A look at five of the big takeaways from the women’s NCAA tournament.
It was a tough March Madness for those who disparage women’s basketball. From sold-out games to record-setting attendance to buzzer-beaters to compelling storylines, this tournament showed the demand for women’s basketball.
The national championship game on ABC drew an average of 9.9 million viewers peaking at 12.6 million. That’s more than 2023 Thursday Night Football, the 2021 NBA Finals, and any MLS game ever, just to name a few.
The storylines were exceedingly compelling as well from LSU’s Angel Reese having 34 double-doubles this season to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark breaking scoring records to redemption arcs with LSU’s Alexis Morris.
Players who were quiet all tournament like LSU’s Jasmine Carson balled out in the championship game sinking five 3-pointers in the first half. It was the highest scoring game ever in a women’s basketball title game.
The overarching takeaway from this tournament is that women’s basketball is valuable just like we always knew it was when roadblocks and deliberate undervaluing are taken away.
While the viewership numbers have yet to be announced, the attendance set a record. Not only was it a sellout crowd for the LSU and Iowa matchup, at 19,482, but it set a Women’s March Madness all-time attendance record with 357,542 fans.
The fans, however, weren’t the only ones breaking records as both teams set their own personal, team, and school records.
LSU’s Angel Reese recorded the most double-doubles in a single season with 34, breaking her own previous record of 33. She finished the game with 10 rebounds and 15 points. LSU walked away with the win which is the first basketball national championship, men’s or women’s for the program. Additionally their 102-85 victory is the most points scored in a women’s championship game
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was 50% from the three-point line with six made three-pointers in the first half. She broke the single-tournament record for most 3-pointers made with 32 and the single-tournament record for most points scored with 191 points, beating the previous points record set by Sheryl Swoopes.
Another sellout crowd for the #WFinalFour . Attendance is 19,482.
Women’s March Madness as a whole just set an all-time women’s attendance record with 357,542 fans. pic.twitter.com/kPwv3yta9T
“May you freely walk over obstacles in life like Kim Mulkey can on a basketball court”
When all sports Twitter comes together to raise concerns over something, you know it’s bad. Fans on both sides of the aisle along with prominent basketball media made it known that the officiating in the women’s national championship game was awful. Not just awful, downright atrocious. Multiple players on both teams had two fouls in the first quarter.
LSU walked away with the national championship defeating Iowa, 102-85.
While people have complained about the officiating all tournament, the level of whistles and fouls called in the championship game was on another level. The game had a sellout crowd, and the boos from both sets of fans were sometimes loud and deafening.
Even Iowa’s head coach Lisa Bluder, who is known for her calm and composure, was visibly upset on the sidelines.
Some speculated how LSU’s head coach Kim Mulkey could walk onto the court and make contact with an official and not get called for a technical. One thing is apparent, the officiating in this game was not professional and seemed to follow no rules.
LSU’s Angel Reese recorded the most double-doubles in a single season with 34, breaking her own previous record of 33.
The Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers came out with a vengeance in the National Championship game on Sunday. However, LSU walked away with the national championship defeating Iowa 102-85.
In the first half, LSU was shooting over 69% in 3-pointers made with Jasmine Carter shooting 5-5. The Tigers were over 52% from the paint and over 90% from the free throw line. At the half, LSU leads the Hawkeyes 59-42.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is 50% from the three-point line with six made three-pointers in the first half. She broke the single-tournament record for most 3-pointers made with 32 and the single-tournament record for most points scored with 191 points, beating the previous points record set by Sheryl Swoopes.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 2, 2023
LSU’s Angel Reese recorded the most double-doubles in a single season with 34, breaking her own previous record of 33. She finished the game with 10 rebounds and 15 points. While her teammate, Jasmine Carson finished the game with 22 points and 3 rebounds with 15 points coming from 3-pointers alone. Five LSU players walked away with double-digit scoring.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 2, 2023
Clark made eight 3-pointers in the game and had 30 points, 2 rebounds, and 8 assists. Three other players also had double-digit scoring for the Hawkeyes, but it just wasn’t enough to take down the Tigers.
The game was another sellout crowd with 19,482. Women’s March Madness as a whole just set an all-time women’s attendance record with 357,542 fans.
The LSU and Virginia Tech game peaked at 5 million views while South Carolina and Iowa peaked at 6.6 million.
