59, advances to Albany Region final,
• UConn Women Roll On, Defeat Duke, 72-59, To Reach Elite Eight
  
• Williams guides Huskies into Elite Eight,
• UConn tops Duke to reach Albany Regional finalTicket sales have been brisk for Albany Regional,
• UConn rolls by Duke to set up regional final showdown against South Carolina
• UConn Women Beat Duke With the Help of a Former Blue Devil
• UConn women oust Duke from NCAA tournament
  
• 2018 NCAA Women’s Tournament: Duke Bows To UConn

 Sunday Games!

• How each Elite Eight team can reach Columbus
  
• Expert picks: Predicting the Elite Eight

Louisville v. Oregon State

• Oregon State, Louisville seek growth in Elite Eight
  
• Can Louisville stop Marie Gulich?
• Louisville in new role in Elite Eight
  
• How can Oregon State upset Louisville and reach the Final Four?
  
• Louisville’s Sam Fuehring faces challenge against ‘basically unguardable” Oregon State star
  
• Five things to know about Louisville’s Elite Eight opponent: Oregon State
  
• One win from the Final Four, Louisville women know the drill vs. Oregon State
  
• OSU women’s basketball notebook: Beavers, Cardinals, play inside out and outside in

 UCLA v. Mississippi State

• Bruins, Bulldogs feature homegrown seniors
• UCLA to face Mississippi State for spot in Final Four
• UCLA women face top-seeded Mississippi State with their first Final a win away
  
• Cori Close, UCLA women’s basketball channel John Wooden at Elite Eight
• How UCLA is trying to be like Mississippi State in order to beat the Bulldogs
  
• First-rate in-state senior stars are cornerstones in UCLA vs Mississippi State
  
• Kellenberger: Mississippi State belongs in the conversation of nationally elite programs

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Program Note to the “Upsets don’t happen” peeps.

Just. Shut. Up.

Oregon State over Baylor. Great to listen to the OSU radio call. They weren’t sure it was going to happen, especially when the Bears made the last few minutes so….Interesting.

• Marie Gulich powers Oregon State Beavers women past Baylor, into the Elite 8
• Elite Once More! Beavers Take Down Baylor, 72-67
• Beavers ace Sweet 16 test against Baylor
  
• Women’s basketball: Beavers stuff Baylor win streak
  
• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers fend off Baylor, advance to the Elite Eight
• Ex-Ram helps Oregon State women stun Baylor
  
• Oregon State snaps Baylor’s 30-game win streak, advances to Elite Eight
  
• Oregon State upsets Baylor 72-67 in women’s NCAA Sweet 16
  
  NCAA women: 2-seed Baylor upset by Oregon State 72-67a
• Women’s college basketball tournament: Oregon State surprises Baylor …
• ‘We weren’t Baylor’ — Lady Bears bounced by Oregon State in Sweet 16, 72-67
  
• Texas & Baylor lose in Sweet 16
  
• Oregon State upsets Baylor again
  
• Lady Bears Fall in Sweet Sixteen
  
• Lady Bears End 2018 Season With Loss to Oregon State in Sweet Sixteen

UCLA over Texas

• Sweet 16 finally sweet for UCLA women
• UCLA advances to Elite Eight with 84-75 win over Texas
• UCLA women move on to Elite Eight with 84-75 win over Texas at Sprint Center
• Curtain falls for Texas seniors Brooke McCarty and Ariel Atkins as UCLA prevails in Sweet 16
  
• It’s a final: UCLA 84, Texas 75
  
• UCLA women defeat Texas, reach first Elite Eight since 1999
  
• UCLA gets its revenge on Texas

More anon – gotta hit the road for Albany!

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Ready for my Road Trip!

11:30am (who the heck plays basketball at THAT hour. sigh.)#11 Buffalo v. #2 South Carolina

• Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks and Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies could be a crash course once again in NCAA tournament
• See the sweet note South Carolina’s Dawn Staley received on the plane from a rival coach
• Athlete Look Back: South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley
• Jennings looking for quick start in Sweet 16
• A’ja Wilson looks for Gamecocks to play better in Sweet 16
  
• Going to Sweet 16, USC wary of No. 11 seed Buffalo: ‘I’m not deeming them Cinderella’
  
• South Carolina’s Dawn Staley impressed by Buffalo’s unselfish play
• Five things about South Carolina, UB’s opponent in the women’s Sweet 16
• No. 2 seed South Carolina looks to fix mistakes in tourney
• South Carolina women aware they must get better
  
• South Carolina vs. Buffalo: Sweet 16 game could turn on turnovers
  
• Women’s basketball: Buffalo takes lead from bold head coach
  
• Hamilton thrilled to be part of UB’s run to Sweet 16
• Australia makes an impact for Buffalo women’s basketball
• Cierra Dillard: Former coaches, teammates and rivals proud of UB
• Bullish on underdog role, UB ready for nation’s best
  
• Felisha Legette-Jack’s lessons of self-reliance fueled Buffalo’s journey to its first Sweet 16

1:30: #5 Duke v. #1 UConn

• UConn Bad for Women’s Basketball? Not by a Long Shot
• Jerry Sullivan: UConn’s excellence lifts the women’s game
• Spreading the wealth: Culture of unselfishness a key to UConn’s sustained dominance,
• UConn Coach Geno Auriemma is Only Pretending To Be Okay
• Women’s Basketball: No. 1 UConn set to take on ‘Splash Sisters’ in Sweet 16
• Winning Different Ways: UConn Women Have Seen It All Leading into Albany
  
• UConn women’s basketball team highlights Albany Regional
• UConn back in regional for 25th consecutive year
  
• UConn Women Practice Before Playing Duke in the NCAA
  
• Huskies’ Collier doesn’t pass on expanding game,
• Duke women believe playing top-seed UConn is a great opportunity
• To make it past the Sweet 16, Cary’s Azura Stevens must beat Duke — her former team
  
• UConn Women’s Basketball: Azura Stevens On Facing Her Former Team
  
• DWB Game Notes: UConn, March 24, 1:30 PM, ESPN
  
• Duke women’s basketball prepares to face undefeated Connecticut
  
• Duke women face formidable challenge in UConn
  
• Five questions breaking down Connecticut’s women’s basketball dominance

4pm: #4 Texas A&M v. #1 Notre Dame

• Spokane Regional promises something for every women’s basketball fan
• Notre Dame women’s basketball preps for ninth-straight Sweet 16
  
• Spokane Regional Notebook: Injuries have hurt Notre Dame, but …
• Nerves not a problem for Notre Dame’s Jessica Shepard in NCAA
  
• Noie: Sophomore Jackie Young takes special step for Notre Dame
• Muffet McGraw thinks Jackie Young could be Notre Dame women’s basketball’s ‘best player ever’
• Irish Head West in Hopes of Spokane Regional Title
  
• Arike: Also Known As ‘Nightmare’
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Arike Ogunbowale Is On A Record Scoring Pace
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Get to Know Texas A&M
  
• Kathryn Westbeld turns super sub for Notre Dame women’s basketball
• Notre Dame, Texas A&M clash again, this time in Sweet 16
  
• No. 4 Seed Women Take On No. 1 Seed Notre Dame In Sweet 16
  
• Texas A&M has the mindset of winning two games
  
• Texas A&M women prepared for Sweet Sixteen matchup with Notre Dame
  
• Carter’s performance for Aggies ‘one of the best’

6pm: #11 Central Michigan v. #2 Oregon

• Sweet 16 preview: Oregon Ducks face Central Michigan
• Oregon Ducks face Central Michigan: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 preview
• 3 reasons the Oregon Ducks women will make Final Four
  
• Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team has lots of ties to Spokane
  
• Oregon struggles to take flight on its way to the Sweet 16
• Former Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves returns to Spokane with an Oregon Duck team build to win
• Quack Fix 3-23-18: Previewing the Sweet 16
• Canzano: Oregon Ducks coach Kelly Graves not listening (sort of) to Final Four talk
• Beavers and Ducks building women’s basketball powers despite spending less than traditional elites
  
• In Central Michigan, Oregon Ducks see hallmarks of own NCAA Tournament run last season
  
• 10 facts to know before Oregon WBB’s Sweet Sixteen game
• Meet The Oregon Women’s Basketball Player Who Keeps Going Viral
  
• Oregon Ducks vow not to overlook 11th-seeded Central Michigan
• Three keys to beating Central Michigan in the Sweet 16
• Can the Chippewas Dethrone the Ducks?
  
• Sweet 16: Central Michigan women’s basketball ready to face Oregon
• Get ready for CMU vs. Oregon in NCAA women’s basketball Sweet 16
• Sweet 16: Women’s basketball faces Oregon in third round of NCAA Tournament
  
• Women’s NCAA basketball tourney ready for a Sweet 16 MAC attack
  
• Sweet Sixteen routine: Practice, film and interviews

In other news

DII women’s basketball: Ashland wins 73rd-straight game, will face Central Missouri in championship

DIII: Editorial: Eye-popping success of Amherst women’s basketball

WNIT heads up: WVU’s Tilt with JMU Moved to Friday

After NCAA loss, Tigers look forward to getting back to work

Interesting: Jill Barta foregoes senior season at Gonzaga, will enter WNBA draft

American Basketball Jamierra Faulkner Joins Team Russia After Accepting Citizenship

Congrats: Butler, Dupree heads Big 5 Hall of Fame inductee class

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*all sing* “Get ready, ’cause here I

come!

And folks HAVE been coming: Women’s tourney sees most fans since 2008

Expert picks: Predicting the Sweet 16

Listen Up! What’s In A Number? LaChina Robinson delves into the mid-majors that are making noise in the NCAAW tourney and chats with University of Buffalo coach Felisha Legette-Jack and Central Michigan’s Sue Guevara. Plus, WNBA champion Candace Parker joins to break down the Sweet 16!

Michelle Smith Preview: Pac-12 Women’s Basketball claims a quarter of the spots in the NCAA

NCAA Women’s Basketball Sweet Sixteen Preview: Lexington Region

Will point guard play determine winner in Kansas City Regional?

Morgan William smiles and says she tries to get out all of her mistakes during practice. The Mississippi State point guard measures much of her performance in games on turnovers and attempts to limit them as much as possible without it impacting her aggressiveness.

She has done that brilliantly; William has 157 assists to just 38 turnovers in her senior season.

FRIDAY, 7pm

#6 Oregon State v. #2 Baylor

• OSU women’s basketball: Baylor win brings back good memories
• Canzano: Oregon State coach Scott Rueck talks mystique and success
• OSU women’s basketball notebook: Beavers embrace underdog role
• Beavers have been building up Marie Gülich for this moment
  
• Baylor Set To Be Oregon State’s Biggest Test Yet This Season
  
• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers take different journey to this Sweet 16
  
• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers face ‘massive’ test against Baylor
  
• Oregon State WBB: Baylor Q&A with Our Daily Bears
  
• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers one of four nonhosts to advance
  
• Beavers save best basketball for tourney
• OSU women’s basketball: Baylor still potent despite loss of senior guard
  
• Kalani Brown: The basis for belief at Baylor
  
• Challenged post player helps Baylor women to Sweet 16 again
  
• Mulkey wins regional coach of the year honor
  
• Slate of Sweet 16 games includes low seeds
  
• Sweet 16: 16 reasons to watch the Lexington Regional

#4 NC State v. #1 Mississippi State

• NC State women’s basketball team makes first Sweet 16 since 2007
• NC State and Duke women are in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
  
• Moore sees Yow’s personality in Wolfpack women
  
• Wolfpack relish ride to Sweet 16 matchup vs Mississippi St
  
• Juggernaut Mississippi State rolls into Kansas City for NCAA
  
• Toughness leads MSU women back to Sweet 16
  
• Here’s what you need to know about North Carolina State
  
• Her role has changed, but Dominique Dillingham is still helping Mississippi State win
• What to expect for Mississippi State in Sweet 16 against NC State
  
• NC State up to No. 6 in Directors’ Cup standings
  
• Kellenberger: Mississippi State got its respect. This Sweet 16 is about winning
  
• Schaefer selected WBCA National Coach of the Year

9pm

#4 Stanford v. #1 Louisville

• Stanford, red-hot Louisville are set for their first-ever meeting in the Sweet 16 …
• Louisville women’s basketball is no stranger to the Sweet 16. But how have th Cards done?
• Louisville Women’s Team Prepares For Lexington Regional
  
• Kentucky football’s Josh Allen enjoying sister Myisha’s Sweet 16 run
  
• When Louisville needs an edge, it finds one in fiercely competitive Dana Evans
  
• CRAWFORD | Walz, Louisville hope fans make trip for prime-time
  
• Louisville set to paint Lexington red.
  
• A tournament-level passing game marks Louisville women’s NCAA run
  
• Five things to know about Louisville women’s NCAA Sweet 16 opponent, Stanford
• After rough start to season and some doubt, Stanford is back
• A teammate’s struggles helped Stanford keep its perspective
• Stanford women face No. 1-seed Louisville in Sweet 16 matchup
• Stanford seeks to topple Louisville
  
• Stanford starts to shine ahead of another Lexington Sweet 16

#3 UCLA v. #2 Texas

• UCLA women’s basketball seeks first Elite Eight since 1999
• UCLA women hope to return to Final Four for first time since 1999
• UCLA will have to deal with a mirror image of itself in Texas
• Texas excited to be playing familiar foe UCLA in familiar setting
• Sweet 16 matchup between Longhorns, Bruins has look of a ‘track meet’
• Finally, Central Texas products Lashann Higgs, Japreece Dean meet in the Texas-UCLA Sweet 16
  
• Bohls: Texas seniors McCarty, Atkins continue sweet journey
  
• Listen up:  On Second Thought Ep 91: Texas hoops review, Karen Aston on Sweet 16
  
• Texas History: 15 years ago, the Texas women’s basketball team reached the Final Four

In Other News

Columbus Dispatch: Women’s Basketball: Kelsey Mitchell’s Ohio State career wasn’t supposed to end like it did

Listen Up: The Jump Around with Blade Dudonis: -St Francis (PA) HC @CoachJoeHaigh about “that UConn game” & his thoughts on the discussion around it –@RebeccaLobo about UConn, if she could play in today’s WNBA, why she doesn’t change the channel when UConn is destroying & more

Job Opening: Cincinnati Announces Women’s Basketball Coaching Change  and Geno Auriemma rips Cincinnati over Jamelle Elliott firing

Slate: The Rise of HerHoopStats

International: USA Men’s and Women’s 3×3 U18 National Championship Rosters Set

Writing: WNBA Imani McGee-Stafford Talks Relationships and Unrealistic Expectations in Her New Book Of Poetry

More writing: Excerpt from Amanda Ottaway’s “The Rebounders: A Division I Basketball Journey”

About the lack of writing: Cheryl Reeve responds to The Big Lead’s women’s sports article

Flashback to yours truly writing for the WBCA in 2008: MEDIA COVERAGE AND THE ALTERNATIVES: Paper, Pods, Streams and Blogs

Even as we track the steady growth in popularity of women’s basketball, it’s not unusual for coaches, players and fans to feel that media coverage has not kept pace.

“Progress doesn’t necessarily move on a linear line in terms of coverage of sports,” explained Mechelle Voepel, sportswriter for the Kansas City Star and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. “It really depends on the personalities that are involved at a newspaper and the commitment of that newspaper to diversify its coverage. Also, it can follow an economic cycle. And all those things can change over time. For instance, you could have a newspaper that ten years ago might have been doing a much better job of women’s basketball than it is doing now, just because of one of those factors.”

Get ready: 2018 WNBA Mock Draft Version 1.0

Oi, Oi, Oi! Lauren Jackson, the lone Australian who made ESPN’s ‘Dominant 20’ list

Congrats and thank you: Pickerington North coach Dave Butcher retires after 35 seasons

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BIG MAC ATTACK!

(and I’m REALLY cranky, ’cause I created a post bright and early this AM before I went off to teach featuring CMU/Buffalo links and… not only did it not publish, it’s GONE. #))$**@)! technology!)

Central Michigan over Ohio State by 17. #ChipsUp indeed. Guess now we know why folks don’t like to play teams from the MAC (flashback to Ball State over Tennessee). This was not a “squeak,” this was a “stomp.” Tough way for Mitchell’s amazing college career to end.

• Central Michigan women’s basketball upsets Ohio State, advances to their first ever Sweet 16
  
• Sweet 16 Bound!
  
• Goodbye, Columbus: No. 11 Central Michigan stuns No. 3 Ohio State on home court
• Monday’s women’s basketball: Central Michigan stuns Ohio State
• NCAA Women’s Tournament: Central Michigan Stuns Ohio State
• Women’s basketball advances to first Sweet 16 ever with dominant OSU win
• Wonderful day for the MAC
• NCAA notebook: Chippewas at their best in tournament
• Two Downriver-area grads help guide Central Michigan University women’s basketball to Sweet 16
• Hot-shooting Chippewas upset No. 3 Buckeyes
• Sweet 16: CMU bounces host Ohio State, advances to face Oregon Saturday
• Ohio State’s season ends with shocking loss to Central Michigan
• Behind three-point barrage, No. 11-seed Central Michigan upsets No.3-seed Ohio State, 95-78
  
• In NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, Oregon Ducks to face upstart Central Michigan
• Shocking Loss Ends Tournament Run For Ohio State Women’s Basketball Team
• Women’s Basketball: Kelsey Mitchell era ends with stunning 95-78 loss to Central Michigan in NCAA tournament
• Women’s Basketball: Kelsey Mitchell becomes NCAA’s second-all-time leading scorer, passes Jackie Stiles
  
• Sierra Calhoun and Makayla Waterman to return to Ohio State in 2018-19 with wildly different team
• Guevara guides Central Michigan women’s hoops to new heights

Buffalo over Florida State by 21. Truly trampled. Yes, the Seminoles had their shaky moments this season, but who no earth expected this?

