Tag: ncaa tournament

Purdue basketball can break the Big Ten’s horrid streak in national title games

The Big Ten has a terrible record in national championship games since 2002:

The Big Ten’s Purdue Boilermakers will play in the NCAA Tournament national championship Monday night against the UConn Huskies — the No. 1 overall seed and defending national champion.

UConn is looking for history. Florida was the last team to repeat as national champions back in 2006-2007, plus the Huskies are looking for a second consecutive tournament run with every win being by double-digits.

Related: Evaluating the Big Ten’s next targets for conference expansion

Purdue, on the other hand, is looking to reverse the Big Ten’s recent horrid performance in the title game. The conference has sent members to 13 of the last 25 Final Fours and seven of the last 21 title games. It does not have a national championship in that span, somehow, despite being arguably the nation’s best basketball conference.

As preparations are made for the title game on Monday night, here is the Big Ten’s history in the title game since 2000:

With the Big Ten on their backs, Purdue advances to NCAA Tournament’s championship game

Purdue basketball is on the national championship in the NCAA Tournament.

On Saturday, Purdue continued its national championship run with a 63-50 win over NC State. The Boilermakers are one win from making history and the program’s first NCAA title.

While NC State defied the odds to make it to the Final Four, they had no answer for Purdue and their talented center, Zach Edey. The Toronto native continued to dominate with a team-high 20 points and 12 rebounds. Along with his teammates, Edey is now ready to play on the biggest stage in college basketball, a moment he has been dreaming about.

“The reason I came back is for playing games like this,” Edey told ESPN. “It’s the reason I’m playing college basketball for four years, to finally get this game, big-time.”

Livin’ for one more day. pic.twitter.com/opnYU1yOaq

— Purdue Men’s Basketball (@BoilerBall) April 7, 2024

Although Edey dominated on the boards, Purdue was able to pull away late due to its success from beyond the arc. The Boilermakers shot 40 percent from three-point range, while NC State shot 26.3. For Purdue, Fletcher Loyer came up huge in those situations, making three of his five shots from three-point range.

[lawrence-related id=37057,37172,37169]

After a one-day hiatus, Purdue will be back in action on Monday night to take on UConn. Entering the National Championship, UConn is the favorite, according to ESPN. The Huskies will be looking to win their second straight title and sixth in school history.

Lisa Bluder celebrates Iowa’s warrior, Kate Martin

After her late-game heroics and toughness in the Hawkeyes’ win vs. UConn, Lisa Bluder and Iowa paid homage to its “warrior,” Kate Martin.

As The Glue typically does, graduate guard Kate Martin came up with several massive plays down the stretch of the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ Final Four win over UConn.

Martin scored six fourth-quarter points on a pair of fadeaway jumpers and a driving floater. The 6-foot guard’s first fadeaway jumper came with 6:25 remaining to put Iowa up by seven, 64-57, as Martin faded away from UConn guard Paige Bueckers.

Then, in the game’s final three minutes, Martin came up with back-to-back key buckets that gave the Hawkeyes a six-point lead on each offensive trip.

Martin netted another fadeaway jumper over UConn’s Bueckers as she drove to the block, pivoted and faded away, sinking the fallaway jumper to put Iowa in front, 68-62, with 2:57 remaining.

On Iowa’s ensuing possession, Martin took the basketball on a handoff from fifth-year guard Gabbie Marshall. She drove and spun past UConn defender Ashlynn Shade, floating home to put the Hawkeyes in front, 70-64, with 2:14 left to play.

All of this came after Martin’s nose was bloodied by UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards’ elbow on Edwards’ basket that tied the basketball game at 47 apiece with 2:19 remaining in the third quarter. Martin fell to the floor in a heap and spent a brief moment being attended to in Iowa’s locker room.

Of course, Martin returned and authored several of the game’s biggest plays for the Hawkeyes. Martin finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals against the Huskies.

Afterward, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder tipped her cap to her captain’s toughness and magical playmaking.

“Kate Martin, what a warrior. That kid, she was not going to be denied in that fourth quarter. Some of those takes she had to the basket, turnarounds, strong jumpers.

“I don’t know what happened to her nose. But, we obviously all saw a lot of blood. That poor kid has broken her nose I think every single year she’s been at Iowa. But, she’s a warrior, she’s a leader, she’s the heart and soul of our team,” Bluder said.

Iowa senior guard Caitlin Clark likewise applauded Martin’s resiliency and how the Edwardsville, Ill, native encapsulates what it means to be a Hawkeye.

“Well, poor Kate has gone quite a while without breaking her nose and having blood gush out of it. And then, in one of her last career games, she’s on the floor and she has hurt her nose again. I don’t know if it’s broken or not, but I think Kate’s just toughness, resiliency and leadership is the biggest thing. You see it, Kate’s a pro player. You see her game, she’s hitting fadeaway jump shots, she’s going at people.

