Tag: NCAA Women’s Basketball

Kim Mulkey threatens lawsuit against Washington Post in scathing remarks ahead of rumored report

The LSU coach, predictably, is unhappy about a rumored forthcoming report about her

With a tone of fire, bluster and outrage, LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey took aim at The Washington Post during an unprompted interruption in her press conference on Saturday ahead of the reigning national champs’ second-round NCAA tournament matchup with No. 11 MTSU.

Mulkey, who has been the coach at LSU since 2021 and won three national titles with Baylor before then, is no stranger to controversy.

On Friday afternoon, Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde hinted that a substantial story about Mulkey was coming from one of his competitors. This is the first that the general public had heard of such a report coming from The Washington Post.

That tweet from Forde came after LSU had beaten Rice, 70-60, in the Tigers’ NCAA tournament opener. So, the first time reporters had seen Mulkey since was Saturday afternoon, during her scheduled press conference.

Before a reporter got the chance to pose a question to Mulkey about this rumored report, she addressed it while reading from statement in front of her.

Mulkey painted the rumored story as a “hit piece” and said the unnamed reporter had been working on it for two years. She added that it was an attempt by the reporter “to distract us from this tournament.”

The 61-year-old coach with more than 700 wins and an affinity for outlandish outfits then threatened the newspaper with a lawsuit:

“I’m fed up, and I’m not going to let The Washington Post attack this university, this awesome team of young women I have, or me without a fight. I’ve hired the best defamation law firm in the country, and I will sue The Washington Post if they publish a false story about me. Not many people are in a position to hold these kinds of journalists accountable, but I am, and I’ll do it.”

Mulkey did not address the story any further and wasn’t directly asked any more about it by the reporters in the room, according to the transcript provided by the NCAA.

It’s hard to say what Mulkey accomplished with her statement, but it certainly increased the anticipation and desire to read the alleged story, which has yet to be published.

Iowa State’s Audi Crooks broke a remarkable record and drew praise from Aliyah Boston in her March Madness debut

A player from the state of Iowa scored 40 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, and it wasn’t Caitlin Clark.

The opening night of the women’s NCAA tournament belonged to Audi Crooks, a freshman post player for Iowa State.

Her No. 7 Cyclones trailed No. 10 Maryland by as much as 20 points on Friday night in Palo Alto, California. And then, Crooks put the team on her back. The 6-foot-3 Iowa native – the first player in program history to earn an AP All-America honorable mention as a freshman – scored a career-high 40 points on 18-of-20 shooting to lead the Cyclones to a 93-86 win.

Crooks scored 22 of those points in the second half on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting. Iowa State kept giving her the ball and she kept scoring.

The 40 points scored by Crooks are the most by any player in their first NCAA tournament game in at least 25 years, according to ESPN. Crooks’ performance, which also included 12 rebounds, helped Iowa State complete the second-largest comeback victory in the history of the tournament – topped only by Texas A&M’s 21-point comeback win over Penn in 2017.

Crooks is also, according to ESPN, the first player in NCAA tournament history with at least 40 points on 90% shooting.

“She dropped 40 on 20 shots. That’s pretty eye-popping right there. It was a special night for her,” said Iowa State point guard Emily Ryan, who had 14 assists. “I think that’s just a credit to the attention that Audi draws inside. When we throw it in there, she gets it every time and she finishes it so well.”

And Crooks’ big game garnered her praise from fans, media and some of the sport’s brightest stars.

Crooks’ performance also called for a wild celebration:

And it made Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly reminisce about the Mexican restaurant he ate at while he visited with Crooks on a recruiting trip:

This writer would also like to point out that Crooks made one of his bold predictions come true.

What is a ‘road runner’ in women’s basketball? Fairfield explains its unique position group

They are not forwards or centers or posts. They are simply road runners and they’re important to the Stags’ success. Meep meep.

The Fairfield Stags are one of the best women’s college basketball teams in the country this year, and that’s not hyperbole. The team coached by Carly Thibault-DuDonis is ranked 25th in the latest AP Top 25 Poll and they have won 29 straight games – a winning streak this season that is second only to the undefeated 33-0 South Carolina Gamecocks.

And a big part of Fairfield’s success this season has been because of their road runners.

Now, you might be wondering: What’s a road runner?

If you take a look at Fairfield’s roster, you’ll notice that there are guards and road runners. There are no forwards, no centers, no posts.

The road runners range in size from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-2. And they do the things you would want a forward, center or post to do – like score efficiently inside, block shots and grab rebounds – but, hence the name, they also run the floor too. And they pass. And they get steals. And they do it all extremely well.

It’s best to let the Stags explain, which they did on Friday in Bloomington, Indiana, ahead of their NCAA tournament opener against the Hoosiers:

“Our road runners are just stupid athletic,” said Janelle Brown, who is not a road runner, but a guard. “Like, just they can defend, they can play offense. It don’t matter. They’re just everywhere. Meep-meep.”

Emina Selimovic: “So, we’re not your typical forwards or posts. Yeah, you know, we have length and, you know, inside we can – we have our game, but we can also run the floor and stretch the floor. And I think that’s what a road runner is, as Coach Blake likes to call us. We aren’t, like I said, your typical post that just stays in from block to block and just, you know — we can stretch the floor, and we’re almost like a mixture of a guard and a forward.”

