Tag: 2023 ncaa women’s basketball tournament

Iowa will have to overcome these LSU stats to become national champions

In order to become national champions, Iowa will need to overcome these LSU stats.

Iowa women’s basketball finally did it! Your Hawkeyes are heading to their first national championship game! They became the first team in over a year to beat defending national champion South Carolina.

Conventional box score knowledge would tell you the Gamecocks should have won this game. South Carolina had nearly double the rebounds as the Hawkeyes, 49-25, and made their money on second-chance points. In an extreme rarity, South Carolina had more offensive rebounds (26) than defensive rebounds.

The size advantage Dawn Staley’s squad held over the Hawkeyes was evident. At times, South Carolina made Iowa look like middle schoolers in comparison to the Monstars wearing red.

Despite getting vastly outrebounded and not even shooting lights out from deep, the Hawkeyes were pulled out this tight contest. Caitlin Clark led the way with a Kobe-like 41-point performance, aided by the threat of Iowa’s shooters to hit from downtown. Those 3s didn’t always fall, but South Carolina knew it couldn’t just leave lethal shooters such as Gabbie Marshall open from 3.

It was a David vs. Goliath performance for Lisa Bluder’s squad, and they’it will have to do it again if it hopes to become national champions. The LSU Tigers also possess great size. Ten players are listed as 5-foot-10 or taller, and the Tigers are led by dominant big Angel Reese.

Prior to the start of the Final Four, the Tigers averaged 16 more rebounds than their opponents on a given night. LSU ranked third nationally in total rebounds and offensive rebounds per game behind just Troy and South Carolina. The Tigers came into Dallas averaging 46.6 rebounds and 17.1 offensive boards per contest.

LSU is another team that looks to beat up its opponent inside, opting to drive and crash the glass rather than settling for the jumper. The Tigers have not shot particularly well in recent tournament games, but have played tough defense and dominated the glass. Just like SC, they will make you work for every single bucket, every single rebound.

If Iowa can hold its own on the glass — particularly the offensive glass — the Hawkeyes are likely going to be cutting down nets in Dallas and hoisting a national championship trophy.

It all takes place at 2:30 CT on ABC.

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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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Hawkeyes Final Four facts: Get to know the South Carolina Gamecocks

The Hawkeyes get their shot at South Carolina in the Final Four. Here is a breakdown of the Gamecocks’ season, top players, and coaching.

The stage is set. In their second-ever NCAA Final Four appearance, the Iowa Hawkeyes are tasked with dethroning reigning champions South Carolina.

That’s right folks, South Carolina. We are now in the big leagues facing the best of the best for a chance at the National Championship. The Gamecocks have dominated this March Madness, blowing out Norfolk State and Southern Florida before defeating tough opponents in UCLA and Maryland.

This is what Dawn Staley’s team has done all season. As the top team in the nation, they’ve dominated the teams that they should put into the dirt while constantly locking in to defeat the tougher opponents. For how tough their road to the Final Four has been, they haven’t faced a team soaring quite like the Hawkeyes yet.

Iowa took that massive loss to Maryland at the end of the season personally. After that 96-68 loss to the Terps, the Hawks have rattled off eight straight victories. They’ve seemingly hit that next level this postseason, set to prove that their second seed doesn’t mean a thing. They’re out to win the whole thing.

If star guard Caitlin Clark has her way, she will cut down the nets when it’s all said and done. The likely Player of the Year exploded in the Hawkeyes’ Elite Eight matchup against Louisville, with the first-ever 40-point triple-double in an NCAA Tournament game.

On the other side is the mighty undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks. Led by Dawn Staley and reigning Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, they aren’t keen on giving up their crown just yet. They want a repeat.

Ahead of possibly the biggest matchup in NCAA women’s basketball history, here is a look at South Carolina.

Selection Sunday: Winners (the ACC) and losers (Columbia) from the women’s bracket

It was a good night for the ACC, but a bit of a bummer for UNC.

The NCAA Tournament field for women’s college basketball is set.