“The way she took over at the end of the fourth, she came up with, I think, six straight points for us. I’m just so proud of her. She’s worked so hard over the course of this offseason. She knew she was going to be a focal point for us on offense, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’s had a long career. All she’s ever dreamed of is being an Iowa Hawkeye, and she embodies that every single day,” Clark said.

With one more performance like what Martin authored against UConn, Iowa just might be cutting down the nets in Cleveland as the national champion.

Iowa will battle South Carolina for the national championship at 2 p.m. CT on ABC from inside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

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Iowa Hawkeyes vs. UConn Huskies garners ESPN’s largest-ever basketball viewership

Another record for Iowa. A total of 14.2 million people tuned in to Iowa vs. UConn, making it ESPN’s most-viewed basketball game ever.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are no stranger to entering unchartered territory and they have done so once again. Their Final Four victory over UConn once again set the gold standard for basketball.

Iowa and UConn battled to a 71-69 Hawkeyes’ victory that punched their ticket to a second national championship game in a row, and they did so in front of one of the biggest audiences ever.

The stadium was sold out, but even more eyes watched on TV. The Iowa Hawkeyes and UConn Huskies’ Final Four matchup set the record for ESPN’s most-viewed basketball game — men’s, women’s, NBA or WNBA — of all time with 14.2 million viewers.

Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported this game was ESPN’s second-largest audience for a non-football game in network history.

These monster numbers continue to demonstrate the massive growth that the women’s college basketball game is experiencing. Fans are flocking to arenas and countless eyes are tuning in on TV to see stars take the court time and time again.

While this game has shattered every record, the national championship on Sunday afternoon against the South Carolina Gamecocks will be broadcast on ABC. It could elevate every record to an untouchable level.

Nonetheless, the Iowa Hawkeyes have been a draw for fans nationwide to tune in and see them play. The numbers they are putting up for ratings this postseason continue to prove so.

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Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

Watch: Jake Evans’ game-winning goal in 2018 Frozen Four

Remember this?

Not long ago, Notre Dame was a regular contender for national championships. Perhaps that’s why quite a few NHL players today once played in South Bend. Among those is [autotag]Jake Evans[/autotag], who has done pretty well for himself with the Montreal Canadiens. But whatever he does the rest of his career, few feelings will compare to the game-winning goal in the 2018 Frozen Four against Michigan:

As of this writing, it’s been six years and one day since Evans etched himself into Irish lore forever. The Irish ended up losing to Minnesota-Duluth in the national championship game, but Evans contributed to the Irish’s cause in that game with the secondary assist on their lone goal by [autotag]Andrew Oglevie[/autotag].

Perhaps someday, there will be a moment that surpasses this one and ends with the Irish as the last team standing. For the moment though, there is an established precedent that they can get as close as possible without actually winning it all. Most programs would take that in a heartbeat.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

TV ratings experts predict Iowa vs. South Carolina title game could outdraw men’s

There is no denying the Iowa Hawkeyes are one of sports’ biggest draws. Experts believe their title game could outdraw the men’s ratings.

There may not be a hotter ticket in sports this weekend than the Iowa Hawkeyes. They punched their ticket to their second National Championship in a row and are looking to upset the undefeated No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks.

Iowa’s exciting victory over the UConn Huskies in the Final Four has the Hawkeyes getting a second chance at etching their name into women’s college basketball history forever. When tipoff comes Sunday, not only will the stadium be filled, but it may set untouchable records for the ratings and potentially outdraw the men’s title game as some TV experts believe.

Front Office Sports spoke to TV ratings expert Douglas Pucci and he believes that Iowa and South Carolina both advancing has set up a dream scenario views as it has the biggest star in Caitlin Clark trying to get the elusive title going up against the undefeated machine of South Carolina.

If Clark advances, a dream title game matchup between Iowa and unbeaten South Carolina would pull more than 16 million viewers, Pucci predicts, perhaps even outdrawing the men’s championship. – Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

If this prediction holds true, it would shatter every record for women’s basketball and likely set this number at an untouchable place. It would also be higher ratings than what the men’s game last year saw, which was 14.69 million viewers.

The women’s title game also the advantage of airing at a much more fan-friendly time on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. CT while the men’s is on a Monday night at 8:20 p.m. CT.

Whichever way you cut it, Iowa and South Carolina are poised to be playing in front of millions come Sunday. This game should set records for viewership and continuing catapulting the women’s game into a new stratosphere of fandom, viewership, and hype.

