The Women’s March Madness tournament stole the show this year.
The tournament lived up to the billing and then some. Viewership records were broken across the board.
Dawn Staley and her incredibly talented South Carolina team brought home the championship, completing their undefeated season. It is the Gamecocks’ first undefeated season and the tenth undefeated season since the NCAA women’s tournament started in 1982. South Carolina were clearly the best, most complete team throughout the season. However, a lot of pressure comes with being number one. The Gamecocks passed every test with flying colors, including in the national championship against Iowa. Kamilla Cardoso stands out from the incredibly talented roster. She was expected to be the fourth pick in the WNBA draft. Raven Johnson, who was often tasked with guarding Caitlin Clark, shined in the championship game. Johnson followed her three steals in the semis with four steals and two blocks in the finals. Staley has a mind blowing 109-3 record in her last three seasons. South Carolina got their revenge on Iowa, who beat the Gamecocks in last year’s semifinals, to cap off their dominant season.
The stars were on display in this year’s tournament. Caitlin Clark has to be the first name mentioned. Clark has received many accolades but, most importantly, she is a joy to watch. Clark plays the game freely and confidently. She can shoot from anywhere on the court, and does. Clark is also more than willing to drive and find open teammates. Clark willed her way to the championship game, averaging 30 points per game during Iowa’s impressive tournament run. Clark has made a huge impact and has been key to the growth of the game’s popularity, setting the stage for those who follow to make the sport even bigger in the future.
In the semifinals, Iowa had to get past UConn in a battle with many stars. The highly anticipated game reached a peak viewership of 17 million, surpassing the 16 million who watched the Iowa-LSU game in this year’s elite eight, holding the record for most watched ESPN basketball broadcast ever for two days before South Carolina-Iowa shattered the record with peak viewership of more than 24 million. The LSU-UConn game was a tough back and forth defensive battle. UConn made it a goal to not let Clark beat them. For the most part, it worked. The Huskies held Clark to a season low 21 points. But Hannah Stuelke carried the load, putting up 23 key points, including many clutch points towards the end of the game. Nika Muhl did the lion’s share of the work guarding Caitlin Clark. Muhl impressed and her draft stock rose accordingly. Aaliyah Edwards put up 17 points in the loss. She was not able to cap off her senior year with the ultimate prize but she didn’t do anything to change her status as an expected top ten pick in this year’s draft. UConn’s star is, of course, Paige Bueckers. Bueckers is an elite guard who runs UConn’s offense. Bueckers is a great driver with a good handle, but she is also comfortable letting it fly. Her quick hands and smart reading of opposing offenses also make her a constant steal threat. She has averaged over two steals per game in her collegiate career. Bueckers decided to stay an extra year at UConn and, with her coming back, expect UConn to be in the mix for the title again.
We were lucky enough to get a rematch of last year’s final in this year’s elite eight. The Iowa vs LSU matchup was heavily discussed in the media. A lot of the rhetoric was racist and disappointing. LSU, led by Angel Reese and other Black stars, were painted as the villains, described as the trash talking evil vs good Iowa. In reality, Caitlin Clark is a huge trash talker, and I love it. LSU vs Iowa was the game of the tournament for me. With bright lights and big stars, it delivered on all fronts. The first quarter of the game was a scoring eruption with 57 points scored. There were few fouls and barely any timeouts. It was just pure hooping. Angel Reese laid it all on the line. She put up 17 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks, even with nagging leg pain. Haley Van Lith transferred to LSU after an impressive Louisville career. Van Lith played a different role in Kim Mulkey’s system for the Tigers. She became more pass first and was tasked with a lot of defensive duties. Mulkey gave her a nightmare assignment vs Iowa, tasking her with stopping Clark. It became clear early that Van Lith could not contain Clark. However, Mulkey did not make an adjustment and Clark continued to excel. Van Lith was the butt of a lot of social media memes that reached virality. Memes that have been used for male athletes were used for Van Lith in a way I have never seen before. Take that however you will but, to me, it shows a new level of respect for the game even if it came in a negative way. The social media coverage and dialogue around the tournament this year felt different, and mostly better.
Juju Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Audi Crooks are three more of the many stars that are a part of this next generation of Women’s basketball. With all the starpower and talent continuing to come into the game, there’s all the reason to believe the game will continue to grow.