• On to the Sweet Sixteen: #11 Buffalo Women’s Basketball marches past #3 Florida State, 86-65
• Buffalo upsets third-seeded Florida State for first trip to Sweet 16
• Cierra Dillard, UB women upset Florida State to advance to first Sweet 16 …
  
• UB Women celebrate historic win
  
• Buffalo stuns Florida State to reach first Sweet 16
  
• Seminole Central: FSU women fall to Buffalo in NCAA tournament
  
• UB women’s notebook: Stephanie Reid heaps praise on Cierra Dillard
  
• Watch: Bulls staying loose as they prepare for South Carolina, Sweet 16
  
• Reid: “We’re going to keep fighting as long a we can”
  
• Fans cheer on UB women as they move on to the Sweet 16
  
• Coach Jack shows Bulls how to win
  
• UB Prepares to Meet Defending Champions in Sweet 16
  
•  UB Women’s Basketball team returns to WNY to prepare for Sweet 16 game

Upset! (and a somewhat overshadowed one at that) Duke over Georgia by 26. Wheels kinda fell off for the Dawgs, huh.

• Duke women’s basketball routs Georgia to advance to first Sweet 16 since 2015
• Duke Advances to Sweet 16, Downs Georgia 66-40
• Duke Women’s Basketball: Blue Devils Dance Their Way to Sweet 16
• Duke women’s basketball routs Georgia to advance to first Sweet 16 …
• Lady Bulldogs downed by Duke in second round
• Duke beats cold-shooting Georgia, to face UConn in regional
  
• Lady Bulldog seniors in tears after Blue Devils eliminate them from NCAA Tournament
  
• Georgia women’s basketball ends season with NCAA Tournament loss to Duke…
  
• Duke gets to challenge UConn

The other games were exciting for…about a half. And then they weren’t.

Mississippi State over Oklahoma State by 15.

• After a scare, Mississippi State seniors get sendoff they deserved
• Mississippi St earns hard-fought 71-56 win over Oklahoma St
• Top-seeded Mississippi State survives OSU
• Whew! It’s on to Kansas City for 34-1 Mississippi State
• William lifts Mississippi St. (34-1)
• Vivians becomes second-leading scorer in MSU history
  
• How Sweet It Is: Hail State Hoops Advances to 3rd Straight Sweet 16
  
• McCowan leads Mississippi State to third straight Sweet 16 appearance
• Cowgirls’ Season Ends With Loss at Mississippi State
• Emotions, tears flow as Cowgirl seniors reflect on final game
• Cowgirls Fall In Second Round Action To Mississippi State
• Going to Kansas City to root on the Mississippi State women? Here’s what you need to know

Stanford over Florida Gulf Coast by 20.

• Stanford women head to NCAA regional semifinals after ripping Florida Gulf Coast 90-70
• Stanford women roll into Sweet 16
• Women’s basketball outmuscles FGCU to reach 11th straight Sweet Sixteen
• Stanford women earn trip to Lexington Region semifinal
• Stanford reaches 11th straight Sweet 16, beats FGCU
• 12-seed FGCU attempted 47 3-pointers in NCAA tournament loss
  
• Stanford starts to shine ahead of another Lexington Sweet 16
  
• Stanford women rock and roll into the Lexington Regional
  
• Stanford sends Florida Gulf Coast home, makes Sweet 16 date with Louisville
• FGCU women lose to Stanford
• Valiant effort not enough for Eagles at Stanford
• College basketball: FGCU women return home following NCAA Tournament run
• Success of Stanford women’s basketball team lifts all boats in Pac-12
  
• Five things to know about Louisville women’s NCAA Sweet 16 opponent

Texas over Arizona State by 20.

• McCarty dazzles in final home game as Texas rips ASU in NCAA …
• Longhorns run past Arizona State, advance to Sweet Sixteen
• Texas rolls over Arizona State and into Sweet 16 85-65
  
• Texas Longhorns end season for ASU women’s basketball
• ASU Basketball: Sun Devils fall in Round of 32 to Texas

UCLA over Creighton by 21.

• Creighton women’s basketball ends season with loss to UCLA
  
• Bluejay Women’s Basketball Fall 86-64 to #9 UCLA
  
• Canada helps UCLA beat Creighton 86-64
  
• UCLA women’s basketball advances to Sweet 16 with rout over
  
• UCLA seniors celebrate last home game with trip to Sweet 16
  
• Women’s basketball defeats Creighton 86-64, advances to NCAA semifinals
  
• Bruins maul Bluejays to reach regional semifinals
  
• UCLA Women’s Basketball Crushes Creighton, 86-64, to Advance to Sweet 16
• 4 Pac-12 teams reach NCAA women’s basketball Sweet 16

UConn over Quinnipiac by 25.

• Women’s Basketball: UConn handles Quinnipiac, advances to 25th straight Sweet 16
  
• Huskies struggle, overcome Bobcats’ slow pace en route to Round of 32 victory,
• UConn women shake off Quinnipiac, advance to Sweet 16
• Jeff Jacobs: Despite loss, Fabbri, Quinnipiac push on
• UConn doesn’t lose focus in advancing to Sweet 16
• UConn Women Advance To Sweet 16 With 71-46 Win Over Quinnipiac
• Mother-Daughter Fabbri Chapter Of Quinnipiac Basketball Ends
• UConn Huskies win and fans keep marching on,
• Quinnipiac, UConn students react following NCAA tournament game
• UConn puts defense on display in win over Quinnipiac
• UConn touts the upside to downshifting in win over Quinnipiac
• UConn ends Bobcats’ run
• Duke gets to challenge UConn
• NCAA women’s tournament full of Cinderella stories
• Geno Auriemma Calls Writer a ‘Dope’ and Here’s Why

In case you were wondering: How they got here and what’s next for every team in the Sweet 16

In other news:

Imani McGee-Stafford: Texas Eyes History in NCAA Tournament

For Maryland women’s basketball, a down year is still pretty successful

Crossover Into Business: WNBA Players Taking Advantage of Opportunities In The Classroom

Cheryl Reeve Offseason Interview, Part One: An Offseason of Adjustments

After success in Europe, former Badgers star Jolene Anderson set for another shot at WNBA

Job Opening: UVA women’s basketball coach Joanne Boyle retires

Why some jobs open: Working moms in coaching balance basketball and family

Brooke Wyckoff laughs at the thought now, but when the 37-year-old Florida State women’s basketball assistant found out she was pregnant, she remembers thinking, “How hard could this working mom thing be?”

A former standout forward for the Seminoles, Wyckoff had seen other female coaches balance basketball and family. The first two years of her career, Wyckoff considered herself a solid multitasker. Then she had a baby, and her respect for working mothers — especially coaches — increased exponentially.

“There’s nothing like winning a big game on the road,” Wyckoff says, “then asking the trainer for a bag of ice to keep your breast milk cold while you walk through airport security with a cooler.”

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Second-round send-offs…

…home or to the next round.

Upset! #6 Oregon State over #3 Tennessee by 7. The Beavers clawed back from an early deficit, then kept the Vols at bay.

• Mikayla Pivec, Marie Gulich lead Oregon State women to NCAA Sweet 16
• Oregon State keeps its cool in upset win over Tennessee
• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers rally past Lady Vols and into the Sweet 16
• Oregon State hands Tennessee their first-ever home loss in NCAA tournament
• Lady Vols fall to Oregon State in NCAA tournament
• Lady Vols suffer first home loss in NCAA tournament
• Holly Warlick’s response worse than Lady Vols’ loss

Almost and Upset! #4 Texas A&M over #5 DePaul by 1. Honestly, the Blue Demons blew this one. Also, TAMU’s Howard rebounded the heck outta the ball setting the stage for frosh Chennedy Carter to nail the game-winning three.

• Chennedy Carter, A&M complete outstanding comeback vs. DePaul
• Chennedy Carter’s clutch 3 caps Texas A&M comeback over DePaul
• Anatomy of a Perfect Play: Every Great Thing About Chennedy Carter’s Gamewinner for Texas A&M
• Texas A&M Women’s Basketball stuns DePaul with 17-point comeback
• Carter’s 3 lifts A&M to 80-79 victory over DePaul and Sweet 16 berth
• Mansfield Timberview’s Chennedy Carter sends Texas A&M into Sweet Sixteen
• DePaul ousted from women’s NCAA tournament by Texas A&M after letting big second-half lead slip awayz

#2 South Carolina over Virginia by 10. Wilson is amazing, but this “survive and advance” strategy can’t be too comforting for Gamecock fans.

• Sweet 16! A’ja Wilson powers South Carolina past Virginia
• USC women advance past Virginia in Wilson’s home sendoff
• A’ja Wilson’s message to her fans, team and parents after her final home game
• Wilson caps CLA career with typical performance
• South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson concluding career unequaled by any athlete in Gamecock history
• Virginia women’s basketball team falls to South Carolina in NCAA …
• U.Va. women’s NCAA tourney run ends at South Carolina
• Dawn Staley apologizes for South Carolina missing the national anthem

#4 NC State over #5 Maryland by 14. The Wolfpack were strong out the at the start of the 1st and 3rd to send the Terps home.

• Return to Sweetness: Wolfpack women advance to Sweet 16 for first time since 2007
• Ex-Terp Leslie leads NC State past Maryland, 74-60, and into Sweet 16
• Maryland women’s basketball season ends with 74-60 second round loss
• NC State advances to Sweet 16 with 74-60 win over Maryland
• Maryland women fall to NC State in second round of NCAAs

#1 Louisville over #8 Marquette by 18. A big first half meant the Cardinals could withstand the Golden Eagle’s comeback attempt.

• Instant analysis: Louisville women’s basketball rolls past Marquette
• Louisville Sweet Sixteen-bound after dominating Marquette, 90-72
• Bullying basketball works for Louisville women|Tim Sullivan
• MU Falls to Louisville, 90-72 in NCAA Second Round

#2 Baylor over #7 Michigan by 22

• Lady Bears defense stifles Michigan to advance to the Sweet Sixteen
• No. 2 WBB Advances to Sweet 16
• Michigan women’s basketball bows out to Baylor, 80-58
• Second-half Baylor surge ends Michigan women’s NCAA run
  
• Michigan’s season ends with 80-58 loss at Baylor
  
• Baylor women to 10th Sweet 16 in row with win over Michigan

#1 Notre Dame over Villanova by 26. The Wildcats stayed close in the first half, but ran out of gas as the Irish put on the afterburners. And I’ll say it again, as I’ve said it through most of this season: Muffet McGraw is my choice for Coach of the Year. Do NOT @ me.

• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish win to advance to Sweet 16
• Notre Dame beats Villanova to secure spot in Sweet 16 in Women’s NCAA tournament
• Notre Dame, inspired by Westbeld, rout Villanova 98-72

#2 Oregon over #10 Minnesota by 28. So, that Ionescu kid is kinda good, huh?

• Sabrina Ionescu is ‘dialed in’ as Oregon Ducks women advance
• Sabrina Ionescu sets Pac-12 assists mark as Oregon reaches Sweet 16
• Oregon Ducks women headed to Sweet 16 after routing Minnesota
• Oregon Ducks women’s basketball returns to NCAA Sweet 16
  
• Oregon women’s basketball trounces Minnesota 101-73 in second …
  
• Gophers knocked out of NCAA tournament in Oregon blowout

Monday games

#11 Buffalo v. #3 Florida State, 6:30pm

• Women’s Basketball Face Buffalo In Second Round
• Buffalo vs. Florida State NCAA Women’s Tournament breakdown and prediction
• Buffalo, Florida State could see game turn into a track meet
• UB Women’s Notebook: Florida State has plenty of respect for Buffalo

• Buffalo Basketball Is A Goddamn Juggernaut

#5 Duke v. #4 Georgia, 6:30pm

• Duke, Georgia take rich NCAA histories into 2nd round of tournament
• Duke Women’s Basketball: Blue Devils Headed to Georgia
• How Joni Taylor balances basketball, outreach and family: ‘You can have it all. The sky’s the limit.

#9 Quinnipiac v. UConn, 6:30pm

• Women’s basketball gameday: Quinnipiac at No. 1 UConn
• UConn women face in-state second round test with Quinnipiac
• No. 1 Huskies to Face Quinnipiac in NCAA Second Round
• WATCH: UConn Huskies & Quinnipiac Bobcats NCAA Tournament Second Round Pregame Press Conference
• Geno Auriemma Responds To Criticism Of Blowout, Expects Challenge From Quinnipiac
• UConn, Quinnipiac set to meet in rare all Connecticut NCAA tournament matchup

#11 Central Michigan v. #3 Ohio State, 6:30pm

• Buckeyes expect to be tested against Central Michigan
• Ohio State women’s basketball | Stephanie Mavunga key to creating balance on offense
• Michael Arace | Stephanie Mavunga heart, soul of senior-led Ohio State
• MAC and Big Ten’s best meet in second round of NCAA

#11 Creighton v. #3 UCLA, 9:00pm

• Billings and Canada hope to propel UCLA to Sweet 16 again
  
• UCLA hopes for big things against Creighton in second round of …
• UCLA women’s basketball plays with target on its back in NCAA …
  

#9 Oklahoma State v. #1 Mississippi State, 9:00pm

• Cowgirls Take On Mississippi State With Sweet 16 Berth On The Line
• Oklahoma State gets second shot at beating Mississippi St

#7 Arizona State v. #2 Texas, 9:00pm

• Arizona State and Texas clash for trip to Sweet 16
• Texas looks to advance to fourth straight Sweet 16

#12 FGCU v. #4 Stanford, 9:00pm

• FGCU women face huge Stanford in Cardinal’s arena
• College basketball notebook: FGCU women do a little sightseeing in California
• Stopping Stanford’s Kiana Williams just as important for FGCU
• Warriors coach Steve Kerr would sign FGCU 3-point shooters
• Stanford’s hard-luck Anna Wilson watches Big Dance (again) from the bench

In other news…

Like clockwork, folks who claim to know stuff about women’s basketball (but couldn’t be bothered to cover it, push for coverage, do research on it or demand universities fully fund it in compliance with Title IX regulations) have reared their willfully-ignorant heads. Fortunately, Forbes has David Berri. Let’s Talk About What’s Truly Wrong With Women’s College Basketball

Here are few fun facts about the sports media. 

• about 90% of sports editors are male

• it is estimated that only about 10% of sports coverage is created by women.

• although 40% of athletes are women, women’s sports only receives about 4% of sports coverage.

• And last November, I noted that major internet sites are more likely to cover animals than they are to cover women’s sports.

Read Full Post »

Timber! (x 6)

Perhaps it’s time for the committee to review “Legacy Bids.” and “One-bid upsets” a little more thoroughly.

Also if we could put in a rider to strongly encourage “Power Five” teams to play Quinnipiac, Mercer, South Dakota, South Dakota State, Central Michigan, Buffalo, Mercer, Belmont, North Carolina A&T, Drake, Florida Gulf Coast etc. because, as Graham writes, Mid-majors ruled Day 2 of women’s NCAA tournament

The longest-serving assistant coach in Knoxville, someone who worked alongside Pat Summitt, Dean Lockwood considered a world in which there could be a second-round game like Tennessee and Oregon State and in which the Central Michigans of the world could have their day. It was the world Summitt often said she hoped was coming.

“Every so often when I go past her pictures or the murals on the wall,” Lockwood joked, “I just kind of grumble like, ‘Are you happy now?’ “

Timber! #9 Oklahoma State over Syracuse by 27.

• Oklahoma State crushes Syracuse women’s basketball in first round
  
• No. 8 Syracuse women’s basketball loses to No. 9 Oklahoma State
• Jaden Hobbs breaks out in a nearly-perfect way for Cowgirls
  
• Hobbs shines in NCAA Tournament win against Syracuse

Timber! #11 Buffalo over South Florida by 23.

• Buffalo Knocks Out USF; MAC Teams Make Statement
  
• Another huge NCAA win for the University at Buffalo as women rout South Florida
  
• #11 UB Women’s Basketball pummels #6 South Florida, 102-79,
  
• Former Gates Chili star Cierra Dillard leads Buffalo barrage in NCAA …

Timber! #12 Florida Gulf Coast over Missouri by 10.

• Florida Gulf Coast women pull off upset of Missouri 80-70
  
• FGCU women upset Missouri in NCAA
  
• No. 12 seed FGCU stuns fifth-seeded Missouri
  
• Mizzou women fall to Florida Gulf Coast in NCAA Tournament’s First Round
• Tigers fall flat in NCAA opener, upset by 12th seed Florida Gulf Coast
  
• Missouri’s Sophie Cunningham goes off, but not enough to beat FGCU

Timber! #9 Quinnipiac over Miami by 14.