The women’s final four were the most-viewed NCAA D1 women’s college basketball semifinals in ESPN history with an average of 4.5M viewers. The LSU and Virginia Tech game peaked at 5 million views while South Carolina and Iowa peaked at 6.6 million. They were the 2 most-viewed basketball games, men’s or women’s, ever on ESPN+.
This comes as no surprise to anyone who watched these fierce matchups. The South Carolina and Iowa game was a sell out with 19,288 fans in attendance. The American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas held the Final Four games and holds the National Championship on April 2. This arena is home to the Dallas Stars of the NHL and the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.
LSU and Iowa will take the stage one last time this season on April 2 to see who will take home the National Championship. This is the first time in program history the LSU Tigers, men or women, have made it to the National Championship game. This is the first time Iowa’s women’s basketball program has reached the National Championship game and only the second time in school history.
#WFinalFour 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐒 across ESPN platforms to become the most-viewed #NCAAWBB semis (4.5M avg viewers) in ESPN history
While neither team shot exceptionally well, the Tigers roared back in the fourth quarter to take the lead.
For the first time in women’s basketball program history, LSU is headed to the National Championship after defeating Virginia Tech 79-72 in the Final Four.
This is head coach Kim Mulkey’s second year with the program. While neither team shot exceptionally well, the Tigers roared back in the fourth quarter to take the lead. The Hokies had 18 turnovers to LSU’s seven turnovers and at the end of the day, that made the difference.
LSU’s Angel Reese broke her double-double record and recorded her 33rd double-double of the season. She now has more than any other player in Division I basketball, men’s or women’s. Hokies player Georgia Amoore also set a record of her own. She has the most 3-pointers in the NCAA women’s tournament at 23. She made four alone in this game.
— Virginia Tech Women's Basketball (@HokiesWBB) April 1, 2023
Both schools made history for their school getting this far, but the Tigers will be advancing. They will face the winner of the South Carolina vs Iowa game. The Championship game will air at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2 on ABC at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
A look at the women’s Final Four open practices from Alex Sinatra.
Tickets for the women’s Final Four are more expensive than the men’s Final Four. It’s almost like when you give more television time and devotes more resources to something, it grows. Who would have thought?
The women’s Final Four is taking place in Dallas, Texas, at the American Airlines Center. The venue held open practices for each of the four teams competing this year and it was free to the public on March 30.
Gates Open
10:00 a.m.
Virginia Tech Open Practice
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
LSU Open Practice
Noon – 12:50 p.m.
South Carolina Open Practice
1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Iowa Open Practice
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
The Final Four takes place on March 31st, Division II and Division III national championships take place on Apr. 1, and the Division I national championship game takes place on Apr. 2.
For open practices, DJ Shawna was mixing the music and each team had a different musical vibe.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CqUBEfnrsRi/
Virginia Tech was the first to practice and this is the first time they are on the big Final Four stage. They went into March Madness as a No. 1 seed and are the 2023 ACC Women’s Champions. They matchup against LSU on March 31 at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Next up was “Bayou Barbie”, Angel Reese, and the rest of the LSU Tigers. The fans went wild during the entirety of LSU’s practices. ISDs in and around Dallas-Fort Worth bused in students to watch the festivities and experience the overall atmosphere of a Final Four.
Kim Mulkey stressed “rebound and defense” matters when asked how they made it to the #WFinalFour because “you can’t always shoot the ball well every night” pic.twitter.com/2kldLKtESs
LSU is seeded No. 3 in the tournament, but are playing like a No. 1 seed. Their last win to cement their place in the Final Four was against Miami and Mulkey indicated they didn’t shoot well in that game but rebounding and defense helped them advance.
The next team was South Carolina and the immaculately dressed Dawn Staley.
Staley indicated during an on-court interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe that it takes a team of unselfish players to build this Gamecocks dynasty. She indicated for their team it takes “8-10 players to truly get those National Championships.”
Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes rounded out the open practices. Hawkeye fans were out in full force and made their presence known. Iowa takes on South Carolina on March 31 at 8:00 p.m. CT.
If you want to smell the sweat, be in the roaring crowd, and watch history unfold with your own eyeballs, then you need to book a flight or start driving today.
The Final Four of the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA tournament is set and the teams are heading to Dallas, Texas.
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Tech is advancing to the Final Four and it’s LSU’s first Final Four since 2008.