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Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

Best photos from Iowa’s legendary Final Four win vs. UConn

Iowa is back into the national championship game. The best photos from the night that was and the celebration that ensued.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (34-4, 15-3 Big Ten) punched their ticket back to the national championship game with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the UConn Huskies (33-6, 18-0 Big East).

After trailing by as many as 12 early, Iowa rallied and topped UConn, 71-69, to advance to a second straight national championship game.

Sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke led Iowa with 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. Senior guard Caitlin Clark added 21 points, 16 of which came after halftime.

“Couldn’t be happier with our performance tonight in the second half. First half was a little rough for us, but you know, we really kept believing, and I’m just so proud of the character of these young women to maintain their composure through some pretty tough times in the first half.

“And we got it to within six at halftime and we felt good about that. I thought Hannah Stuelke was amazing tonight. But we’re really thrilled to be playing in the championship game for the second year in a row,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said afterward.

Iowa’s only other double-figure scorer was graduate guard Kate Martin who fought through a bloody nose to knock down two of the game’s biggest shots in the game’s closing moments.

With Iowa moving on to the national championship game, let’s look back at the incredible night that was with the best photos from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

‘We should have been up more’: Coach K reacts to Elite Eight loss to NC State

“We should be up by double digits,” legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said about the Blue Devils’ six-point halftime lead over NC State last Sunday.

When looking back at Duke’s Elite Eight loss to NC State last Sunday, the easy issues to find came in the second half. When talking about the game on Sirius XM earlier this week, legendary Blue Devils Mike Krzyzewski said the problem came earlier than that.

The five-time national champion said the Blue Devils, who took a 27-21 lead into halftime, should have been up by double-digits at the halfway point.

“I felt we should have been up more,” Krzyzewski said.

Coach K pointed out that, while Duke’s 30.8% shooting percentage in the first half reflected the Wolfpack’s defensive prowess, the Blue Devils were still a perfect nine-for-nine from the free-throw line.

“The thing I worried about was (NC State guard DJ) Horne,” he added. “He’s been a hot player and he didn’t hit anything…But then in the second half, they continued to play really good defense and their offense exploded.”

Sure enough, NC State outscored the Blue Devils 55-37 over the final 20 minutes.

“They outplayed us in the second half,” Coach K said simply.

The irony of where Alabama basketball is preparing for the Final Four

Alabama basketball is gearing up to take on UConn in the Final Four of March Madness in a gym that you wouldn’t believe.

Alabama Crimson Tide basketball won the West Region as the No. 4 seed and is now preparing to take on the top-seeded UConn Huskies in the Final Four. This unprecedented March Madness run by the program is not over yet, as head coach [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] and his team look to advance to the national championship game.

Though UConn arrived in Phoenix, the site of the Final Four, very early Thursday morning, the Crimson Tide has been there since Tuesday, preparing for the biggest game in the program’s history.

A series of photos shared to social media by the Alabama men’s basketball account shows the team, and its many stars like [autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag], [autotag]Grant Nelson[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Pringle[/autotag], [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag] and others, at their temporary practice facility.

The irony of it all is that the Crimson Tide is practicing at the home of Grand Canyon University, the team Alabama defeated in the round of 32 of this year’s tournament.

In response, the Grand Canyon men’s basketball account quoted to post and said “Just lock up when you’re done.”

Alabama defeated Grand Canyon in a physical battle that resulted in a low-scoring thriller that ended with a final score of 72-61.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as the team gets ready to face the UConn Huskies in the Final Four of March Madness.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Joe Girard’s heartfelt message to Clemson fans

Clemson Basketball: Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than senior guard Joe Girard did.

Few players in the history of Clemson basketball left more of an impact in just one season than Joe Girard did.

The Glens Falls, N.Y. native, who transferred to Clemson from Syracuse after legendary coach Jim Boeheim announced his retirement last year, helped lead the Tigers to only their second all-time Elite Eight appearance — and first since 1980.

With his decision to transfer to Clemson, Girard gave the Tigers not only an instant scoring threat; he lended a certain layer of credibility to the program.

Girard averaged 15 points per game for Clemson and played in all 36 contests this season. He had a 25-point night in the Tigers’ ACC opener at Pitt and had nine games with 20 or more points, including a season-high 26 against Boston College on January 13.

Girard scored 19 points in the Tigers’ 89-82 loss to Alabama on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Girard took to social media to issue a special heartfelt message to Clemson fans.

“Clemson family,

“I just wanted to give you all a big thank you! Although I was only here for a year, you guys gave me a home away from home.

“To Coach Brownell & staff, the managers, and my incredible teammates, thank you for giving me another historic run in March Madness capped off with an Elite 8!

“The decision to transfer here was everything I wanted and more.

“I’m proud to be able to call myself a Clemson Tiger for life. Tiger Pride! -JG3 Out”