• Miami Hurricanes WBB loses in NCAA 1R 86-72 to Quinnipiac
  
• Quinnipiac women storm past Miami, set up matchup with UConn
• Big fourth quarter carries Quinnipiac
  
• Quinnipiac women oust Miami for second straight year, will face UConn
  
• Tricia and Carly Fabbri’s Mother-Daughter Duo Has Put Quinnipiac Basketball on the Map

Timber! #11 Central Michigan over LSU by 9.

• Chippewa Women Stun LSU For First NCAA Tourney Win
• CMU women make history again with upset of LSU
• Lady Tigers Finish Season in NCAA First Round
• LSU women’s basketball falls victim to NCAA tournament upset
  
• LSU women’s basketball team upset by Central Michigan in NCAA

Timber! #11 Creighton over Iowa by 6.

• Creighton sends Iowa packing with NCAA women’s basketball first round upset
• NCAA women’s basketball: Creighton sends Iowa home early
• Women’s Basketball Tops Iowa in NCAA Tourney Opener, 76-70
• Creighton upsets Iowa to advance in NCAA women’s basketball tournament
• Iowa women’s basketball falls to Creighton, 76-70
• Iowa, Creighton coaches have collided before (literally)

(Sunday morning quarterbacking – How’s that for madness, Courier-Journal? Women’s basketball needs madness – not sameness. NCAA Tournament is still too mismatched)

#4 Georgia over Mercer by 5. The Bears gave the the Bulldogs quite a game.

• Georgia avoids upset in NCAA Tournament first-round rematch with Mercer
  
• Georgia women’s basketball opens NCAA Tournament with win over Mercer
  
• Robinson, Engram pace Georgia in win over Mercer
  
• Bears fall to UGA in first round of NCAA Tournament

#3 UCLA over American by 11. Strong showing by the Eagles to end a strong season.

• UCLA women’s basketball takes first step in NCAA tournament
  
• Billings helps UCLA beat American 71-60
  
• UCLA advances to second round of NCAA women’s tournament
  
• American Women’s Basketball Fall in Hard-Fought First Round

#7 Arizona State over Nebraska by 11.

• ASU women’s basketball tops Nebraska to advance in NCAA …
• Ryan leads Arizona State over Nebraska 73-62 in women’s NCAA
• Sun Devils light a fire, burn Cornhuskers
• ASU Basketball: Sun Devils defeat Nebraska in first round
• NCAA women’s tournament notes: Williams remains upbeat after loss
• Nebraska remains proud of ‘special’ season despite first-round exit from NCAA tournament
• Scoring drought sinks Nebraska women in opening round of NCAA Tournament

 #4 Stanford over Gonzaga by 14.

• Stanford dominates on the glass to eliminate Gonzaga women
• Stanford women overmatch Gonzaga in NCAA first round win
• Women’s basketball tames Bulldogs, advances to NCAA Round of 32
  
• Veteran and rookie combine to lead Stanford in NCAA win
  
• Gonzaga women struggle to find answer for Stanford’s Alanna SmithMarch
• Madness: Stanford women roll past Gonzaga 82-68
• Stanford wins twice, beating Gonzaga and getting company as a top-seed loser
• Kiana Williams, Alana Smith lead Stanford over Gonzaga in NCAA Tournament
  
• Women’s basketball analysis: Stanford’s flurry of 3-pointers and advantage inside prove too much for Gonzaga
  
• Stanford’s VanDerveer had a moment of doubt on NCAA chance

#5 Duke over Belmont by 14.

• 2018 NCAA Tournament: Duke Women Ring Belmont’s Bell
• Duke advances in NCAA Tournament
• Odom’s Career-High Sends Duke to NCAA Second Round
• Belmont women’s basketball rally comes up short against Duke
• Women’s basketball ends historic season with heartbreaking loss

#2 Texas over Maine by 29.

• It’s a final: Texas 83, Maine 54
• Texas stands tall, overwhelms Maine in tournament opener
• Ariel Atkins delivers in 83-54 demolition of Maine
• Texas overwhelms Maine in NCAA women’s basketball tournament
• Women’s basketball: Maine no match for Texas

#3 Ohio State over George Washington by 42.

• No. 3 Ohio State cruises to 87-45 win against No. 14 George Washington
• Ohio State women’s basketball routs George Washington, 87-45
• Ohio State basketball: Ohio State blows by George Washington
• No. 3 Ohio State women’s basketball defeats No. 14 George Washington
• GW women’s team falls to Ohio State in NCAA Tournament

#3 Florida State over Little Rock by 42.

• FSU women’s basketball starts NCAA tournament with win over Little Rock
• Florida State rolls Little Rock in NCAA Tournament opener

#1 Mississippi State over Nicholls State by 45.

• Mississippi State Women’s Basketball: Bulldogs Crush Nicholls
• Mississippi State bounces Nicholls from NCAA tourney
• Mississippi State dominates Nicholls, advances to second round of NCAA
  
• Mississippi State rolls past Nicholls State 95-50
• Nicholls State women’s basketball team ousted by Mississippi State

#1 UConn over St. Francis (PA) by 88. I’d been leading a professional development all day,, so when I saw the score I went “yikes.” Then I watched the game. The Flash said, “Let’s run with the big dogs” and the Huskies obliged. Listen to coach Walz.

• UConn Women Take What Is Handed To Them, Roll Over St Francis
• UConn women set scoring record in rout of St. Francis (Pa.)
• UConn Women’s Lead Grows In Blowout Even With Foot Off Gas

Some REALLY intriguing Round of 32 games today.

12pm Marquette v. Louisville

• Louisville, Marquette seeking opportunistic defense in NCAA
• Top-seeded Louisville awaits Marquette
• 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Second Round Preview
• BOZICH | Size, homecourt, Durr: Five Keys to Louisville-Marquette

2pm Oregon State v. Tennessee

• Lady Vols to rely on 3 Oregon players against Oregon State
• Lady Vols prepare for Oregon State
• Oregon St faces Tennessee with trip to Sweet 16 on line
• Preview: Oregon State Women’s Basketball Versus Tennessee
• OSU women’s basketball: Oregonians play key roles for Tennessee

 2pm Maryland v. NC State

• Eleanna Christinaki is stepping up in NCAA tournament just when Maryland needs her
  
• Like old times for Maryland, NC State in NCAA women’s basketball
• Here’s what Maryland women’s basketball should expect from NC State
• Maryland Takes on NC State in NCAA Second Round
• Maryland, NC State renew old rivalry
• Few secrets when NC State, Maryland meet in women’s NCAA
• A shot at the Sweet 16 puts NC State player in awkward situation

2pm DePaul v. Texas A&M

• Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Hosts No. 5 Seed DePaul With …
  
• Opposites attract as Texas A&M meets DePaul
• DePaul representing Illinois well in women’s NCAA Tourney
• GALLIGAN: What to Expect From DePaul in Matchup with Texas A&M
• Big Test for No. 23 DePaul in NCAA Tournament
• Texas A&M. DePaul play for spot in Sweet 16

7pm Villanova v. Notre Dame

• Old Big East rivals Notre Dame and Villanova meet again
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Keys to beating Villanova
• Sunday Brunch: Just Another Saturday for DeWeese
• Injured Kathryn Westbeld will be game-time decision

8:30 Michigan v. Baylor

• Daily Bears Report 3/17/2018 – Baylor Lady Bears vs Michigan
  
• WBB Meets Michigan in NCAA Second Round
• Flaherty, Michigan women face big NCAA challenge at Baylor

9pm: Virginia v. South Carolina

• NCAA tournament: How and what to watch for in USC-Virginia
• Women’s basketball: Virginia faces South Carolina in NCAA Second Round
• Staley leads South Carolina against former team
• South Carolina, Wilson prep for star’s final game at home
• Pajama parties and naptime: How USC is preparing for a late tipoff …

10:30: Minnesota v. Oregon

• Gophers and Oregon are in for a shootout in women’s basketball tournament
• Uptempo second round game expected for Oregon women’s basketball
• Offensive-minded Minnesota, Oregon meet in second round
• Oregon Ducks women searching for NCAA wins, and something else: more respect
• Minnesota’s next hurdle is the second-seeded Duck women
  
• NCAA women: Oregon sees itself in Gophers women … a year ago
• After Upset Win Over Green Bay, Gophers Face 2-Seed Ducks

Meanwhile…

Overseas Report: Fowles Wins Chinese Title, Euroleague Semifinals Set

Interesting: Madison Square Garden Boots Their WNBA Team Even Though It Could Cost the Arena $50 Mil a Year

Read Full Post »

Most held true to seed

Baylor over Grambling by 50.

Oregon over Seattle by 43. (Triple double #6 for Sabrina this season, if you’re counting.)

Tennesse over Liberty by 40.

Louisville over Boise State by 32.

NC State over Elon by 27.

Oregon State over Western Kentucky by 24.

Maryland over Princeton by 20.

Marquette over Dayton by 19.

Notre Dame over CS Northridge by 18… but sure am impressed the Matadors scored 81 on the Irish. Bad news: Westbeld may be out next game.

Michigan over Northern Colorado by 14.

Texas A&M over Drake by 13. Bulldogs put up a fight.

DePaul over Oklahoma by 11.

South Carolina one North Carolina A&T by 9. Great showing by the Aggies.

Upsets

Minnesota over Green Bay, 89-77.

Villanova over South Dakota State in OT, 81-74. Jackrabbits stormed back to tie, but had nothing left in the tank.

Upset (via injury)

Virginia over California, 68-62.

Up Next

11am

Huskies v. Flash

• UConn Women Welcome Awestruck St. Francis (Pa.)
• Top-Seed UConn Looks for 25th Straight Opening-Round Win
• No. 1 Connecticut opens title bid against St. Francis (Pa.)
• Has UConn learned from last year’s stunning loss?
• Stinky (and scary) news: UConn’s Mikayla Coombs to miss remainder of season

Trojans v. Seminoles

• Noles Battle Little Rock in NCAA First Round
• No. 3 seed Florida State kicks off NCAA Tournament vs. Little Rock
• Little Rock Trojan Women Basketball Readies for Florida State
• Trojans take first step to Tallahassee

Bruins v. Blue Devils

• DWB Game Notes: Belmont, March 17, 11 am, ESPN2
• Belmont Women’s Team Leaves For NCAA Tournament

Chippewas v. Tigers

• Arena, NCAA opponent spark memories for Guevara
  
• Business as usual for CMU women’s basketball team
• Thanks, Obama! CMU women hope to do president proud
  
• Former Downriver-area basketball stars help guide Central Michigan to MAC title, NCAA Tournament
• NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Preview: Central Michigan Chippewas v. LSU Tigers
  
• LSU women’s basketball team without center Faustine Aifuwa as NCAA Tourney Looms
  
• Battle of the backcourts: LSU’s stingy defense meets Central Michigan’s high-powered offense in NCAA Tournament
  
• No coincidence LSU women’s basketball makes second-half run as Ayana Mitchell catches fire

1pm

Colonials v. Buckeyes

• What to know about Ohio State-George Washington first-round matchup
• Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell begins the final chapter of her record-breaking women’s basketball career
• Ohio State ready to open against George Washington
• With Mitchell’s time winding down, Buckeyes make another run
  
• WOMEN’S HOOPS OPENS NCAA TOURNAMENT VS. OHIO STATE ON SATURDAY
• Ohio State ready to open against George Washington

Bears v. Bulldogs

• Susie Gardner ready to lead Mercer in first-ever NCAA tourney berth
• Gardner returns to UGA for Mercer’s NCAA tourney debut
  
• South Forsyth alum Ally Welch relishes Mercer’s ride to NCAA Tourney
• UGA Women’s Basketball To Host Round 1 & 2 of the NCAA …
  
• Mercer, Georgia stay in state for NCAA matchup

Bulls v. Bulls

• Buffalo vs. South Florida: NCAA women’s basketball breakdown and prediction
  
• UB women’s basketball built itself into a destination program

Bobcats v. Hurricanes

• Quinnipiac, Miami To Battle Again — On Hallowed Hardwood Of Women’s Basketball
• Quinnipiac meets a familiar foe in Miami
  
• UM women embracing challenge of NCAA Tournament rematch with Quinnipiac

3:30

Eagles v. Bruins

• Kelli Hayes is UCLA women’s basketball’s strongest link
• Championship-level habits’ bearing fruit as UCLA women begin chase for NCAA trophy
• NCAA Tournament: #3 UCLA Women’s Basketball vs. #14 American …
  
• UCLA hoping to improve on 2 straight Sweet 16 runs
  
• No 3. seed women’s basketball to face American in NCAA Tournament
  
• Projected WNBA top pick Billings talks modeling, future plans

Eagles v. Tigers

• FGCU women very confident vs. much taller Mizzou in NCAA first-rounder
• FGCU fan makes trek his late wife normally would join him on
• An Inside Look At FGCU Women’s Basketball Before The Big Game
• Fifth-seeded Tigers face FGCU in opening round of NCAA Tournament
• Can Mizzou finally break through to Sweet 16

Huskers v. Sun Devils

• NU women’s basketball to play Arizona State in NCAA Tournament
• Fast-break points: Nebraska vs. Arizona State
  
• First a win at Kansas, then came a snowball Nebraska rode to the NCAA tournament
• Nebraska women ride biggest turnaround to NCAA Tournament

Cowgirls v. Orange

• Women’s basketball opponent preview: What to know about No. 9 seed Oklahoma State
• Oklahoma State wants to learn from losses at end of season
• Syracuse women’s basketball re-groups as margin for error vanishes in NCAA Tournament

5:30

Colonels v. Bulldogs

• Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs set for NCAA Tournament
  
• #1 MSU Women ready to play in NCAAs after stewing on SEC Tournament loss
• MSU begins “Road To Columbus” Saturday against Nicholls
• Mississippi State could have tough road to Sweet 16
  
• 3 reasons why Mississippi State can win the national championship
• Upstart Nicholls hopes to keep historic season going Saturday against No. 1 Mississippi State

Black Bears v. Longhorns

• Women’s basketball: Maine accustomed to size disadvantage
• Women’s basketball: Wadling key to UMaine overcoming size disadvantage
• Notebook: Texas opponent Maine boasts roster with international flair
• NCAA tournament last chance for Texas duo McCarty and Atkins
• Maine marches to the women’s beat in college basketball
  
• Maine players enjoying limited roles with UMaine women’s basketball team
  
• Point guards key in UMaine-Texas NCAA women’s basketball match up
• Long-sought Final Four trip would stamp Texas as elite women’s program

Bulldogs v. Cardinal

• A guide to the women’s NCAA Tournament’s Stanford subregional
  
• Upsets upcoming at Stanford on Saturday?
• Stanford women face a point guard from Gonzaga named Stockton
  
• Michelle Smith Feature: Stanford’s Kiana Williams eyes Final Four
• Gonzaga faces tough test of stopping Stanford’s Brittany McPhee
• Gonzaga, Stanford women keeping focus on present showdown, not past triumphs

Blue Jays v. Hawkeyes

• Iowa women’s basketball focused on Creighton after quick LA Exploration
• Hawkeyes plan to do more than enjoy the ride
• Iowa’s lone senior Coley gets opportunity to wrap up career in NCAA tournament
  
• Hawkeyes’ Coley plans to live for the moment
• Women’s Basketball Takes on Iowa in the First Round of NCAA …
• Iowa, Creighton women’s coaches have ties

Awful Announcing Q&A: ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo on women’s hoops media coverage …

WOOT! Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and wife Penny Taylor have baby boy –

A high-level look at the prospects the Mystics would consider this year

Ne

 

Read Full Post »

As we begin, a flashback

to something I put together Monday, March 26, 2001 on Clutchcity.com. Warning: Sarcasm alert.

Bleary-eyed from the extraordinary 12-hour Saturday marathon of the Women’s NCAA Elite Eight, Sunday morning found me clutching my coffee and half-listening to National Public Radio.

I came to full attention when, during the local news break, the New York reporter announced, “Duke and Stanford have advanced in the NCAA Tournament.”

“Excuse me?” I thought. “Didn’t I just see Duke upset? And Stanford? They didn’t play yesterday!”

I didn’t take me long to realize my mistake. They were, of course, speaking about the Men’s tournament. Not surprisingly, there was no mention of the Women’s tournament, even though nearby power UConn had again advanced to the Elite Eight.

It was not the first time the Women’s tournament had been dismissed by omission, and so I composed the following imaginary “Consumer Complaint.”

At the local NPR affiliate WNYC, the studio phone rings.

WNYC: Hello, WNYC.

CALLER: Yes, I’m calling to correct an error during this Sunday’s morning broadcast.

WNYC: Thank you, we always appreciate input. What was the error?

CALLER: Well, you reported that Duke and Stanford moved on in the NCAA Championships. Actually, Duke, the #1 seed, was eliminated yesterday. And as for Stanford, they lost week.

WNYC: My goodness, that’s a significant error. Let me check the wire….

CALLER: I can give you some information if you’d like. Duke was upset by Southwest Missouri State.

WNYC: Who?

CALLER: Southwest Missouri State and Jackie Stiles.

WNYC: Um, sorry… Jackie?