South Carolina looks to defend their 2022 National Championship and finish this season with a perfect record. Iowa is gearing up for its first trip to the Final Four since 1993 and Caitlin Clark is on her way to cementing her name in all the history books of the sport.
Now, how do you watch these historic games? Both will be televised on ESPN, but what if you crave more? If you want to smell the sweat, be in the roaring crowd, and watch history unfold with your own eyeballs, then you need to book a flight or start driving today.
Tickets for the games at the American Airlines Center in Dallas start at around $300 on Ticketmaster.
Here’s all you need to know about flights from your respective college town:
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Tech is advancing to the Final Four and LSU’s first Final Four since 2008.
The Final Four of the 2023 March Madness Women’s NCAA tournament is set and the teams are heading to Dallas, Texas.
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Tech is advancing to the Final Four and it’s LSU’s first Final Four since 2008. The two schools go head-to-head on Friday, Mar. 31st at 6:00 p.m. CT.
This is not, however, the first Final Four appearance for powerhouse South Carolina as they are looking to defend their 2022 National Championship and finish this season with a perfect record.
Iowa, however, is earning its first trip to the Final Four since 1993. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark cemented why Iowa deserved to be in the Final Four with her Elite Eight dominance. She became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double. The Gamecocks and the Hawkeyes battle it out Friday, Mar. 31st at 8:00 p.m. CT for a spot in the National Championship game.
Both games can be seen on ESPN.
No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 LSU
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
This matchup is unexpected, but will be full of superb basketball. The Tigers are already on fire with Angel Reese dominating with double-doubles this season and seemingly endless stellar on-court performances. The Hokies are walking into uncharted waters for their program, but their head coach Kenny Brooks is leading the way and anything is possible for this team.
Both teams are coming into this matchup with some impressive statistics. Hokies Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore combined for 49 points in their 84-74 victory over Ohio State in the Elite Eight. LSU’s Angel Reese leads the NCAA in double-doubles with 32 this season. In LSU’s win over Miami, LSU guard Alexis Morris led the Tigers with 21 points.
Both sides are doing impressive things in this tournament and it is difficult to predict who might pull out a victory. In LSU’s win against Miami, 54-42, they defended strongly and kept the score lower than expected. If the Tigers can continue to use that sort of defense against the Hokies then they might pull out a win. However, the Hokies have a fire that will be tough to extinguish and if they continue to rack up points then they will punch their ticket to the championship game.
Pick: Virginia Tech
The second game features two red hot teams on a collision course.
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Iowa
USA TODAY Network
This is a matchup people have been hoping for all year and it will be the pinnacle of basketball this season. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are hungry for a repeat of last season and want to keep their season perfect. With big Kamilla Cardoso dominating in the paint and forward Aliyah Boston snagging rebounds and throwing up points, they will be an impressive opponent for the Hawkeyes. The Gamecocks come into this Final Four matchup after having defeated Maryland, 86-75.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark recorded her 11th career triple-double with 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in their win over Louisville, 97-83. Clark became the first player in NCAA Tournament history, men’s or women’s, to record a 40-point triple-double. Clark isn’t the only Iowa player to rack up some impressive stats in the Elite Eight. Teammate McKenna Warnock notched her 20th double-digit game with 17 points and five rebounds and Gabbie Marshall had 14 points.
[pickup_prop id=”32830″]
If Iowa can pressure South Carolina and force turnovers then Clark will have the opportunity to do what she does and that will translate to a win for Iowa. However, this is new territory for the Hawkeyes and sometimes experience in these high-pressure situations equals victory. The Gamecocks have been here before and they understand what to expect. This gives them a slight edge over Iowa.
Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the women’s tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds.
Only two No. 1 seeds remain in the women’s tournament and this is the first time since 1998 that the Sweet 16 will be without two of its No. 1 seeds. We have a No. 8 seed in Ole Miss and a No. 9 seed in Miami matched up against No. 5 and No. 4 seeds respectively. This tournament is about to heat up and it feels like upsets are on the brink.
Sweet 16 games begin Friday, March 24 with four matchups on Friday and four matchups on Saturday. The frontrunners in the tournament are still the top-seeded teams, but lower-seeded teams are peaking at just the right time and anything can happen in March.
Here’s everything you need ahead of this weekend’s Sweet 16.