We have 68 teams that punched their tickets to March Madness – 32 automatic qualifiers and 36 at-large selections chosen by the NCAA’s committee.

Our four No. 1 seeds are, in order: South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford.

And the last four teams to get in were: Purdue, St. John’s, Illinois and Mississippi State.

You can download For The Win’s official printable bracket here, and check out each team’s odds to win it all. But before we make our predictions on who is going to Dallas, let’s break down what the committee got right and wrong, and who the winners and losers are from Selection Sunday.

Haley Jones on her ‘sketchy’ experiences playing the Pac-12 tourney in Vegas and how she limits sports betting noise

Being shouted at in a casino doesn’t sound fun.

With sports betting legal in over 30 U.S. states, there aren’t many athletes who don’t periodically hear from a fan or two about how their performances impacted a bet.

Those usually one-sided interactions are typically limited to social media or during games. Especially for an athlete based in a state where betting isn’t legal, like Stanford basketball star Haley Jones. So, as you can imagine, playing a game in Las Vegas is a different experience than what she’s used to.

Vegas has hosted the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament since 2019. Up until this year, Stanford had reached the final each time, winning the last two. This year’s team had its time shortened with a semifinal loss to UCLA, but that didn’t make the betting chatter any less noticeable.

“We’re walking through the casino to get to our games, and there’s the betting stations and this and that, and I can feel people’s eyes on me and I’m like, ‘Oh gosh, your money is in my hands. That’s sketchy,'” Jones said in a conversation with FTW about her new podcast, Sometimes I Hoop. “I feel like people just take it more intense since they have something personal on the line. After games, if I’m walking through the casino after we lose or after we win, they’re like, ‘Oh, you won me this. Oh, you lost me that.’ And I’m just like, what the heck. I was just over here trying to get back and get to post-game meal and shower. I don’t need you shouting at me right now. So I think it’s definitely created a different environment.”

That environment is likely more intense for a team like Stanford that has achieved so much in Jones’ four years on campus. The Cardinal have been to each of the last two Final Fours, winning it all Jones’ sophomore year. As this year’s tournament approaches, their +700 title odds at DraftKings are second only to undefeated South Carolina.

As legal betting has exploded during that time, conversations about lines have even penetrated Jones’ own circle. But if you plan on chatting her up about point spreads and parlays, just know she hasn’t caught up on all the lingo.

“My brother, he’ll be on ESPN like ‘Oh my gosh, you guys are up this, down that.’ And I’m like, I don’t know what any of that means, so awesome,” the 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player said. “But I think fans are in some cases more into it because they have money on the line. So it’s a lot more intense of a crowd.”

That noise spills over on to social media, but Jones has found a way to filter it out.

“You definitely get tagged and whatnot, but there’s different security and privacy things that I’ve been able to put on my account so I’m not just getting tagged in a million hate messages of ‘Haley, you lost me $1,000!'”

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Q&A: Stanford’s Haley Jones is on the precipice of an exciting new chapter, but first she wants to go out on top

Haley Jones has a lot to look forward to, but she’s trying to stay grounded.

Haley Jones is doing her best to stay in the moment.

The 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player and national champion has a chance to do something special one last time. Stanford is projected as a No. 1 seed for a third straight Women’s NCAA Tournament. The senior would love nothing more than to reach a third Final Four and go out on top.

But no matter when Jones’ illustrious college career comes to an end, she’ll be ready for what’s next.

Jones will be one of the first names off the board in April’s WNBA draft. She’s also dipping her toes into another future career, launching a podcast with The Players’ Tribune called Sometimes I Hoop. The podcast allows Jones to shine a light on her fellow basketball stars through conversations about their experiences on the court and interests away from the game. She’s already interviewed players like Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

FTW had a chance to chat with Jones about the podcast, her own hobbies, March Madness and more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Oregon’s NCAA outlook after loss to Stanford in Pac-12 tournament

Things are looking good for the Oregon women’s basketball team where the NCAA tourney is concerned.