CALLER: Yes, Jackie Stiles scored 41 points in the game. You know, of course, she’s the leading scorer in NCAA Women’s Division I history. She surpassed the record for most points in a single season early in the first half…

WNYC: Jackie…. That would be a girl.

CALLER: Yes. It was quite a day of basketball. TWO #1 seeds were eliminated…. In the same bracket Xavier upset perennial favorite Tennessee. Goodness, Pat was upset with her Volunteers. It was their earliest exit in seven years…

WNYC: Excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude, but aren’t you talking about women?

CALLER: Yes, of course. Weren’t you? I mean, the reporter did say “the NCAA Championships.”

WNYC: Um, yes. But I believe he meant the MEN’S championships.

CALLER: The Men? The men are playing the women in the NCAA Championships…

WNYC: Actually, it’s a separate championship – if you watched CBS, you’d see live coverage….

CALLER: Oh. Well, then. Perhaps your reporter wasn’t incorrect in his facts.

WNYC: No, I believe he wasn’t. We’re very careful about what we broadcast.

CALLER: I see. Well, then, since you are so careful bout what you broadcast, I’d like to correct an error on your Sunday broadcast.

WNYC: And what would that be?

CALLER: There was absolutely no mention of the Women’s NCAA Championship.

#####

2018 flash-forward and a reminder of Kim “Chicks With Balls – Women’s Basketball Online- Callahan’s handy-dandy guide to encouraging media coverage.

• Click on links.
• Send “thank you” emails.Send polite “I’m a fan why aren’t you
• covering this?” emails.
• Subscribe to newspapers.

Read Full Post »

*whines* Is it Friday noon yeeeeeeet?

NO!

Do I have to go to work?

YES!

Have you filled out your brackets?

Sorta….

Challenge Doug in the group “Doug Twitter Followers.”

Challenge Michelle in the group “Nevertheless We Persisted.”

Speaking of Brackets: Inside Ed offers their Academic Tournament Bracket, 2018 (Women’s Edition)

Need help?

espnW: Region-by-region previews: Must-see players and predicted winners

Listen up! Breaking Down The Brackets: LaChina breaks down the round of 64 with ESPN WBB analyst Andy Landers, espnW writer Mechelle Voepel, WBB analyst Angel Gray and 2017 National Champion Allisha Gray.

12pm

Broncos v. Cardinals

• Don’t get comfortable: Asia Durr ready to lift Louisville in NCAA tourney
• ‘Nobody cares what seed you are’: Louisville women’s basketball
• BOZICH | History shows Louisville women should win BIG
• Boise State will be on national TV Friday. It’ll need a historic showing …
  

Hilltoppers v. Beavers

• Preview: Oregon State Women’s Basketball Versus Western Kentucky
• Oregon State women trying to recapture February mojo as March …

• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers ready to take on Lady Toppers
•  Under Heard, WKU back to winning ways
•  VIDEO: Ivy Brown and Tashia Brown at the NCAA Tournament

Tigers v. Terrapins

• Road starts early for Maryland women’s basketball in NCAA
  
• Previewing No. 5 seed Maryland women vs. No. 12 seed Princeton
• Maryland, NC State headline NCAA women’s field in Raleigh
  
• By the Numbers: Princeton Women’s Basketball
• Barack Obama again picks Maryland women to lose to Princeton

Sooners v. Blue Demons

• Sooners, DePaul preparing for rematch in NCAA first round
• OU Opens NCAA Tournament with DePaul
• No. 23 DePaul Faces Oklahoma in NCAA Opener
  

2pm
Flames v. Lady Vols

• Lady Vols hope to continue NCAA Tournament homecourt edge
• Tennessee the First Family of March Madness
  
• Tennessee’s 37th NCAA appearance begins with Liberty
  
• University of Tennessee familiar ground for Lady Vols NCAA opponent Liberty’s coach

Bulldogs v. Aggies

• Drake women’s basketball: Inside the Bulldogs’ rebuild that never was

• Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Previews NCAA First Round Match …

• Texas A&M, Gary Blair eager to host Drake Bulldogs in opening round

Phoenix v. Wolfpack

• Wolfpack women’s basketball looks to go on NCAA Tournament run
• NC State opens tourney with rematch with Elon
  
• NCAA path suits Elon, Wolfpack just fine

Flyers v. Golden Eagles

• Here’s How You Can Watch Marquette Women’s Basketball In The 2018 NCAA Tournament First Round
• Blockton hits the books and basket to fuel Marquette’s rise
• Former Ballard star JaVonna Layfield back in Louisville with Dayton

5pm
Matadors v. Irish

• Notebook: Laughter best medicine for Notre Dame women’s basketball
• Irish Begin Quest for NCAA Tournament Title on Friday
• Women’s basketball will play No. 1 Notre Dame in first round of NCAA tournament

Gophers v. Phoenix

• UWGB’s fanatical statistician much more than numbers
• UWGB women ready to make noise in NCAA Tournament
• Gophers’ offense vs. Green Bay’s defense in NCAA women’s opener

 Cavaliers v. Golden Bears

• Storylines abundant in Virginia women’s basketball team’s return to the NCAA Tournament
• NCAA Tournament Preview: Virginia

Bears v Wolverines

• Michigan basketball’s road goes through Waco
• Michigan women seek to prove they’re NCAA worthy
  
• UNC Bears Women’s Team Makes NCAA Tournament For First Time
• University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball team could rely on its future for extra help in NCAA tournament

 7pm
Tigers v. Bears

• Emotional season for Mulkey, Baylor heading back to NCAAs
• Take Five With Jerry
• Baylor women’s basketball hosts Grambling State for NCAA …
• Waco Regional: Grambling State has the heart of a tiger
• Grambling State looking to upset one of WCBB’s ‘Blue Blood’ programs

Redhawks v. Ducks

• Preview: Oregon women’s basketball prepares for the Seattle
• University of Oregon Women’s basketball team inspires young athletes
• Oregon Ducks prepared for women’s NCAA Tournament by searching for ‘scoops’
• Soaring over adversity, Redding native leads Seattle Redhawks to first NCAA Tournament
• Former Mead standout Ashlyn Lewey embraces role in NCAA Tournament run with Seattle University

Aggies v. Gamecocks

• National champion South Carolina embraces NCAA underdog role
• USC enters March Madness feeling loose and having fun despite ‘target on our backs’
• Ultimatum from Dawn Staley put South Carolina forward on a roll as team enters tournament
  
• USC women have the right mindset
  
• USC’s A’ja Wilson hopes to end her college career triumphantly
• March Madness: How and what to watch for in South Carolina’s first-round game
• A&T to open play in women’s NCAA Tournament against South Carolina on Friday

Wildcats v. Jackrabbits

• South Dakota State women: A veteran coach vs. an even more veteran coach
• Villanova women open NCAA tournament play vs. South Dakota State
  
• Louin, Quinn get to end on high note with Villanova in women’s NCAA tournament

In other news

Ohio State: Ohio State scoring machine Kelsey Mitchell is a reluctant superstar

Job opening: Southern Utah fires women’s basketball coach Chris Boettcher

Read Full Post »

Tick, tick, folks…

More pre-NCAA tourney stuff:

LSU’s Raigyne Louis’ emotional journey 5 years and 1,500 points in the making

With highs like a Sweet Sixteen her freshman year, to the lows of a season-ending knee injury as a junior.

Now the Lady Tigers senior leader is doing everything she can to make for a perfect ending.

“I’ve been through a lot here, not in a bad way, but just to have the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament and hear your name called it’s a blessing so hopefully we can make this one count.”

Millan stayed with UMaine while others moved on

She was part of the Spanish trio last year, one of three freshmen that started the 2016-17 season opener for the University of Maine women’s basketball team.

Tres amigas.

“We were close,” Blanca Millan said.

But when five international players transferred after last season, Laia Sole and Naira Caceres were among them, leaving one Spaniard, Millan.

“It was really hard,” she said. “But I wanted them to be happy.”

She never considered leaving.

Raining 3s: FGCU keeps flourishing from beyond the arc

Taking a slew of 3-pointers is easy. What separates FGCU is that the Eagles insist on taking only the right kind of 3s — a far more disciplined approach than some sort of chuck-and-duck gimmick philosophy. The Eagles usually don’t take step-backs, they aren’t pulling up from 28 feet in transition or running players off a series of staggered screens just to get another 3 in the air.

“It’s got to be open,” senior Taylor Gradinjan said. “Open 3s, open 3s, open 3s. Those are so much easier. Our offense just opens up for those.”

Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu is one of most exciting players in tourney

“Her overall skill is incredible in every phase of the game,” Graves said. “And I see what she’s done for our crowds. They’re coming out because we have a really good team and other good players. But it’s like at Gonzaga, when we started to grow, grow and grow because of Courtney. She was such an iconic player for our program, and people wanted to see her.

“Even that 18-45-year-old male demographic that typically doesn’t come to our games unless they have kids? They are coming out and saying, ‘Sabrina is incredible.’ And that’s pretty cool.”

Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team feels its schedule has it well prepared for NCAA Tournament

Michigan women’s basketball exhales after making NCAA tournament

“It will always leave a mark on us,” Barnes Arico told reporters on a conference call, referencing last season’s snub. “From year to year, it definitely matters who’s on the committee and what they’re looking for in each team. This year is a different team and we were on a mission.”

With an eye toward the future, Katelynn Flaherty running the show for Michigan

Arico was skeptical. Flaherty had been a point guard in high school in New Jersey, but this was the Big Ten — faster, more physical, with more on the line. Michigan needed Flaherty to score big to complement junior Hallie Thome inside, and asking Flaherty to do that while running the offense seemed too much. Arico knew this from personal experience as a guard at Montclair (New Jersey) State University in the early 1990s.

But Flaherty was adamant: I’ll work this summer on ballhandling and decision-making. I’ve got this. Trust me.

The black coaches in the NCAA women’s tournament

With Dawn Staley and South Carolina’s victory over Mississippi State in the NCAA tournament championship game last year, women’s basketball saw only its second black head coach hoist the trophy. Staley followed in the footsteps of her predecessor and mentor Carolyn Peck, who with her Purdue Boilermakers became the first black and youngest coach to win the championship in 1999.

So who are the black coaches you need to know about in the women’s game this March Madness? There are four majors headed by black coaches and six mid-majors looking to burst someone’s bubble this week.

Jason Flowers has the Cal State Northridge women’s basketball program going places

The 16th-seeded Matadors, who play at No. 1 Notre Dame on Friday in their NCAA tournament opener, have the right person at the helm. Because when it comes to navigating roundabout routes, coach Jason Flowers is a human GPS.

Flowers, 38, dreamed of playing at UCLA when he was a kid growing up in Watts. But, like his team this season, he didn’t get off to a promising start. He was cut by the Bruins as a walk-on, transferred to UC Irvine and made a name for himself in two seasons there, then worked his way back to Westwood.

“He was definitely tenacious and relentless in bringing a competitive spirit to every practice,” recalled Steve Lavin, his coach at the time. “His teammates were better prepared for competition because he went full throttle every day.

Iowa women’s basketball: Making NCAA Tournament not enough for Hawkeyes

“I feel like we’ve proven to ourselves and to others so many times this season that we’re such a great team,” senior forward Chase Coley said. “We can beat other great teams, and we’ve done it. Yeah, we’ve had some slip-ups in some games, but toward the end of the season is really when you start to clean all that up.

“I really feel like if we come together and play how we know how to play, we can really make a good run in this tournament.”

UConn is favored in NCAA tournament, but BPI likes field

The world knows UConn is the favorite. But the Huskies’ edge is less than most might think.

ESPN’s brand-new Basketball Power Index (BPI) for women’s college basketball gives Geno Auriemma’s team a 37 percent chance to win this year’s NCAA tournament, one year after the Huskies came up short in the Final Four. (You can read a little bit about the methodology behind our model here).

.com: Senior Watch: 2018 NCAA Tournament Is Set

Hello! Lynx sign ‘retired’ former WNBA star Tanisha Wright

Listen up! Lynx Off – Season Podcast Ep 7 Seimone Augustus

Read Full Post »

*all sing* Shut up and

Dance!

Wait! Can we talk about who got in and who didn’t and why and where are they going and why? Okay.

• Snubs and surprises from Selection Sunday 2018
• Winners and losers of this year’s women’s NCAA tournament bracket
• NCAA women’s tournament: What to know after the bracket reveal
• Listen up! Selection Monday Special Charlie Creme and WNCAA chairman Rhonda Bennett

Now, fill out your brackets, stock up on takeout menus and remember how to set the “unavailable” notice on your phone.

Friday, 12pm

16 Boise State v. 1 Louisville

• Women’s Basketball Selected as No. 1-Seed, Hosts Boise State on Friday
  For Louisville women, another first: A No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed
• Five things to know about Louisville’s first-round opponent, Boise State
  
• Boise State women get ‘disappointing’ draw in NCAA Tournament

11 Western Kentucky v. 6 Oregon State

• WKU earns 11-seed, draws Oregon State in NCAA Tournament
  
• VIDEO: Michelle Clark-Heard reacts to NCAA Tournament draw
  
• OSU women’s basketball: Beavers get No. 6 seed, head to Tennessee

12 Princeton v. 5 Maryland

• Terps Earn Five Seed in NCAA Tournament
• Maryland women are in an unfamiliar position to start NCAA …
• Maryland women’s basketball claims a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament
• Scouting No. 12 seed Princeton, Maryland’s first-round opponent
• Princeton women’s basketball team to face Maryland in NCAA tournament

12 Oklahoma v. 5 DePaul

• Oklahoma, Oklahoma State nab at-large bids to NCAA
• OU Headed to 19th Straight NCAA Tournament
• Oklahoma women make NCAA Tournament field
• Sooners’ schedule boosts them to 19th consecutive NCAA
• Sweet Sixteen in a row for DePaul Women’s Basketball
  
• No. 23 DePaul Draws Oklahoma in NCAA Tournament Opener
  
• FWIW: DePaul students, alums call for firing of athletic director

2pm

14 Liberty v. 3 Tennessee

• Liberty women receive #14 seed, will face #3 Tennessee on Friday
• Lady Vols Open Big Dance Against Liberty on Friday in Knoxville
• Third-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols to play Liberty in NCAA …

13 Drake v. 4 Texas A&M

• Texas A&M won’t be Drake’s first taste of elite competition this year. Remember Oregon?
• Bulldogs dust off their dancing shoes
• Drake opens tourney at A&M
• Drake women on NCAA Tournament test at Texas A&M: ‘We’re going to be ready’
  
• Drake women’s basketball gets so excited for NCAA Tournament berth it scares bulldog mascot
• Texas A&M women to host Drake in NCAA Tournament Friday at 1:30
• Texas A&M women will open NCAA tournament vs. DrakeTexas A&M Women’s Basketball in NCAA Tournament

13 Elon v. 4 NC State

• Elon women pegged for NC State rematch
• Pack to host tournament action
• Wolfpack to Host First Two Rounds of NCAA Tournament

9 Dayton v. 8 Marquette

• Marquette Women’s Basketball Will Face Dayton In The 2018 NCAA
• Marquette’s women’s basketball team is going dancing
• End of NCAA suspense a ‘great feeling’ for Dayton women
• Women’s Basketball: Flyers Earn A Nine-Seed, Will Play Marquette

5pm

12 CS Northridge v. 1 Notre Dame

• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: The Fighting Irish Are (Yet Again) A #1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
• Notre Dame women’s hoops team draws No. 1 seed, paired with Cal State Fullerton [sic] Northridge
  
• Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish Get 1-Seed in NCAA Tourney
• Notre Dame women’s hoops earns seventh consecutive No. 1 seed …
  
• CSUN Draws No. 4/5 Notre Dame To Open NCAA Tournament

10 Minnesota v. 7 Green Bay

• Gophers earn No. 10 seed in NCAA women’s basketball tournament
  
• Gophers women’s basketball team makes NCAA tournament field
• Gophers to Face Green Bay in Return Trip to NCAAs
  
• Gophers draw Green Bay, Lindstrom
  
• Border battle: Gophers playing Green Bay in NCAA women’s opener

10 Virginia v. 7 California

• UVA Women’s Basketball Earns At-Large Bid into NCAA Tournament
  
• UVa women’s basketball team earns first NCAA Tournament bid since 2010
• Virginia women’s basketball is back in the NCAA tournament
• Virginia women to face Cal in NCAAs;
• Wahoo Women Ecstatic To Be Dancing Again
  
• Bears Dancing Once Again
  
• Cal women’s basketball draws No. 7 seed, will face No. 10 Virginia
• Cal a 7 seed, will face Joanne Boyle and 10 Virginia in Columbia
  

10 Northern Colorado v. 7 Michigan

• University of Northern Colorado women prepared to take on Michigan to start NCAA tournament
• UNC Bears will dance with Michigan on Friday
• Also: Colorado players to watch in the 2018 NCAA women’s tournament
• Michigan women make NCAA Tournament as No. 7 seed,
• No snub this time: Michigan women 7 seed in NCAA Tournament
  
• NCAA women’s tournament: Michigan vs. Northern Colorado
  

7pm

15 Grambling v. 2 Baylor

• Grambling to open NCAA Women’s tournament against Baylor
• Grambling lands 15 seed, to meet Baylor in NCAA tourney
  
• Lady Bears No. 2 seed in Lexington regionals, play Grambling State
  
• Lady Bears lock up two seed in Lexington regional, face Grambling
  
• WBB Secures No. 2 Seed in Lexington Regional
  
• Baylor, Texas earn No. 2 seeds in women’s NCAA tournament; Is a Final Four showdown in store?

