Tag: 2023 Final Four

6 awesome facts about Caitlin Clark ahead of Iowa’s Final Four meeting with South Carolina

Get to know the Naismith Player of the Year a little better.

Iowa’s Sweet 16 game against Louisville drew 2.5 million viewers on Sunday, more than any NBA game on ESPN this season.

A big part of that draw was the incredible Caitlin Clark, the Naismith Player of the Year and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year who absolutely didn’t disappoint with a 41-point triple-double to push Iowa to the Final Four.

With a meeting against the reigning national champion South Carolina awaiting the Hawkeyes Friday, that viewership could soar even higher, meaning more people will be introduced to Clark for the first time.

For those looking to learn more about the Iowa star before the big game, here are a few fun facts about Clark in her basketball journey.

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Miami’s Final Four is surely something Andy Enfield and USC have noticed

We’re not talking about Miami because our podcast producer @IanHest is an alum. It’s because football schools can win in hoops. #USC

Yes, Trojans Wired podcast producer Ian Hest is an alumnus of the University of Miami. If you have been listening to our Trojans Wired podcast for at least the past 12 months, you would know this, given that when Miami played USC in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, we got a chance to talk to Ian about Miami basketball. (You can listen to that podcast now for some perspective on Miami and the journey the Canes have made.)

One year later, Miami is in the Final Four. The Hurricanes were down 12 with just over 10 minutes left against Texas on Sunday in Kansas City. Big man Norchad Omier had four fouls. The Canes looked cooked. Instead, they fired up the grill and sizzled down the stretch to rally for a stunning 88-81 win over a No. 2 seed which was playing great basketball.

We’re obviously very happy for Ian, a member of the Trojans Wire family, on his big moment in Miami. He is also a fan of Florida Atlantic — just down the way in Boca Raton — but as a Miami alumnus, this is extra-special for him.

Yet, we’re not just posting this story as a “Congratulations, Ian!” article. There’s something for USC and its fans to take away from this development, and it’s a simple-enough idea to absorb:

Very plainly, football schools can do well in hoops. That’s it. That’s the tweet.

While fans shouldn’t expect USC (or Miami) to regularly make Final Fours, schools from more vantage points and backgrounds have a chance to succeed in modern college basketball. This is due to the democratizing nature of the transfer portal, which can instantly reshape rosters. NIL, which Miami used this past offseason, can provide resources to basketball, not just football.

With basketball blue-bloods — North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Indiana — all struggling to varying degrees, it’s a new era in college hoops.

This Final Four — with teams from Conference USA and the Mountain West playing for a spot in the national championship game, and with three first-time Final Four teams — shows how wide-open the sport is.

Football schools can succeed in roundball. Andy Enfield should be emboldened to seek bigger fish in the transfer portal and become more ambitious in his efforts to build the Trojans to a higher level.

Who knows where USC basketball will be one year from now?

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Social media reacts to delayed contract for Texas HC Rodney Terry

Joey Hickey believes Rodney Terry is the head coach of the present and future for Texas.

Rodney Terry has yet to have been announced as the permanent head coach for the Texas Longhorns basketball program. In my opinion, he doesn’t need to be announced. This is Terry’s program. It goes without saying.

Terry piloted perhaps the best regular season in Austin since 2003. He is well on his way to the best postseason since that year. Just three times have the Longhorns reached the Final Four (1943, 1947, 2003). Nearly 20 years later, Terry and company are one win over No. 5 seed Miami away from making it back to college basketball’s biggest stage.

Never mind the positive news. College basketball media have made Terry’s perceived lack of job security a major storyline of the NCAA Tournament.

I find it hard to fathom that Texas could go with any other coach but Rodney Terry. Looking at the last few results, perhaps the only question is how much money Terry will make and for how many years.

We could certainly be wrong. In which case, I’ll be the first to call out Texas for moving on from a terrific coach. But until we have tangible proof that the Longhorns are heading in another direction, any coaching controversy talk is premature.

Here’s a look at college sports media commentary on the head coaching position.