The biggest question on the minds of the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team is whether they have done enough in order to get into the NCAA tournament.

With a NET ranking of 19, a 17-14 overall record, and wins in three of their last four, the Ducks are squarely on that proverbial bubble. The common thought was that if Oregon had a good showing in the Pac-12 tournament, the Ducks should be in.

The Ducks managed to defeat Washington 52-50 in the opening round and hung with Stanford before going down 76-65. At one point in the third quarter, Oregon was within six of the Cardinal.

Kelly Graves’ team also may need some help from around the country and for now, it seems like that help came in the form of North Carolina State. In the ACC tourney, the Wolfpack stomped Syracuse 83-58. According to ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme, that loss popped the Orange’s bubble and sent the Ducks in.

Being “the last team” in the tournament, Oregon would play in the First Four, which is held March 15-16. Unfortunately for the Ducks, all they can do is wait and see and hopefully things continue to fall their way. The brackets are announced Sunday, March 12 on ESPN.

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WBB recap: Strong second half may be enough to impress NCAA committee

It’s a loss, but Oregon’a 76-65 loss to Stanford in the Pac-12 quarterfinals could be enough to impress the NCAA tournament committee.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team is going to look back upon this loss to Stanford and wonder “what if?”

Oregon played the Cardinal straight up in the second half, but a poor first half was enough to send the Ducks out of the Pac-12 tourney with a 76-65 loss to the Cardinal.

Coming into the game, the Ducks had a NET ranking of 19 and with this relatively close loss to the No. 1 seeded Cardinal, Oregon may have done just enough to get into the Big Dance. We won’t know if that’s the case until next weekend.

The Ducks can point to winning their three previous games before this loss, including a victory over ranked Arizona.

Te-Hina Paopao led Oregon with career-high 28 points, including going 7-of-10 from long range. Endyia Rogers added 15, but she struggled the entire day against the Stanford defense. She was 6-of-25 from the field and as a team, the Ducks were just 20-of-68 shooting as a team.

On the other side of the court, the Ducks had no answer for Cameron Brink, who almost got her second triple-double against Oregon this season. The Stanford center scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had eight assists.

After falling down 37-24 in the first half, the Ducks got hot in the third quarter and at one point, they were within six of Stanford on Paopao’s three-pointer. But Brink came off the bench and went on a run for themselves and the deficit quickly went back to 13 by the time the quarter ended.

To the Ducks’ credit, they never let the game completely get away from them and wound up outscoring Stanford 41-39 in the second half.

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Oregon women’s basketball a 4-seed in early NCAA tourney projections

As things stand, the Oregon women’s basketball team is set to be a 4-seed and have Eugene be a site for the NCAA tournament.

It’s been a successful season thus far for the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team and the first projections for the NCAA tournament reflect it.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme’s bracketology is out and right now, the Ducks are a 4-seed and will open the tourney with 13-seed UNLV in Eugene. 5-seed Oklahoma and 12-seed South Dakota State are also projected to play inside Matthew Knight Arena.

Oregon, as are 31 other teams, will be in the Seattle Regional. This is a major change in the structure of the tournament. There are just two regional sites with Greensboro, SC being the other site that would host a whole Sweet 16. This is how ESPN explains it:

The women’s NCAA tournament will undergo significant change for the second consecutive season. The field expanded to 68 teams last year. This season, the customary four regional sites have been reduced to two: Seattle and Greenville, South Carolina. The top 16 teams will continue to host the first and second rounds, and the First Four games will again be played at the site of the first-round games to which they feed.

The Final Four is in Dallas.

The other Pac-12 teams included are Stanford (1-seed) 2 Utah (2-seed), UCLA (3-seed), Arizona (5-seed), and Colorado (10-seed).

Oregon State and USC are officially on the bubble.

Of course, there are still two months left in the regular season and a lot can change over that time, for better or worse.

At 11-3 overall, the Ducks have plenty of time to increase that seed and they will continue Pac-12 play this weekend by going down to the desert to take on Arizona State and Arizona.

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