15 Seattle v. 2 Oregon

• Oregon women’s basketball selected as No. 2 seed, will host first and second rounds
• Oregon Ducks women’s basketball gets No. 2 seed in NCAA
• Oregon Ducks get No. 2 seed in NCAA
  
• Oregon Women’s Basketball Earns 2 Seed
• Seattle U women make school history as No. 15 seed in NCAA
• Seattle U women draw Pac-12 champion Oregon in their first NCAA game
• The floor is yours, Seattle U women’s basketball: Dance into our hearts

15 North Carolina A&T v. 2 South Carolina

• A&T Women To Play Defending Champs In NCAA Tournament
  
• South Carolina earns No. 2 seed, learns NCAA regional
• South Carolina’s Wilson excels as game’s best amid struggles
  
• Gamecock women earn No. 2 seed, trip to Albany Regional in NCAA Tournament
• Staley disheartened after being selected in Albany regional
  
• South Carolina’s Dawn Staley sounds off about Gamecocks’ regional draw for second straight year
  
• Dawn Staley on ending up in UConn region: ‘We always get the short end of the stick’
  
• South Carolina women begin road to possible second straight national title Friday

9 Villanova v. 8 South Dakota State

• South Dakota State women draw an eight seed, will play Villanova
• SDSU women draw Villanova in NCAA Tourney
  
• Eastview grad off to NCAAs — and her SDSU team has UConn coach’s eye
• Women’s Basketball Earns At-Large NCAA Bid and No. 9 Seed
• Villanova basketball player Jannah Tucker overcame a nightmare and kept playing 

Saturday

11am

16 St. Francis (PA) v. 1 UConn

• Red Flash selected to battle No. 1 Connecticut on Saturday, Tribune Dem
• Top Overall Seed UConn Opens NCAA Tournament Saturday vs. St. Francis
  
• UConn women to begin NCAA tourney against Saint Francis (Pa.)
• UConn Earns Top Seed in NCAA Women’s Tournament, but Path to Title Is Tricky
  
• This May Be The Best UConn Team Ever – And yet, there’s evidence the rest of women’s college basketball keeps narrowing the gap.

14 Little Rock v. 3 Florida State

• Florida State women’s basketball to open NCAA Tournament in Tallahassee
• FSU Womens Basketball to host opening rounds of NCAA Tournament
• Back at it! Women’s Hoops Hosts on Saturday
• FSU to host first two rounds of women’s NCAA tournament
  
• Little Rock Trojans Earns No. 14 Seed in NCAA Tournament
  

12 Belmont v. 5 Duke

• Duke women’s basketball seeded fifth in Albany Region in NCAA …
  
• A Final Splash
  
• Belmont women paired with Duke in NCAA tournament
  
• Belmont to face Duke in NCAA tournament
  
• Belmont women earn highest NCAA seed to date

11 Central Michigan v. 6 LSU

• Chippewas To Face LSU
  
• Central Michigan women open vs. LSU at Columbus
  
• CMU women ride hot streak into NCAA Tournament
  
• LSU women’s basketball team earns NCAA Tournament bid
  
• Lady Tigers to Face Central Michigan in NCAA Opener

1pm 

14 George Washington v. 3 Ohio State

• Ohio State selected as No. 3 seed in Spokane regional of the NCAA tournament
• Ohio State women’s basketball | Buckeyes a No. 3 seed, host George Washington on Saturday
• Ohio State women earn No. 3 seed, will host George Washington
• WOMEN’S HOOPS TO FACE OHIO STATE IN NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND

13 Mercer v. 4 Georgia

• Georgia women’s basketball draws No. 4 seed, will host opening rounds of NCAA tournament
• Georgia earns No. 4 seed for NCAA Tournament, will face Mercer in …
• Georgia basketball: My bracket for the Lady Dawgs route to the National Championship
• Georgia looks to extend legacy in NCAA Tournament

• Rematch! Mercer Women to take on Georgia in first round of 2018 NCAA
• Mercer women open tourney against familiar foe

11 Buffalo v. 6 South Florida

• Gates Chili’s Cierra Dillard, a junior guard, leads [Buffalo] Bulls in scoring at 15 points per game
  
• Buffalo Bulls Women’s Basketball receives at-large bid to NCAA
•  University at Buffalo women’s basketball to face South Florida
• Mixed Emotions As USF Women’s Basketball Makes NCAA Tourney
  
• 5 things about the USF Bulls, UB’s opponent

9 Quinnipiac v. 8 Miami

• Quinnipiac women’s basketball gets rematch with Miami, possible UConn matchup
• Bobcats Get No. 9 Seed, Easy Trip To Storrs In NCAA Tournament
• Quinnipiac’s Fay seeks NCAA Tournament encore performance
• Quinnipiac women earn No. 9 seed, will face Miami at Gampel
  
• UM women’s hoops team set for NCAA Tournament rematch
  
• Miami Hurricanes WBB Could Face UConn in NCAA Second Round
  
• UM women get rematch in NCAA opener — a date with No. 1 overall seed UConn could be next

3:30

14 American v. 3 UCLA

• UCLA Women’s Basketball is going dancing in the NCAA Tournament
• UCLA Women’s Basketball Earns a 3 Seed, Will Host First Two Games
• UCLA women set to host first two rounds of NCAA Tournament
• UCLA women’s basketball stays motivated for NCAA Tournament run
• DieHards’ exclusive interview with UCLA guard Jordin Canada
• UCLA Women’s Basketball: Jordin Canada leaves big shoes to fill
  
• UCLA seniors Jordin Canada and Monique Billings take aim at final NCAA tournament
• American Earns No. 14 Seed & Will Play UCLA in NCAA

12 Florida Gulf Coast v. 5 Missouri

• Raining 3s: FGCU keeps flourishing from beyond the arc
• FGCU women playing Missouri at Stanford in NCAA tournament
  
• Mizzou women’s basketball hits the road for NCAA tourney
  
• Mizzou earns its highest seed in NCAA women’s tourney but won’t host first two rounds
• Missouri women seeded fifth, headed to California

10 Nebraska v. 7 Arizona State

• ASU women ties school record with 5th straight NCAA Tournament
• ASU women to face Nebraska in first round of NCAA Tournament
  
• ASU women’s basketball earns No. 7 seed in 2018 NCAA Tournament
• Nebraska, Creighton make NCAA women’s basketball tournament as double-digit seeds
• Wild ride ends with Nebraska women in NCAA Tournament
  
• Nebraska women complete one-year turnaround with NCAA tournament berth
  
• Huskers Face Sun Devils in NCAA Tournament

9 Oklahoma State v. 8 Syracuse

• Oklahoma State women get No. 9 seed, face Syracuse in NCAA …
• After ‘agonizing’ wait, Syracuse women’s basketball gets NCAA ticket

5:30

16 Nicholls State v. 1 Mississippi State

• Hail State Productions Created the Perfect Hype Video for MSU Women
• Mississippi State makes history
• Which Mississippi State Women’s Basketball star will take over March Madness
• MSU women have bigger bull’s eye on back as No. 1 seed
  
• What you need to know about Mississippi State women’s basketball’s NCAA tournament bracket
• Colonels to play top-seed Mississippi State Saturday

15 Maine v. 2 Texas

• UT women receive favorable draw
• Texas set to host again as NCAA tournament returns to Austin
• Texas women earn No. 2 seed, placed in Kansas City regional for …
• Women’s basketball: UMaine heads to Texas for NCAA tourney
• UMaine women’s basketball team taking on Texas on Saturday night
• Maine gets Texas

13 Gonzaga v. 4 Stanford

• Gonzaga will play Stanford in first round of NCAA women’s tournament
• Bulldogs set to face Stanford in first round
• Gonzaga women’s dealt a No. 13 seed
• GONZAGA WOMEN MISS OUT ON CHANCE TO RETURN HOME AS NCAA COMMITTEE SHIPS BASKETBALL TEAM TO CALIFORNIA AND, IF THEY WIN, KENTUCKY
• Stanford women to open NCAA Tournament against Gonzaga
  
• Stanford earns No. 4 seed, will host Gonzaga

11 Creighton v. 6 Iowa

• Iowa women happy to be dancing again
• Iowa women’s basketball makes NCAA Tournament as No. 6 seed, will play No. 11 Creighton
  
• Iowa Women’s Basketball back in NCAA Tournament to face Creighton
• Iowa women’s basketball returns to NCAA, heads to LA
  
• Hawkeyes find irony in return to NCAA field
• Creighton women make NCCA Tournament after excruciating wait
  
• Women’s Basketball Claims At-Large Berth into NCAA Tournament …

More DI Post Season:

WNIT DRAW: (Really, Rutgers? You don’t give Tyler Scaife more time on the court?)

• Delaware gets WNIT bid, date with coach Adair’s former Georgetown team
  
• Virginia Tech and Navy women get rematch in WNIT
• MSU women draw Cincinnati in WNIT

WBI DRAW

• Binghamton Earns Bid to WBI, Travels to Youngstown State on Wednesday

Other news:

Job opening: Washington State announces women’s basketball coach June Daugherty won’t return in 2018-19

Job opening:  Southern Utah Fires Women’s Basketball Coach Chris Boettcher

Job opening:  Steelman Resigns as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Presbyterian

A question to always ponder: The Report Card: Why Aren’t More Women Coaching Women?

100 percent of the men in the men’s basketball tournament are coached by men.

That’s a luxury nowhere near true for women. In fact, across all college sports, it’s true for only four out of 10 women.

But there’s a woman at the University of Minnesota trying to change that.

“It’s interesting because I often get the question, why should we care that girls and women are coached by women?” Nicole LaVoi, Ph.D., said. “And my answer is, the data shows us same-sex role models matter. For confidence, and self-perceptions, and emulation. Most all boys have a male head coach at some time. And that’s just not the case for girls. And they need same-sex role models just like their male counterparts.”

MORE STUFF!!!

• WNBA Draft 2018 Presented By State Farm to be Held on April 12 in New York and YOUR’RE NOT INVITED!
• Roar Tigers: Atlanta Dream sign Blake Dietrick to training camp contract
• WNBA fate could be out of Katelynn Flaherty’s hands
• Allisha Gray Returns To USC Keep A Promise
• Goofy headline: Meet Kelsey Mitchell, CBB’s Ultimate Gym Rat and Women’s 3-Pointer Revolutionary

Read Full Post »

Last, but certainly not least.

Sunday saw the final group of teams battling for the automatic bid to the NCAAs.

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles: A-Sun. The Eagles slowly pulled away, and then held Jacksonville at arms length to earn their spot in the Dance.

• ASUN CHAMPS! No. 1 @FGCU_WBB Knocks Off No. 2 Jacksonville 68-58, Clinches NCAA Berth
• College basketball: FGCU women beat Jacksonville for Atlantic Sun title, NCAA berth
• Eagles win ASUN Tournament for second straight season
• JU women fall just short of NCAA bid

Princeton Tigers: Ivy. Not an ounce of suspense in this won, as the Tigers were all over Penn from the get go.

• DANCING TIME! PRINCETON DOMINATES PENN, 63-34, EARNS IVY TOURNAMENT TITLE, NCAA BID
• Penn women’s basketball dominated by Princeton in Ivy championship, now awaits postseason fate

American Eagles: Patriot. Great season capped off with a championship for the seniors who’ve helped raise the profile of this program.

• American U. beats Navy for Patriot League women’s basketball title, second NCAA tournament berth
• American wins 2nd Patriot League title in 4 years
• Eagles Hold Off Mids in League Title Game
• Navy struggles offensively in second half in falling to American in Patriot League final

Nicholls State Colonels: Southland. In a tale of two halves, Tykeria Williams proved the difference maker, sealing the upset with free throws and sending her program to their first Dance.

• Nicholls State upsets SFA for first ever SLC title
• Women’s basketball claims victory in conference tournament
• Nicholls women win Southland Conference basketball title
• Williams rallies Nicholls women past SFA for first NCAA bid
• SFA Ladyjacks fall to Nicholls in Southland Conference final

Liberty Flames: Big South. The Flames steamrolled UNC-Asheville in the second half to earn the 60-42 win.

• Liberty wins Big South title, heads to NCAA Tournament
• Baker rallies Liberty women past Ashville 60-42 in Big South
• Liberty women earn NCAA bid with 17th Big South title
• UNCA women’s basketball team denied third consecutive Big South title

St. Francis (PA) Flash: NEC. It’s been a hot minute, but behind Northeastern Conference Player of the Year Jessica Kovatch’s 29.

• Flash dancing again
• Saint Francis tops Robert Morris 66-56 for NEC title
• RMU falls to Red Flash in NEC title game
• Robert Morris women’s basketball falls in Northeast Conference tournament championship, 66-56
• Slow start dooms Robert Morris’s hopes for three-peat

Drake Bulldogs: MVC. Deja vu, as the Bulldogs draw on their bench to defeat Northern Iowa by 11.

• Drake captures MVC title over UNI, 75-63
• Drake women win MVC Tournament over Northern Iowa, 75-63
• Deep ‘Dogs win MVC again
• Drake knocks off UNI for back-to-back MVC Tournament titles
• Drake women’s basketball repeats in MVC, captures NCAA bid
• Drake puts a stop to UNI title hopes

Little Rock-Arkansas Trojans: Sun Belt. UALR had just enough to defeat Texas State,

• UALR women win Sun Belt, advance to NCAAs for 5th time
• Defense propels Trojans
• Women’s Basketball falls in SBC Championship Game, Set for WNIT

 

As we wait for the Women’s Tourney Reveal

• Charlie’s final Bracketology
• Women’s basketball: Gophers confident, eager to see their NCAA pairing
• Iowa women’s basketball: Breaking down where the Hawkeyes stand heading into Selection Monday
• BTN: Penn State Women’s Basketball: Courtside with Coquese
• The News Journal: Delle Donne gives young, aspiring athletes a role model

Read Full Post »

*All Sing* Shall we…

dance? YES! (even though ESPN says “There are no NCAAW events for Saturday, March 10, 2018”)

Central Michigan Chippewas, MAC. Great game between the Chips and Buffalo. And I very much enjoyed the radio call by the CMU folks.

• Women’s basketball wins 2018 MAC Tournament Championship
• Central Michigan Women Earn NCAA Bid by Defeating Buffalo
• Central Michigan women edge Buffalo to capture MAC title

Guevara after 2018 MAC Tournament title: ‘I love this team’

“Back in November, when we were picked, the expectations were so high,” Guevara said. “I guess everyone kept talking about stress and pressure, but we didn’t talk about that. This is the first team I’ve ever been a part of to buy that Kool-Aid and continue drinking it.”

Jerry Sullivan: No need to cry for UB women

Over the years, I’ve seen too many of our women’s college basketball teams fall short in conference tournaments. It presents a sad postgame tableau, with seniors breaking down in the  interviews and lamenting careers that seemed to end way too soon.

But it was an altogether different mood Saturday after the UB women fell to Central Michigan, 96-91, in the MAC Tournament final at Quicken Loans Arena. It wasn’t tears and regret, but the sustaining hope and promise of a UB team that has more challenges to face before this remarkable season is through.

Northern Colorado Bears, Big Sky. Yup, a lot of points – and a ton of them scored by the Bears. It’s their  first NCAA tournament appearance.

• Northern Colorado whips Idaho for Big Sky women’s tourney title

• University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball team heads to NCAA with Big Sky title
  

Northern Colorado women rip Idaho for Big Sky title

Some teams live by the 3 and some die by it, but Northern Colorado earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament by defending it.

Savannah Smith scored 20 of her 34 points in the first half and the top-seeded Bears won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a 91-69 victory over Idaho on Saturday.

North Carolina A&T Aggies, MEAC. Hampton gave it all they had, taking the Aggies to overtime.

• NC A&T women win MEAC title, top Hampton 72-65 in OT
• Hampton women fall in overtime to NC A&T in MEAC final

LADIES FIRST!! A&T WBB WINS MEAC TITLE –

“(Hampton coach David Six) is an experienced coach who has had his team in the finals a bunch,” Robinson continued. “It was an electric crowd, so our ladies were a little bit hesitant early. But we came back in the second half playing Lady Aggies basketball, letting our defense create our offense and living off our transition.”

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, C-USA. WKU pulled away from UAB in the fourth to secure their bid to the Dance.

• W Kentucky women head back to NCAA, top UAB 72-57
  
• Lady Toppers take down UAB for second consecutive C-USA title
• Lady Toppers get revenge to win second-straight C-USA title

“I was really proud because we changed up a lot of defenses and tried a lot of different things,” WKU coach Michelle Clark-Heard said. “They shoot the 3 very well, especially in transition. To be able to come and play three games in a row with seven or eight players, that just shows how tough we are as a team and they trust in us as a staff and that’s what happened.”

Seattle University Redhawks, WAC – UPSET. The Redhawks take down the Roadrunners, 57-54.

