Tag: NCAA tournament 2023

Angel Reese recreated her ring-finger taunt with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase

Angel Reese recreated her famous ring-finger taunt with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase at LSU’s spring football game.

At the LSU spring football game on Saturday, one new national champion got to celebrate with a couple of established champions.

LSU women’s basketball star Angel Reese has had quite the April, winning a women’s college basketball title with the Tigers and making it all the way to being impersonated on Saturday Night Live.

Reese’s stellar on-court play and hilarious trash-talking ability have gotten plenty of notice as of late.

She was even able to recreate her famous ring-finger taunt at Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with former LSU quarterback and national championship winner Joe Burrow. He did the same gesture with Clark on the sideline at Tiger Stadium on Saturday.

Reese also snapped a photo doing the recreation with former LSU wideout Ja’Marr Chase.

All three of these LSU athletics legends have plenty to be proud of with their time as Tigers, and Reese will be returning to the court this fall to help LSU defend its national title.

As for Burrow and Chase, they’re together with the Cincinnati Bengals trying to chase down another ring, this time at the NFL level.

UConn is so much better at winning titles than everyone’s favorite college basketball teams it’s not even funny

And the stats back it up, too

Every year in March, we’re always talking about the same teams regarding the NCAA Tournament.

It’s Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky and the like. All the schools everyone loves to call the “bluebloods” of college basketball. Each of them has a rich, storied history in the sport, so it’s reasonable for people to hold them in reverence.

But when you look at the numbers, it’s hard to figure out why newly minted national champion UConn is never included in so many conversations.

The March Madness champion will (almost definitely!) be one of these 8 NCAA men’s teams

With Monday night’s championship win, UConn’s men’s basketball team has truly begun to run laps around everyone’s favorite schools. The school has won five championships in the last 25 years.

The school stands alone in that. 

Three of those titles came within the last 12 years, including the 2011 Kemba Walker run.

It’s also worth noting that the school has managed to do this under the leadership of 3 different coaches during this run. Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie and, now, Dan Hurley.

That’s some pretty incredible stuff. Let’s be honest — it’s probably much better than what your favorite school has done in the same time.

If you didn’t consider UConn a blueblood of college basketball before, you absolutely have to now. It’s impossible to deny the program’s success — especially when you stack it up against the schools that we consider the creme of the crop in college basketball now.

UConn is not only among the best, but it’s better than the best. Next time, if we treat them like it, we might not be so surprised if the school makes another title run.

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Watch the latest One Shining Moment to cap off March Madness 2023

ONE SHINING MOMENT ALERT

One of the best traditions in all of sports has once again come and gone.

Every men’s NCAA tournament ends with a heartwarming montage of all of the best moments from the postseason, set to the song “One Shining Moment” by Luther Vandross. 

This year’s “One Shining Moment” video is as glorious as you’d expect, complete with all the upsets, buzzer-beaters, heartaches and celebrations that made this March Madness run one to remember.

Whether it’s watching No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson shock the world or Lamont Butler hit a game-winning shot for San Diego State in the Final Four, there are plenty of amazing moments to look back on this year.

Like, c’mon, what’s better than that? You can watch last year’s “One Shining Moment” to refresh yourself on what once was and enjoy this year’s version as many times as you’d like.

Congratulations to the UConn Huskies for taking home this year’s title, and we’ll see who is left celebrating at the end of next year’s “One Shining Moment.”

In the meantime, let’s just all break out our calendars and cross off the days until the next March Madness.

Jim Nantz’s final men’s March Madness signoff was perfect and made everyone so emotional

Jim Nantz had us all in our feelings as he signed off for the last time from March Madness.

As the 2023 men’s NCAA tournament closed on Monday night, college basketball fans got one last goodbye from CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz.

The longtime NCAA tournament fixture recently shared that he was leaving CBS’ coverage of March Madness after more than three decades on the mic.

Nantz got quite a hero’s welcome as he prepared to call his last Final Four, and he become emotional as he signed off with a spin on his classic catchphrase, “Hello, friends.” 

“Thank you for being my friend,” an emotional Nantz told the CBS viewers as his voice trembled a bit.

It was the perfect way for folks at home to say goodbye to Nantz covering one of the biggest sports celebrations of the spring.

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Angel Reese received an elite Old Bay care package after LSU’s national championship win

The Maryland native previously said she isn’t “messing around with the creole stuff.”

Angel Reese had already established herself as one of the top players in women’s college basketball entering the NCAA tournament. After leading LSU to its first national title — setting the NCAA single-season double-doubles record and winning tournament MVP in the process — she’s a household name.

Reese is one of nine new players LSU added entering the season. A transfer from Maryland and Baltimore native, she quickly acclimated to the culture of her new home, adopting the nickname “Bayou Barbie.”

That doesn’t mean she’s lost touch with her roots, however. Ahead of the Sweet 16, she took a stand on the superiority of the seasoning back in Maryland.

“They don’t know about the blue crabs in Baton Rouge,” Reese told The Baltimore Banner. “They don’t season it. They don’t know. She doesn’t know … And it’s Old Bay. I’m not messing around with the creole stuff.”

It seems Old Bay took notice.

Per Reese’s Instagram story, she received a pretty sweet care package that included a friendly jab at Louisianian cuisine.