Forty years after Seattle University began playing women’sbasketball, the Redhawks are heading to their first NCAA tournament.

• CSUB women’s basketball suffers WAC championship heartbreak
  
• Roadrunners fall in WAC tourney final

Elon Phoenix, CAA – UPSET

Elon women defeat Drexel in CAA Conference title game

It’s the second time in two seasons that Elon claimed the championship by beating the opposition on its own court. It downed host James Madison in last year’s title game.

“We consider every court our home court,” said Elon coach Charlotte Smith, a former North Carolina all-American.

• Dragon Slayers! Elon Beats Drexel 57-45 To Win CAA Title
  
• Drexel Rally Falls Short In CAA Final Loss to Elon

Grambling Tigers, SWAC – UPSET

Grambling unleashes Hill on Southern, wins SWAC women’s basketball title

Somewhere on the bottom of the pile at Delmar Fieldhouse was Shakyla Hill.

For 40 minutes, Southern struggled to chase down Grambling’s star guard, but once the clock hit zero, the Tigers found her quick and piled on at center court.

Grambling’s women are going dancing, SWAC basketball tourney title captured

Grambling wins SWAC title, awaits tournament fate

Grambling State downs Southern, seals 1st SWAC title, NCAA tourney bid in 19 seasons

Q&A with Shakyla Hill, the Grambling State star responsible for the first quadruple-double in 24 years

CSU Northridge, Big West – UPSET. The Matadors took down top-seed UC Davis.

CSUN Defeats UC Davis To Punch NCAA Tournament Ticket

“I’d like to start off by saying something that our kids will never hear. I was completely wrong,” said CSUN head coach Jason Flowers. “I stood in the locker room at Cal Poly told them that there was no way we could win the conference tournament playing zone defense. Obviously, I was wrong. With that being said, hats off to Jenn[ifer Gross]. Jenn does an outstanding job, she’s the back-to-back coach of the year of this conference for a reason. She runs a great program. Their kids played extremely well, had a great season. We were looking forward to the battle, we knew it was going to be a tough challenge.

I’m extremely proud of our young women. We talked about, before we left, it was not about what you win at the end of this. It’s about who you become at the end of this. It’s going to sound crazy but they’ve grown a lot in the last week and a half. I’m extremely proud of who they’ve become throughout this tournament, and hopefully that will propel us forward as we play next week and up until the offseason whenever that comes.”

• CSUN women beat UC Davis 63-55 in Big West tourney final
  
• Aggie women fall in title game

Semis: 

Upset in the MVC: Northern Iowa over Missouri State, 70-58.

• Fourth-quarter surge sends Panthers to final
• UNI makes it an all-Iowa final for MVC title
• Panthers rip Redbirds to reach MVC semis
• Redbirds exit MVC tournament early despite most wins in five seasons

Upset in the Southland: Nicholls (18-13, 11-7) over top-seed Lamar (22-7, 17-1), 74-68.

• Nicholls women win to secure spot in Southland’s title game
• Lamar women stunned by Nicholls in Southland tourney semifinal

Upset in the Big South: UNC-Asheville over Radford, 60-50.

• Wilson overcomes multiple surgeries to help UNCA try for third straight title
• Bulldogs Will Play for Third Straight Big South Tournament Title After Semifinal Win Over Radford
• Radford women fall in Big South semifinals

Sunday games

11am: Patriot FINALS! Navy v. American. Can the Middies upset the top seed?

1pm: Southland FINALS! Nicholls v. Stephen F. Austin. SFA has had a great season, and I’m sure the Colonels would love to play the spoiler.

2pm: Big South FINALS! Liberty v. UNC Asheville. UNC-A didn’t have a flashy season, but they got it done when it counted. Do the have enough to take down the Flames?

2pm: NEC FINALS! Robert Morris v. St. Francis (PA). Great match up of two evenly matched teams.

3pm: MVC FINALS! Drake v. Northern Iowa. Can the Bulldogs stay perfect in the MVC?

3pm: A-SUN FINALS! Jacksonville v. FGCU. A fab in-state rivalry of green & white.

4pm: Ivy FINALS! Princeton v. Penn. “So we meet again…”

7pm: Sunbelt FINALS! Little Rock v. Texas State. Established v. Upstart.

From friend of the game Richard at SI: Post Players Set to Take Spotlight in Women’s NCAA Tournament

This March, Mississippi State will not be the only title contender to rely on a power player inside: It’s “the era of the Big Girls,” as South Carolina 6’5″ senior A’ja Wilson puts it. “Coming in my freshman year it was a guard-heavy game,” says Wilson, the likely No. 1 pick in April’s WNBA draft. “I had an opportunity to be in the Final Four in 2015, and there were big-time guards like Jewell Loyd of Notre Dame. Now, the post players are taking over. Of course, you still have [Louisville’s] Asia Durr and [Ohio State’s] Kelsey Mitchell and some phenomenal guards, but a post player in the tournament can give you the best of both worlds: She can give you the best shot on the court, which is in the paint, and she can also defend the paint.”

A formidable five in the post will have an outsized impact on the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.

Updated Bracketology!

Job Opening: Terry Zeh out after 14 seasons coaching Canisius women’s hoops

Job Opening: Longwood and head coach Bill Reinson part ways

Job Opening: Valparaiso head coach Tracey Dorow relieved of duties

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*All Sing* Last dance, Last chance,

for The Big Dance.

Boise State’s got their blue suede shoes ready, but it took a last second shot to punch their ticket. Heartbreak for Nevada.

Gordy Presnell shuffled his feet a few times as the ball left A’Shanti Coleman’s hands and kissed off the backboard. When it fell through the net, he threw his hands in the air and started to run. He then stopped, and put his hands up again.

Despite heading back to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years, Boise State’s 13th-year head coach wasn’t quite sure what to do.

“I didn’t look very coordinated, did I?” Presnell said.

The Maine Black Bears cap off a great season in memorable fashion, holding off Hartford, 65-74, to win the America East title and return to the NCAA Tourney.

It’s the first championship — and trip to the NCAA tournament — for Maine (23-9) since 2004, and the historical significance wasn’t lost on its coach.

“When someone said 14 years since we’ve gone, I was kind of was surprised at it. It just didn’t seem like that long, but it has been,” said Vachon, who helped lead the Black Bears to three NCAA bids as a player from 1997-99. “To be able to bring it back … is just really great.”

Man, the Chip’s are giving their fans heart attacks! This time they escape Miami (OH) to get to the MAC semis. They’ll face Buffalo, who dismissed Western Michigan, 85-53.

An upset in the MEAC, as Bethune-Cookman falls to Hampton, 61-60. The Pirates will face North Carolina A&T, who handled pesky upstart Florida A&M, 65-61.

Upset in the Big West, as Cal State-Northridge turned up the defense and took down Cal-Poly, 73-50.

Upset in the CAA. What an odd year for Elon… seems they’ve gotten it together in the conference tournament, taking down James Madison, 76-53.

The Elon women’s basketball team has moved to the brink of reaching a goal.

“Coach tells us to look forward, so we’re going to win the CAA Tournament,” senior guard Shaylen Burnett said last week.

Upset in the WAC semis, as Seattle U defeats New Mexico State, 84-61.

Grambling continues to grow, this time taking down SWAC perennial-power Texas Southern, 66-59.

Great run for Natasha Adair’s Blue Hens, who took Drexel to OT before falling in the CAA semis, 58-53.

Wait till next year: Nicole Powell‘s ‘lopes bow out in the WAC semis. But/And: Congrats to Bakersfield, who head to their FIRST EVER WAC final.

BTW: Thanks for supporting the women’s game, ESPN: There are no NCAAW events for Saturday, March 10, 2018.  Real fans know better.

11AM!!! MAC Finals: Central Michigan v. Buffalo.

• CMU seeks first MAC Tournament Championship since 2013
  MAC Championship Game Preview: Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Buffalo Bulls

1pm!!! CAA Finals: Elon v. Drexel

Women’s Basketball Hosts Elon in CAA Title Bout

1:300!!! SWAC Finals: Grambling v. Southern

2pm: Big South semis: Liberty v. High Point

2pm: Southland semis: Nichols State v. Lamar

“It’s good to have the two byes because you’re guaranteed to be in the semifinals,” Harmony said. “You can give your kinds a couple of days off that normally you can’t do. At this point of the season, an hour and a half of practice; in and out. We already know what everyone is going to do.  We know our stuff. It’s to stay fresh and stay in shape.”

2:30: MVC Semis: I would say “Drake and everyone else,” but that seems rude and would likely bring down the WBH curse. They face Southern Illinois.

3:05!!! Big Sky Finals: Northern Colorado v. Idaho. I’m expecting a lot of points.

University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball team one win away from NCAA tournament

3:30!!! MEAC Finals: Hampton v. North Carlina A&T.

NC A&T women to take on Hampton for MEAC championship

4pm Big South semis: UNC Asheville v. Radford. Eyes on a growing Highlander program….

4:30 Southland semis: Stephen F. Austin (16-2) v. Central Arkansas (14-4). This could be a fun game.

5pm: MVC semis: Northern Iowa v. Missouri State. Couple of conference heavyweights going at each other.

5:00!!! WAC Finals: Seattle v. SCU Bakersfield.

• Seattle U women upset top seed, move one win from NCAA

5:30!!! Conference USA: Western Kentucky v. UAB. Haven’t we all been conditioned to expect the Finals to include MTSU? And hello, Blazers! Also noted: UNT’s remarkable run in C-USA tourney ends

• UAB Sets School Record for Wins in Quarterfinal Victory Over UTEP and UAB Earns Berth in C-USA Title Game with 67-55 Win over Rice
• Lady Toppers secure spot another C-USA title game

6pm Ivy semis: Princeton v. Yale 

6pm Sun Belt semis: Troy v. Little Rock.

7pm!!! Big West Finals: CSU Northridge v. UC Davis.

 “I am extremely, extremely proud of our group and their effort,” said CSUN head coach Jason Flowers. “The last week we challenged them at the end of the season. The vision was always the same from the beginning. We told them that all of this was possible if they did certain things. They bought into it, I don’t know what took them so long, but they bought into it and I am really happy for them to be able to go through this and go through this experience.”

UCD women advance to Big West final

 

With its offense running at slightly above freezing, the UC Davis women’s basketball team relied on its defense to spark a second-half rally to edge UC Riverside, 49-46, in a Big West Conference Tournament semifinal match Friday at the Honda Center.

“Sometimes you just have to get out the first game jitters,” said BWC Coach of the Year Jen Gross, whose team improved to 25-5 overall and will play Cal State Northridge for the championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. “It can be hard because you’re playing someone who’s coming off a win, coming in with confidence.”

8:30pm Ivy semis: Harvard v. Penn

Early in the recruiting process, Michelle Nwokedi’s file was dismissed by Penn women’s basketball coach Mike McLaughlin — for being too good. 

“I remember in high school, I was getting all these generic letters, going to people’s camps, and obviously the big schools are the ones where I was like ‘Oh my god! Texas A&M! Texas!’” Nwokedi said. “And then I got a University of Pennsylvania one, and I was like ‘what is this?’ you know?” 

8:30 Sun Belt semis: Louisiana v. Texas State.

Listen up! The Around the Rim podcast is Entering March Madness Mode: LaChina Robinson chats with women’s basketball analyst and former Division-I head coach Gail Goestenkor on the upcoming NCAA Tournament, which teams should fans be closely watching and gives some insight into her illustrious coaching career.

Tennessee Lady Vols preparing to be NCAA tournament hosts

Come on down! Come Join QU Women’s Basketball for Live Viewing of NCAA Selection Show

You too! Texas to host NCAA Selection Show watch party

Making plans: Purdue women’s basketball: Case for and against NCAA tournament bid and  If bypassed by NCAA, Purdue women’s basketball prefers WNIT road games

As Roos is out as BGSU women’s basketball coach after six seasons the question is, Who will be next coach of Bowling Green women’s basketball?

Another opening: Steve Lanpher Resigns as Women’s Basketball Coach at NJIT

Ames Tribune:  Fennelly reflects on the 2017-2018 season

Baltimore Sun: Kaila Charles makes her voice heard as Maryland’s next women’s basketball star

Cool: Duke basketball sat down with our three jersey retirees @Alanabeard20, @Lindsey_Harding and @E_Williams_1.

Hello, Aces, ya wanna collaborate? Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament moving to Las Vegas

Summitt Hoops: 2018 WNBA Draft Big Board v. 4.0: Trade aftermath

Nice: Jonquel Leads Her Team Into Title Series In Wcba

SLAM Online: Layshia Clarendon On International Women’s Day, Creating Social Change

Amsterdam News: Chamique Holdsclaw celebrates her NYC roots with WBHOF honors

“When you’re a player, you really don’t think about moments like this,” said Holdsclaw. “You’re playing the game and worrying about your teammates. To look back at all the people—this is for the people who helped me along the way. This is for all little girls who, like myself, were told they couldn’t do something because it was the boys only.”

She added, “It’s not where you’re from; it’s where you’re going with hard work and discipline. It’s special in so many ways.”

Sure! It’s time Canada supported professional women’s basketball

On a side note: Longtime readers know I love women’s basketball history (hence creating the Women’s Basketball Timeline.) I don’t begrudge any website using my work to create their timelines. Anything to spread the word. But, would it kill’em to acknowledge the source?

 

 

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Hey, ESPN! On International Women’s day, why do you let this still happen?

This pisses me off every year: At the TOP of @espn women’s basketball page is says: “There are no NCAAW events for Thursday, March 8, 2018”

Wrong. Disrespectful. SUCH an easy fix.

Patriot League semi-finals: Navy v. Bucknell and Army v. American.

NEC semis: LIU Brooklyn v. Robert Morris and Sacred Heart v. St. Francis (PA)

CAA Quarters I’m intrigued by the William & Mary v. Elon matchup.

There were games, yesterday, too.

MAC
SQUEAK! Eastern Michigan roared back in the fourth quarter to give top seed Central Michigan quite the scare. The Chippewas escaped the MAC quarters, 67-64.

• CMU Women Remained Focused On The Next One
• CMU deserves at-large NCAA bid …
  Central Michigan Life

Ball State was not so lucky, falling to Western Michigan.

MEAC
Top seed in the MEAC, North Carolina A&T, moved into the semis relatively unscathed.  Their MEAC rival, Bethune-Cookman, followed suit. 

WAC
With a win over Utah Valley, Nicole Powell has coached her Grand Canyon team into the semis of the WAC. Next up: CSUB.

Big Sky
Mini-upset – and an Antonelli-pleasing score – in the Big Sky quarters: Idaho State over Weber State in OT, 111-109, after the Bengals fought back from a 25pt deficit.

I see you, Portland State, upsetting Big Sky power Eastern Washington.

A-Sun
It took OT for Jacksonville to get into the A-Sun Finals. No surprise, they’ll face FGCU.

Big West
Upset in the Big West, with UC Riverside sending UC Irvine home, 86-74. In the process, Highlander senior Michelle Curry became the first Highlander ever to score 40 points at the Division I level.

Mountain West
Boise State is on a roll, thumping perennial Mountain West top dog Colorado State, 76-51 on their way to the finals. Whoa! They’ll face Nevada, also on a roll, who upset Wyoming, 67-63.

In other news:

Western Kentucky’s Tashia Brown quietly becomes a leader, and one of the nation’s best

Western Kentucky coach Michelle Clark-Heard had traveled to get to tiny Valdosta, Georgia. But she knew she’d found what she was looking for when she walked into the gym at Lowndes High School.

“We actually just saw her work out,” Clark-Heard said of star forward Tashia Brown. “We didn’t see anything else.”

Brown had reached the 1,000-point club and averaged 22 points per game her last two years at a high school known more for football. Yet, Clark-Heard didn’t need to see any of that. Brown’s work ethic and sweet jump shot sold her on the spot.

After a frustrating season, Akienreh Johnson has emerged as key scorer for Wolverines

It was February and Akienreh Johnson was ready to let her frustration out into the open.

The sophomore guard had torn her ACL in the midst of the 2016-17 season, then was cleared in time for the start of her sophomore season. She had put in the work during practice and extra workouts. But she wasn’t seeing the results.

Johnson met with Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico not about playing time, but about finding a way to start seeing the returns on those hours.

Delle Donne Says UConn Women Are Good For Women’s Hoops

Nice shoutout from Drexel Athletic Director Dr Eric Zillmer: Joanne Aldrich refereed her final game in today’s @drexelwbb win over UNCW. Over her 30-year career as a D-I women’s basketball official, she managed games with poise and confidence. She was good for the game of basketball and a class act. Thank you!

Quiera Lampkins: Hooping in Switzerland

…when Lampkins heard that one of the reasons she wasn’t drafted was because she didn’t shoot many jump shots in college, she was driven to show that she could do more than drive to the hoop.

“A lot of people think it was like, ‘Well, she couldn’t shoot,’ ” Lampkins said. “And it was not — that was never the case. It’s just that I didn’t shoot.”

What a surprise! College sports racial and gender report card

Unfortunately, as the NCAA’s most visible month nears, a separate problem remains prominent within its member institutions and minimal progress has been made to fix it.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) released the 2017 College Sport Racial and Gender Report Card (CSRGRC) on Wednesday and the results for progress were again underwhelming. The annual report revealed that in 2017:

• College sports received a C-plus for racial hiring practices by earning 78.3points, a decrease from 78.5 points in the 2016 CSRGRC.
• College sports received a C-plus for gender hiring practices by earning 75.1points, up from 73.5 points in the 2016 CSRGRC.
• The combined grade for the 2017 CSRGRC was a C-plus with 76.7 points, up slightly from an overall C-plus with 76.0 points in 2016.

This was the lowest combined grade of all the racial and gender report cards for the second year in a row after falling from an overall grade of a B with 81.2 points in 2015. Also, college sport was the only area covered to have below a B for racial hiring practices.

Wanna got to a conference? How about USA Basketball’s Women in the Game – Los Angeles

The USA Basketball Women in the Game initiative educates girls and women about career paths in the sports industry. The lineup of expected speakers at the USA Basketball Women in the Game conference set for April 7-8 at Windward School in Los Angeles today was announced, and the list includes professional females from high school basketball, the NCAA, the WNBA and sports media.

• Kelly Barsky, University of California, Santa Barbara deputy athletics director/senior woman administrator
• Ruthie Bolton, two-time Olympic gold medalist
• Cori Close, court coach at the 2017 USA Women’s U23 National Team training camp and UCLA head women’s basketball coach
• Ashley Miller, WNBA Dallas Wings vice president of basketball operations
• Vanessa Nygaard, gold medal winning assistant coach for the 2017 USA U16 Women’s National Team and Windward School head girls basketball coach and senior associate athletic director
• LaChina Robinson, basketball analyst and founder of Stretch Beyond
• Wanda Szeremeta, NCAA women’s basketball regional advisor/evaluator
• Penny Toler, WNBA Los Angeles Sparks executive vice president and general manager

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*All sing* Hold on,

I’m comin’!”

Summit: South Dakota State. Tough one for South Dakota, after having such a good season. It’s the Wabbits’ 8th Summit League tourney title in 10 years. (Good news, perhaps, for Nebraska, Rutgers, Minnesota and Creighton.)

• South Dakota State women beat South Dakota to earn eighth NCAA Tourney bid
• Hoeck: A Most Valuable Player, A Coach And Another Title
• History repeated: Jackrabbits shut down Coyotes for women’s title
• SDSU stuns USD for women’s tittle
• Women upset by Jackrabbits in heartbreaking loss
• South Dakota women will likely have to make the best of a WNIT berth

Horizon: #21 Green Bay. Seems the Phoenix always rises

• Green Bay women win 4th straight HL tourney title
• UW-Green Bay Phoenix win Horizon League title again
• Ex-UM coach Kevin Borseth has Green Bay in NCAA Tournament again
• Portage’s Hibner, UWGB capture another Horizon League title
• Wright State falls to Green Bay in HL title game
• Archdeacon: Wright State no match for 22nd-ranked Green Bay

American: #1 UConn:  Deja vu all over again.

• Williams returns, No. 1 UConn tops S. Florida for AAC title
  UConn women win 5th straight AAC title
  Jeff Jacobs: UConn’s AAC winning streak overshadows Williams, Stevens
  Williams Puts On A Show In AAC Tournament Championship Game
  Gabby Williams Shines As UConn Defeats USF, 70-54
  UConn’s Azura Stevens Named Most Outstanding Player Of The AAC TournamentWomen’s Basketball: Williams returns, leads UConn to fifth straight American Championship
  UConn coach Geno Auriemma: On beating Cincinnati
  Williams returns and No. 1 UConn beats South Florida 70-54
  Century club: Mount Union, UConn stand alone

Big East: DePaul. After a topsy-turvy regular season, the Blue Demons made sure they made the Dance by blitzing Marquette with 16 threes . It is DePaul’s third Big East Tournament title.

• DePaul women win their 3rd Big East tournament title
• DePaul Dials Up a Long-Distance Championship
• DePaul punches ticket to the dance
• Perimeter barrage from DePaul thwarts Marquette’s hopes of repeating as champs
• Marquette falls to DePaul, 98-63, in BIG EAST title game
• DePaul 98, MU women 63: Golden Eagles have rough night in Big East final

 

West Coast: Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have reached the WCC title game 13th times, and this is their second title in a row.

• Gonzaga women beat San Diego 79-71 for West Coast title
• Gonzaga women’s basketball team wins 2018 WCC tourney title
• Jill Barta scores 32 points, leading Gonzaga women to repeat WCC Tournament title
• Women’s basketball analysis: Barta’s evolution evident in WCC
• Valiant Effort, but USD Women’s Basketball Falls to Gonzaga

Upcoming games of interest:

12pm: MAC Quarters: Eastern Michigan v. CMU

2:30pm: MAC Quarters: Ohio v. Miami (OH)

3pm: WAC Quarters: Utah Valley v. Grand Canyon. Look where Nicole’s team is!

7pm: A-SUN Semis: North Florida v. Jacksonville

7pm: A-SUN Semis: Lipscomb v. Florida Gulf Coast

9:30pm: Mountain West Semis: Colorado State v. Boise State

11:59: Mountain West Semis: Nevada v. Wyoming

As they/we wait:

Women’s Basketball: Defense will be key for Bobcats in MAC quarterfinals

Listen up! Terrika Foster-Brasby fills in for LaChina Robinson and goes one-on-one with three head coaches whose teams are win streaking above 20 game mark ahead of the conference tournaments: Ashland head coach Robyn Fralick, Mercer head coach Susie Gardner and Belmont head coach Bart Brooks.

ACC Tournament title adds to an already stellar season for Louisville women’s basketball

Latest ESPN projection puts Syracuse women’s basketball in tough NCAA Tournament spot

Indiana awaits the committee’s decision

WSU women’s basketball star overcomes odds

There’s a bright star on the Weber State University women’s basketball court who easily could have chosen a life of darkness.

Junior point guard J’Aiamoni Welch-Coleman, 20, is known as an athlete with seemingly endless enthusiasm who gives the game her all.

Yet her story is about early struggle as she was raised by her grandparents.

White excelling at right time for Texas

Congrats! NYU Coach Lauren Hall-Gregory Earns 100th Win

WNBA

You stay put: Six-Time WNBA All-Star Candice Dupree Signs Multi-Year Contract

You go there: Mercury Acquire Briann January from Fever

You sign this: Author of two new books, Delle Donne to have signing event at Concord Pike Barnes & Noble

You can play: Liz Cambage set to play for Australia at Commonwealth Games

You should play: Why Maria ‘The Terminator’ Vadeeva should be 2018 WNBA Draft first pick, but probably won’t

You can chat: Kings Q&A: Assistant Coach Jenny Boucek

You can learn: Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve sharpening her general manager skills

Listen up! Sarah Spain, That’s What She Said! Elena Delle Donne tells Sarah her two new books discussing changes in her life and changes she would like to see in the WNBA

 

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*All Sing*

“Let’s dance!”

Big 12: Baylor. As the Caterpillar said to Alice Karen, “Keep. Your. Temper.” Hard fought, tight game between the Bears and Longhorns, and then Aston got a technical. Baylor then went on a 9-0 scoring run to put the game away.

Baylor is back on top as Big 12 tourney champs

There have been seasons when winning the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament was not terribly important to Baylor. Times when the Lady Bears were really good and knew it, and the league tournament was just something to get through before the NCAA tournament started.

But this season, the Big 12 tournament — which Baylor has all but owned the past several years — meant a little bit more.

• Brown leads No. 2 Baylor past No. 8 Texas in Big 12 final
• Lady Bears take down UT, gain Big 12 championship
• Baylor Claims Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship Title
• Lady Bears outlast Texas, win Big 12 championship
• It’s a final: Baylor 77, Texas 69

MAAC: Quinnipiac: Jeff Jacobs: Quinnipiac women dance away the pain,

The day did not start nearly as well as it ended for Quinnipiac. The pain behind Jen Fay’s left knee was real. So was Marist’s seven-point lead in the second quarter.

Oh, Monday would end with Fay bouncing up and down in glee and coach Tricia Fabbri urging everyone at Times Union Center to put on their dancing shoes, but it began with the MVP of the MAAC women’s basketball championship unable to bend one of her dancing legs.

“When I woke up, it was pretty bad,” Fay said.

• Quinnipiac Women’s Basketball Team Headed To NCAA Tournament For Second Straight Year
• Quinnipiac women’s basketball wins second straight MAAC Championship
• Giorgis: ‘We’re back,’ despite loss to Quinnipiac in MAAC final

What does this all mean? Check out the Updated Bracketology.

*all sing* “I wanna Dance with somebody!”

12pm: The Horizon Finals: #22 Green Bay v. Wright State.

2pm: The Summit Finals: South Dakota v. South Dakota State. This is gonna be fun!

4pm: West Coast Finals: Gonzaga v. San Diego. Bulldogs should win, but Toreadors have been on a roll.

5pm: American Finals: *all sing* “Working for the clampdown!”Recognizing that some folks get upset when they score too many points, UConn decided to go in another direction. Down their (second) best defensive player, the Huskies simply refused to let Cincinnati score. Their next opponent will be USF, who pulled away in the second half against UCF to reach the finals.

7pm: Big East Finals: Marquette v. DePaul. Not really a surprise, but you couldn’t predict the league this year. Should be a fun game.

From the .com: Senior Watch: Championship Week

A little somethin’: A legend in her own time, Mississippi State’s Victoria Vivians is ready for what’s next

 

 

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Jab, Jab, Right Hook…

Teams are starting to punch their tickets to join Belmont in The Big Dance (and, I’m sure, Athletic Directors are starting to notice potential new head coaches.)

Mercer: It’s the Bears’ first Southern Conference title. And their first trip to the NCAA Tourney.

Mercer earns first-ever bid to Division-I NCAA Tournament with conference championship victory

Mercer women’s basketball’s season in two words? Record breaking.

The Bears have won a program-record 27 straight games. They tied a Southern Conference record of 27 straight wins.

Senior Kahlia Lawrence became the first-ever three-time conference Player of the Year. And Mercer earned its first-ever bid to the Division-I NCAA Tournament with its first-ever SoCon Championship Sunday.

• ICYMI: Mercer follows up ranking with first NCAA bid
• Lawrence-led Mercer beats ETSU for SoCon women’s title
• Longtime Mercer women’s team fan: ‘Now, it’s standing-room only on that bandwagon’

George Washington: They took down top-seed Dayton, and then they took care of business against St. Joe’s.

George Washington women earn NCAA tournament bid with Atlantic 10 title victory

“It doesn’t get much better than that for a Division I athlete,” Cummings said. “This is all we wanted all year. Just so proud of my teammates, my coaches, everybody. We worked hard for this, and it’s just paying off right now. I’m just excited, on top of the world at this moment.”

Also contributing significantly to the Colonials’ recent run of prosperity has been Mei-Lyn Bautista, although the junior has done so in ways more impactful than just scoring.

• CHAMPIONS! GW Wins A-10 Title
• St. Joseph’s women lose to George Washington in A-10 final

Louisville: After a tight first half, the Cardinals edged into the lead and had just enough juice to escape with a 2-point win over Notre Dame. (And no, I won’t be distracted by the oddness of that post-game encounter between Jeff and Muffet.)

• Louisville takes first ACC tournament title, makes a point in win over Notre Dame
• Louisville breaks Notre Dame’s ACC championship streak with last-minute push
• U of L women hold off Notre Dame for first-ever ACC Tournament title
• Louisville goes through Notre Dame for ACC Tourney title
• Cardinals clip Notre Dame women’s basketball in ACC title game
• No. 5 Irish Fall in Close 74-72 Battle to No. 4 Louisville in ACC Title Game
• Irish fall short in ACC title game

South Carolina: The Gamecocks made it four in a row as they hand Mississippi State their first loss of the season.

• Wilson leads Gamecocks to unprecedented fourth straight SEC title
• No. 2 Mississippi State falls to No. 8 South Carolina 62-51
• Four! Gamecocks make SEC history, spoil Mississippi State’s perfect season
• South Carolina women’s basketball makes history by winning fourth straight SEC tournament
• S. Carolina pulls SEC tourney first
• How one weird lineup change helped spark South Carolina’s offense to an SEC title
• What will USC’s win over Mississippi State mean for its NCAA seed and travel?
• SEC 4-peat: Gamecocks snap Mississippi State’s streak at 32
• South Carolina Ends Mississippi State’s Streak and Extends Its Own
• Vic Schaefer’s worst fear was realized in Mississippi State’s 1st loss in SEC Tournament final
• Bulldogs’ perfect season halted in SEC Tournament final
• Poor offensive showing costs MSU women first loss of season

ON EDIT: LOST IN THE EARLY MORNING EDITING! I AM SOOOOO SORRY!!!! (h/t Eileen)

Ohio State: In a see-saw battle with the Terps, it was finally Kelsey’s the Buckeye’s turn.

• Ohio State holds off Maryland to capture Big Ten tourney
• Maryland’s run of Big Ten dominance ends with championship game loss to Ohio State
• Ohio State topples Terps, takes Big Ten Tournament title

• Women’s basketball | Ohio State tops Maryland for Big Ten title
• Maryland women’s basketball falls to Ohio State in Big Ten tournament final, 79-69
• Ohio State blunts Maryland’s rally and ends its reign
  

• Women’s Basketball: When Ohio State needed her most, Kelsey Mitchell came through

Oregon: In a season of firsts, behind a kid that’s pretty good, the Ducks one their first Pac 12 championship.

• Sabrina Ionescu puts on a show as Oregon women’s basketball wins first ever Pac-12 Tournament title
• Dominant Ducks: Led by Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon crushes Stanford to win first Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament title
• Championships earn Kelly Graves pretty payday
  
• Pac-12 first: A title for Oregon women
• Ionescu pours in 36 to lead Oregon over Stanford 77-57 in Pac-12 title game
• In Pac-12 championship game, the Ducks’ 24 points off of turnovers were the difference
• Michelle Smith Feature: Oregon cuts nets, claims first Pac-12 Women’s Basketball title
• Oregon Ducks take care of ‘unfinished business’ in routing Stanford, earning Pac-12 tournament title

• Photos: Oregon defeats Stanford 77-57 to win the Pac-12 tournament

• No. 6 Oregon women beat No. 16 Stanford for Pac-12 title
• Ducks Are PAC-12 Tournament Champions

• Women’s basketball falls to Oregon in Pac-12 title game

Upcoming games:

1pm: Horizon semis #21 Green Bay battles Youngstown State.

1pm: Summit semis: South Dakota pits their unblemished conference record against Oral Roberts.

2:30: The MAAC finals feature some familiar names: Marist (20-12, 14-4 MAAC) v. Quinnipiac (26-5, 18-0 MAAC).

3:00: WCC semis: San Francisco tries to slow down the runaway train that is Gonzaga.

3:30: Horizon semis: Ought to be a good match-up between IUPUI and Wright State.

3:30: Horizon semis: Ditto for this game, as South Dakota State and Western Illinois battle.

4:00: Big East semis: Creighton v. Marquette. Finally, the Big East will get some clarity on who’s queen of the nest.

4:30: American semis: Who doesn’t love an in-state battle? UCF v. USF.

5:00: WCC Semis – San Diego State v. Pacific. Yes, you’re right. NO BYU and no St. Mary’s. Ah, the WCC this year!

6:30: Big East semis: DePaul v. Georgetown. Inconsistent play has meant that none of the BE teams are currently ranked… wonder if they get two teams into the Big Dance?

7:00: American semis: UConn plowed through the Green Wave, even as Williams and Dangerfield sat with physical dings. Next up, Cincinnati.

9:00: Big 12 Final: Time for a Lone Star show down (and to really test how the Bears are adjusting to no Wallace.) #3 Baylor rolled over TCU and will face #7 Texas, who dispatched West Virginia.

FRIDAY: With an UPSET in the American East, where Maine  will now battle Hartford (who took down the #2 seed Albany, 58-56) for the right to Dance. That ends the Danes’ run at 6 America East titles.

Other stuff:

SXSW: Equality & Sports: Leveling the Playing Field

Sport can be a powerful vehicle to address important societal issues. ESPN Reporter & Commentator Kate Fagan will facilitate a panel discussion featuring 2018 U.S. Olympic Hockey Gold Medalist Hilary Knight, US Soccer Legend Abby Wambach, and WNBA player Layshia Clarendon who will discuss their life experiences and how they are utilizing their platform to bring greater attention to equality issues that are important to them.

Washington Post: These pro athletes are courting success outside the arena

Namaste: NBA to Conduct Basketball Camp for Girls in India (Da Rooth and Jen Azzi)

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Super Sunday!

First, Survey Saturday:

Upset (and likely out of the NCAA) – Tough way for Dayton’s season to end.

• George Washington stuns UD women in A-10 tourney semifinals
• Colonials upset No. 1 seed Dayton to advance to conference …
• It’s a day for the underdog at A-10 women’s tournament

Upset: West Virginia held off Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Quarters, 69-60 in an outcome that may have Big Dance implications.

No upset, so out of the NCAA – Maryland made sure Nebraska stayed home.

• Maryland makes it a clean sweep of Nebraska women
• Maryland women’s basketball stymies Nebraska, 66-53
• Offensive woes hurt Husker women in loss to Maryland 

ALMOST a huge upset: With 14 seconds left, Belmont was down six to Tennessee Martin. A three, a block and a three later, they were in overtime. Once there, they sealed their bid to the NCAA tournament, 63-56.