Now, Reese will have properly seasoned blue crabs to go with her newly acquired championship ring.

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Charles Barkley wore a big, goofy cowboy hat during UConn-SDSU pregame coverage

Charles Barkley wore a big, goofy cowboy hat ahead of the men’s NCAA tournament championship.

Charles Barkley sported quite the hat while discussing Monday night’s 2023 men’s NCAA tournament championship.

With the anticipated clash between Connecticut and San Diego State taking place in Houston, Texas, Barkley wore a big, red cowboy hat while co-hosting the CBS pregame show.

“You’ve got a 10-gallon hat with a 20-gallon head,” Barkley’s longtime co-host Kenny Smith joked during the segment.

Barkley has never shied away from his sillier side, and this national championship headwear certainly honored the grand spirit of the Lone Star State. Plus, it was just downright hilarious.

You know, we all win with big, goofy cowboy hats!

Big hats are always funny, and they’ve recently been popularized with professional athletes.

Barkley has taken the big hat trend and added the Texas spin to it, and you can bet that big, goofy cowboy hat sales will soar now with this kind of national exposure!

Well, maybe not, but if you’ve got the confidence to pull one of those off, you certainly deserve a tip of the cap.

Angel Reese could not believe Jill Biden’s suggestion that Iowa join LSU at the White House

Should Jill Biden’s idea that Iowa join LSU at the White House actually happen? Angel Reese doesn’t seem to think so.

After attending Sunday’s 2023 women’s NCAA tournament championship, First Lady Jill Biden said on Monday she wants both teams to attend the White House ceremony later this year.

While LSU won this year’s tournament, the first lady said she hopes President Joe Biden will also invite Iowa to attend the eventual celebration at the nation’s capitol.

“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do. So, we hope LSU will come,” she said, via AP. “But, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.”

It’s never been customary for championship losers to visit the White House alongside the winners. However, the first lady seems interested in amending tradition to honor Iowa women’s basketball and its stellar tournament run behind AP National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark.

Well, LSU star sophomore forward Angel Reese saw the idea and couldn’t take the first lady’s suggestion very seriously.

While the first lady certainly means well with her suggestion, the whole point of winning a championship is getting to celebrate the exclusivity of being a champion.

We’ll see if this actually happens, but Iowa attending the White House ceremony would make much more sense if they had, y’know, actually won.

LSU’s Alexis Morris showed plenty of respect to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark ahead of title game

It’s all love between LSU’s Alexis Morris and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.

Ahead of Sunday’s 2023 women’s NCAA tournament championship between LSU and Iowa, two of the game’s top players exchanged in a really cool meeting.

LSU’s Alexis Morris and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark were soon to be rivals on the court, but Morris couldn’t help but talk about how excited she was to meet Clark, the AP National Player of the Year.

While Morris called out what she felt was Clark’s “disrespectful” defensive playing style before Sunday’s contest, it was all love as the two greeted each other during the week.

LSU and Iowa clearly have a lot of admiration for each other, even when the competitive side comes out on the hardwood.

It would be LSU who hoisted the trophy in a surprising upset, but both teams certainly have a lot to be proud of for what was one of the biggest women’s NCAA tournaments of recent memory.

It’s very possible these two teams will see each other again next spring in next year’s tournament.

Angel Reese and Seimone Augustus shared an awesome moment after LSU’s championship win

LSU basketball past and present embraced after the program’s first women’s NCAA tournament victory.

LSU women’s basketball legend Seimone Augustus shared a wonderful embrace with 2023 women’s NCAA tournament star Angel Reese after the Tigers won this year’s national title.

Augustus is one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players of all time, winning four WNBA titles with the Minnesota Lynx. Her No. 33 is retired by both LSU and Minnesota.

Her alma mater also put up a statue in her honor outside of its basketball arena this past January.

Of course, Augustus was on hand for LSU’s historic title win on Sunday against Iowa, and she shared in a really awesome hug with Reese after the victory. Augustus also shared some NSFW praise for Reese on the win.

NSFW language to follow. 

Well, isn’t that just the coolest thing? LSU past and present embracing in such a fantastic moment for the program really is what March Madness is all about.

Reese will join Augustus in LSU women’s basketball history, and they’ll get to celebrate now in the school’s historic title.

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Caitlin Clark tearfully reflected on her legacy after women’s NCAA tournament finals loss

Caitlin Clark had amazing perspective after Iowa lost in the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament championship to LSU.

Iowa women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark wanted to put her historic March Madness in perspective on Sunday.

After her team’s 102-85 loss to LSU in the 2023 women’s NCAA tournament championship, Clark talked about how she hoped her team’s postseason run inspired those back at home.

Clark has been very involved in charitable efforts with Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, and you could tell how much it means for her to inspire young girls all over the globe.

“I want my legacy to be the impact that I have on young kids and the people in the state of Iowa,” Clark shared,” and I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope this team brought them a lot of joy.

“I understand we came up one win short, but I think we have a lot to be proud of and a lot to celebrate. I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream, and you can be in moments like this.”

This was a really sweet moment for Clark, whose incredible tournament run will never be forgotten in the women’s basketball world and beyond.

Even though the team came up short, Clark’s moving words sum up why it’s always bigger than just the game.

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