• Belmont women use late 3-pointers to win OVC title
• Belmont women’s basketball wins OVC title in OT, makes third …
• Women’s basketball grabs third straight OVC Championship title …

Almost an upset: Oregon comes out on top of another epic showdown with UCLA

The latest check on Oregon’s to-do-first list came at great expense to UCLA. Again. For the Ducks to notch another first, they had to break the Bruins’ heart for the third time in two months.

UCLA guard Japreece Dean’s 3-point attempt hit the rim and bounced away at the final horn, and Oregon — and a strongly partisan northwest crowd — burst into celebration as the Ducks pulled out a come-from-behind 65-62 win in a semifinal that was the most anticipated game of what has already been a competitive, drama-filled tournament.

• Top-seeded Oregon outlasts UCLA to advance to first Pac-12 women’s basketball final in program history
• UCLA women can’t hold off Oregon in Pac-12 tourney semifinal

Also: Stanford routs Arizona State in Pac-12 semis, heads to title game for 15th time in 17 seasons

SQUEAK! Louisville survives NC State, 64-59.

SUPER SQUEAK: #13 Ohio State survives Minnesota, 90-88.

Big 12: Ariel Atkins, Jatarie White carry Texas to victory over Iowa State in tournament opener

Ariel Atkins is driven to add a few more chapters to her legacy at Texas before her college career comes to an end.

In one of her best all-around games wearing burnt orange, the senior guard posted an amazing stat line to help Texas earn an 81-69 victory over Iowa State. In a Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal, Atkins matched her season-high with 25 points while hitting 10 of 15 from the floor, 5 of 6 behind the three-point line. She added 4 rebounds, 4 assists, three steals, two blocked shots and did not commit a turnover.

Central Michigan focuses and earns a 72-67 win over Toledo, becoming the outright champ and #1 seed in the MAC.

“I’m very happy for our seniors and our program,” Guevara said. “Back to back is amazing, it’s hard and our players were able to come through and get it out right.”

“How’s this all impacting Charlie’s Bracketology,” you ask? Take look.

Coming up:

12:00, A-10 Finals: St. Joseph’s v. George Washington

12:00, SoCon Finals: #25 Mercer v. ETSU

Mercer women’s basketball headed to 3rd straight SoCon Title

“I think it’s important in all games [to get off to a fast start],” Mercer head coach Susie Gardner said. “But what it shows me is we’re having the snowball effect from Senior Night. The maturity of this team, we’ve been here before and know how important it is it get off to a quick start.”

Listen up Flashback! On Around the Rim, Mercer head coach Susie Gardner shares her thoughts on her team’s return to the AP Polls in 38 years, winning the 2018 SoCon Coach of the Year award, the No. 25 Bears’ 24-game winning streak, recruiting and much more.

2pm, America East Semis: New Hampshire v. Maine. The job Black Bears coach Vachon has done is extraordinary. Has Maine returned to the ” home of the up-and-coming coaches” moniker?

2pm, ACC Finals: #5 Notre Dame v #4 Louisville,

Vicki: Despite challenges, Irish fight their way into ACC championship game

It’s an anticipated matchup featuring two potential NCAA tournament No. 1 seeds, even if the only time they met this season unraveled into a blowout. Louisville’s 100-67 demolition of the Irish is an outlier among Notre Dame’s results. The Irish’s other loss was by nine to UConn, that despite the loss of three starters to knee injuries.

No. 4 Women’s Basketball Faces No. 5 Notre Dame in ACC Championship

3pm, Big 12 Quarters: TCU v. #3 Baylor

4:30pm, SEC Finals: #8 South Carolina v #2 Mississippi State

Mechelle: Unbeaten Bulldogs stand in the way of Gamecocks’ SEC quest

“I’m glad we get a chance to try to outfox each other again,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said of counterpart Vic Schaefer of Mississippi State. “I think it’s a healthy rivalry. I think it’s great that we’ve both been able to sustain success.”

• Unbeaten Mississippi State advances to title game
• Strong Defense Leads No. 2 MSU Back To SEC Tourney Title Game
• Making point: William shows leadership to help MSU beat Texas A&M
• No. 2 Mississippi State vs No. 8 South Carolina Women’s Basketball Preview
• ‘Resilient’ USC claims it’s peaking perfectly in order to knock off Mississippi State

5:30pm, Big 12 Quarters: West Virginia v. #7 Texas.

• No. 7 Women’s Basketball preview: West Virginia

7pm, Big 10 Finals: #13 Ohio State v. #17 Maryland

• Ohio State preparing to take on juggernaut Maryland in Big Ten championship
• Maryland, Ohio State Set for Big Ten Title Game

9pm, PAC-12 Finals, #16 Stanford v. #6 Oregon:

Normandy Park basketball star has brought Stanford back from the dead

Jordan McPhee, who is McPhee’s twin sister and the leading scorer for Seattle Pacific University, traveled to Palo Alto earlier this month to spend the weekend. She said she wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Stanford take the league title and go deep into the NCAA Tournament once again this year.

“They have a great shot,” Jordan McPhee said. “They’re a great team to watch on the court. They are all really close, and they fight for each other.”

Michelle Smith Feature: Previewing Oregon v Stanford Pac-12 WBB Tournament championship game

Other stuff:

Jim Clark (remember when he would may game predictions?) AAC Tournament kicks off with Connecticut in the driver’s seat

BTW: From Angela Alford‏ @angalford: If anyone in central North Carolina would like to play some senior women’s basketball, check out the Steel Cans

Listen up! Just in time for #WomensHistoryMonth, @StickToPods shares the stories of the first women into pro locker rooms, with an assist from @MelissaLudtke, who took on MLB and won. Click here.

Also: In this #AthleteStory I had a chat with Nancy Hogshead-Makar, 3x Olympic gold medalist and CEO of @iChampionWomen, who is one of the leading forces behind the #SafeSportAct protecting athletes against sexual abuse. @Hogshead3Au Tune in here.

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Saturday Stuff

There’s a dual Queen in the Mountain West: UNLV. Also, Boise battled through to become the Mountain West champs, Wins 12 of final 14, ends regular season on 7-game run.

Roar! They didn’t dominate as they have in the recent past, but it’s Princeton as the regular season Ivy champs.

She’s (almost) back! Even in limited minutes, A’ja Wilson is South Carolina’s difference-maker

South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson didn’t feel good enough to watch the Gamecocks’ regular-season finale last Sunday at Tennessee. Dealing with the effects of vertigo, she stayed home to rest. South Carolina struggled without her, losing by 19.

Wilson also had missed the teams’ first meeting, a 16-point loss at South Carolina on Jan. 14, with an ankle injury. So when the Lady Vols and Gamecocks met for a third time this season on Friday in the SEC tournament quarterfinals, all eyes were on Wilson.

The Tennessean: Ditching Disney, rubber chicken, Matt Insell ousted: Best, worst of SEC women’s basketball

What to watch:

A10 Semis: 
Dayton v.  George Washington, NOW (CBSSN)

• Dayton women win 16th straight game, clinch outright A-10 title
  
• A-10 names Dayton’s Shauna Green coach of the year
  
• A-10 women’s roundup: George Washington holds off George Mason

St. Louis v. St. Joseph’s, 1:30 (CBSSN)

• UMass women’s basketball falls to Saint Louis in first round of A-10’s

ACC semis:
#23 NC State v. #4 Louisville, 12pm (ESPNU)

• Courier-Journal: Louisville women’s basketball survives, advances to ACC semifinal
• Louisville Athletics: No. 4 Women’s Basketball holds off Virginia Tech 73-70 in ACC Quarterfinal
  
• NC State upsets Duke in ACC women’s tournament; advances to semifinal

#11 Florida State v. #5 Notre Dame, 2pm

• NCAA.com: No. 11 Florida State transfers provide team with major lift
• Also: Matt Insell out as Ole Miss women’s basketball coach
• Notre Dame women’s basketball advances to ACC quarterfinals

Big 12 Quarters:

#3 Baylor v. Kansas State, 2:20 pm. (First game for Baylor without Wallace.)

• Women’s basketball: Kansas State ends Kansas’ season, 72-63, in Big 12 tournament

OVC FINALS:
#22 Belmont v. Tennessee Martin, 3pm (ESPN3)

• Listen up! A much deserved spotlight: Belmont head coach Bart Brooks weighs in on the No. 22 Bruins’ 44-consecutive conference win streak, the success he’s attained in his first year as head coach, expectations entering the Ohio Valley Conference tournament and much more.
• UT MARTIN ADVANCES TO OVC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WITH 69-67 WIN OVER SIUE

SEC Semis
#2 Mississippi State v. #15 Texas A&M, 5pm (ESPNU)

• Kentucky led No. 2 Mississippi State after one quarter. Then the Bulldogs did what they do.
• Bulldogs blow out Kentucky in SEC women’s tourney
• No. 2 Mississippi State routs Kentucky, moves on to SEC women’s tournament semifinals
• Music stops in Nashville: LSU Lady Tigers bounced from SEC women’s tournament 75-69 by Texas A&M
• Aggies advance to women’s tournament semis with win over LSU

#8 South Carolina v. #19 Georgia, 7pm (ESPNU)

• The State: South Carolina dominates interior to top Tennessee, advances to SEC semis
• Knoxville News: A’ja Wilson, South Carolina outshine Lady Vols in SEC tournament victory
• Mizzou women’s basketball eliminated from SEC tournament following loss to Georgia
• 3 things to know: Lady Bulldogs 55, Missouri 41
  
• Georgia women’s basketball team’s defense proves too much for Missouri in SEC quarterfinal

Big 10 Semis:
#13 Ohio State v. Minnesota, 6pm (BTN)

• Ohio State aiming for first Big Ten tournament championship since 2011
• Ohio State women’s basketball routed Rutgers to advance in the Big Ten Tournament
• Ohio State to take on Minnesota with a Big Ten championship berth on the time (YAH TYPOS!)
• Minnesota Women’s Basketball: Gophers Knock off Iowa 90-89 to Advance to Big Ten Tournament Semifinal
• Gophers women solidify NCAA credentials with 90-89 victory over Iowa

#17 Maryland v. Nebraska, 8:25pm (BTN) Amy Williams bucking for NCAA COY?

• Husker women take care of business, move into Big Ten semifinals
• Nebraska women’s basketball moves closer to NCAA tournament spot with win over Michigan
• Maryland women’s basketball beats Indiana, 67-54
• Maryland women’s basketball to face Nebraska in Big Ten semifinals

Pac12 Semis:
#9 UCLA v. #6 Oregon, 9pm (Pac 12): Previewing Oregon v UCLA Pac-12 WBB Tournament semifinal game

• UCLA fends off resilient Cal team, advances to semifinals
• UCLA Hangs on to Defeat UC Berkeley, 77-74
• WBB Loses Heartbreaker to UCLA in Pac-12 Tournament: Recap
• Top-seeded Oregon Ducks open Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament in rout
• Preview: Oregon women’s basketball set for top-10 semifinal matchup with UCLA
• Hello, LA Times: Jordin Canada has quietly become the driving force for UCLA’s women’s basketball team

#16 Stanford v. Arizona State, 11pm (Pac12) Previewing Stanford v Arizona State Pac-12 WBB Tournament semifinal game and Pac-12 WBB notes: Stanford’s Brittany McPhee playing for another Pac-12 title; Oregon and UCLA set up an epic rematch

• Cardinal defeat USC, advance to third round of Pac-12 semifinals
• Arizona State closes strong to knock off Oregon State

• Oregon State Women’s Basketball Loses in Pac-12 Quarterfinals to Arizona State

Also: Keeping a gentle eye on CMU as they face Toledo post-on-campus shooting.

Swish Appeal: Deserved hype for under the radar star, new Big East power

How was your weekend? “What weekend?” Women’s basketball walk-on aspires to be orthopedic surgeon

Cole never expected to be play collegiate basketball at Notre Dame. She assumed that her basketball career was over after high school when she chose to come to Notre Dame over playing competitively at other universities. “I got some offers from D2 and D3 schools, but I got into Notre Dame, and my dad went here, so I’ve always wanted to go to Notre Dame,” Cole said. “I could not pass up the idea of coming here.”

However, when she arrived at Notre Dame, basketball did not seem to leave her.

Yikes: Former director with NC State women’s basketball is target of embezzling investigation

WNBA

Summitt Hoops: 2018 WNBA Draft Big Board, v. 3.0: Ranking underclassmen

DesMoines Register: Iowa State star Bridget Carleton already on WNBA radar

Summitt Hoops: WATCH: Tina Charles talks about the next New York Liberty chapter in Westchester

ABC15 Arizona: Community Connection with Susan Casper: WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner gives back

LOL. I’m willing to argue against this: Dallas’ WNBA franchise makes big splash signing ‘arguably the best player in the world’

Pedersen Treasures Sun Experience In Final WNBA Season

“It was amazing,” Pedersen said of her experience with the Connecticut Sun last summer. “It was probably the closest team I’ve been on in the WNBA. The organization, the office, everybody was so supportive of me and I felt like I had a clear, positive role on the team and just enjoyed it. It was a blast.”

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YIKES, taking a vacation sure does mean

long days at work to catch up.

Basketball doesn’t stop though, what with conference regular play ending and tournaments starting.

Wednesday

Belmont rolled through the first round of the OVC tourney.

Boston College lost to UNC… and then lost their coach. Boy, those big moves the Boston College AD made a few years back sure has paid off. *insert sarcasm emoji*

Much respect to Ole Miss, who lost a ton of games and never gave up – upsetting Florida in the first round of the SEC tourney.

Need some witnesses to explain the demise of Pittsburgh. They get stomped by ever-improving Wake Forest, 72-38.

Huge upset in the Patriot, as Navy washed over American, 76-49. Resting players before the conference tournament, anyone?

Thursday

Perhaps looking forward to Sun Belt tourney? Troy (16-12, 11-6) falls to Georgia State (8-20, 4-13), 85-78.

In the second round of the SEC tourney, Tennessee escaped Auburn courtesy of a Rennia Davis banked in 3-pointer. Lucky for Tennessee, Kentucky dispatched Vol-killer-Alabama, 71-64.

Mercer blew by Western Carolina,  75-44, and moved into the Southern semis.

Call it an upset, if you like: Rutgers over Purdue by two in the second round of the Big 10 tourney.

Definitely an upset: Virginia Tech (18-12, 6-10 ACC) over Syracuse (22-8, 10-6 ACC). The Hokies outscored the Orange 29-5 in the fourth to move out of the second round of the ACC.

1st round upset in the PAC12: Colorado over Utah, 66-56.

Quarterfinal upset in the Southern, as Chattanooga falls to UNC Greensboro in double OT,  70-66.

Holy Big 10 quadruple OT, Batman! Indiana upsets Michigan State in the second round, 111-109.

Upset in the WCC, as San Diego (8-10, WCC) took down BYU (11-7, WCC), 61-56.

News

Michelle Smith: Previewing the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament

Check out this 2018 SEC women’s basketball tournament primer, SEC women’s basketball tournament: Teams, players to watch and a day one report: SEC women’s basketball tournament best and worst: Screaming kids, Predators fan on court

Red and Black: Joni Taylor forges her own legacy as head coach of Georgia

The Tennessean; Pressure on Vanderbilt, Stephanie White after worst season

The Lantern: Jensen Caretti finds another family at Ohio State and oooooo!!! Additional TV Coverage Announced For Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament

Indy Star: Tyra Buss’ career one of IU basketball’s best ever

Mechelle: German native Marie Gülich grows into dominating center for Oregon State

When Marie Gülich came to Oregon State from her native Germany, she wasn’t too worried about being on her own so far from home or getting used to the food or adjusting to college basketball. She could handle all of that. But there was an element of the language difference that gave her pause.

“At first, you don’t really have a personality because you can’t express yourself the way you want to,” Gülich said. “You want to tell a joke, but you may not have the right words yet. So at first, they all thought I was super shy. But I’m not a shy person at all. I just didn’t know how to express myself yet.”

As the cr@ppy news for Wallace is confirmed, the Bracket is set for women’s basketball Big 12 tournament

Bummer. Washington Times: Attendance a challenge for area women’s basketball teams

Daily Utah Chronicle: Potter’s Point of View: My Battle with Mental Health

I have been struggling with whether or not to write this — to say anything at all. The thing about mental health is that people still stigmatize it, and people are still afraid to talk about it. I admittedly am one of those people, but when I was presented with the opportunity to write about mental health, I felt like it was a sign. I knew I needed to speak up.

Last October, I lost a close friend to suicide. It is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. It was such a shock when it happened because I had no idea she was struggling. That’s when I realized collectively, we need to do better when addressing mental health. It is because of my desire to honor my beautiful friend that I want to open up the conversation about mental health and share my story.

WNBA

The interesting story of an 18-year old New Zealand girl’s path to pro basketball

Courtney Walker has had a taste of what it is like to be in the WNBA.

18-year-old Kobe King-Hawea is the future WNBA star you need to know

The Missing Piece: How Dallas Brought Back Liz Cambage, And Why She’s Worth the Wait

Get to know Skylar Diggins-Smith off the court

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