Thibault-DuDonis later explained that a program like Fairfield is typically not going to be able to land the same type of post players that a major conference school like Indiana can, like the Hoosiers’ 6-foot-4 forward Mackenzie Holmes.

But the Stags could get players like Selimovic who are, while undersized, very versatile and probably a bit faster than your typical Power Five post.

“So, we knew that, A, we wanted that group to buy in to that identity; and, B, when we go recruiting, nobody wants to be a post player anymore. Some do. Very few,” Thibault-DuDonis said. “And knowing that we would be able to go recruit the type of player that we wanted and knowing that they could come in not be limited on what their role would be and what they can do.”

The term “road runners” for Fairfield’s special position group was actually coined by Blake DuDonis, assistant coach and husband to the Stags’ head coach. For short, they are “the Meeps.”

The best of the Meeps is arguably freshman Meghan Andersen, just one of four players in the country this season averaging at least 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal per game. She does it all, which exactly what Fairfield wants out of its road runners.

Where is the 2024 women’s basketball Final Four?

Hint: LeBron James began his NBA career there.

March is here, which means the women’s college basketball season is closing in on its finish.

The season has been a great one, full thrills and highlights, and one that grew the sport’s audience in leaps and bounds. We’ve seen upsets, like Portland breaking Gonzaga’s long win streak and Maryland’s win over Ohio State. We’ve witnessed excellence in team building as Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks completed a second-straight undefeated regular season (which ended with some fireworks in the SEC Tournament). And we’ve seen individual greatness in Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the owner of the NCAA’s all-time scoring record.

As March Madness gets underway, you might be wondering, where does this season end for the women? Where’s the Final Four?

The answer is Cleveland, Ohio.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Rocket Mortgage Field House — the home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers — will host the Final Four on April 5, and the national championship game on April 7.

ESPN will broadcast this year’s Final Four games at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday night. ABC will then carry the national championship at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

It’s the second time Clevland has hosted the Final Four. In 2007, Pat Summitt’s Tennessee defeated Rutgers there for the national title.

ESPN issued a critical clarification about NCAA tournament suspension fallout from South Carolina-LSU incident

ESPN made the South Carolina-LSU scuffle seem like a catastrophe at first.

The SEC title game was almost a major disaster for both No. 1 South Carolina and No. 8 LSU. Late in the game, an intentional foul on LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson created a wild scuffle that ended with multiple ejections of players because they left their respective bench areas.

MORE: Fans loved how Dawn Staley immediately apologized

For a moment, broadcaster ESPN almost started a panic for the upcoming NCAA tournament by insinuating that every player ejected wouldn’t be able to play in the first round. That, of course, felt like an extreme reaction to what would’ve quickly become one of the biggest and most impactful moments of the entire college basketball season.

Recognizing their error, the broadcast quickly apologized and clarified that only those directly involved in the incident would be suspended, including South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso. Phew.

That’s still not ideal, but considering the number of players stepping in, the alternative would’ve undoubtedly been a catastrophe.

Caitlin Clark recreated an iconic Kobe Bryant photo after winning the Big Ten Championship

A longtime fan of Kobe’s, Clark was down to recreate these images when approached by a freelance photographer.

It wasn’t easy, but Iowa guard Caitlin Clark led the Hawkeyes to their third consecutive Big Ten Tournament title on Sunday by piling up 35 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a 94-89 overtime victory over Nebraska.

After the win, freelance photographer Bri Lewerke approached Clark with an awesome idea: recreating the iconic photos of Kobe Bryant after he won the 2001 Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Clark, a longtime fan of Bryant’s – and someone who wore the exclusive Mambacita Kobe 6s while chasing the all-time scoring record – was totally down to do it.

Here’s the incredible images from Lewerke, side-by-side with the photos of Bryant captured by Jesse D. Garrabrant:

Lewerke is a fantastic photographer who has worked for Nike, SLAM Magazine, Sports Illustrated and more. Stay tuned to her social media accounts for more spectacular photos of Clark and other stars in women’s basketball.

Kamilla Cardoso’s ridiculously unlikely first 3-pointer of her career kept South Carolina’s undefeated season alive

Kamilla Cardoso does not take 3-pointers. But in the SEC Tournament, she did, and it paid off in a big way.

Kamilla Cardoso is an exceptional basketball player. The 6-foot-7 center for South Carolina was recently named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award. She is one of just six players in the country this season averaging at least 12 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 blocks per-game.

Cardoso is a big reason why South Carolina just completed its second straight undefeated season and will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Her defense is incredible, her rebounding is outstanding, her scoring inside is great.

But Cardoso does not hit 3-pointers.

Like, ever.

In 118 collegiate games between her time at Syracuse and South Carolina, Cardoso had attempted just one 3-pointer. Just one. Ever. And she missed it.

But on Saturday in Greenville, South Carolina, in the semifinals on the SEC Tournament, Cardoso was forced to take another one.

The Gamecocks’ undefeated season was on the line. They trailed Tennessee by two points and just 1.1 seconds remained. South Carolina only had time for one shot.

Just on the other side of the halfcourt line, Raven Johnson would be throwing the pass inbounds. Tennessee sagged off her and focused on South Carolina’s shooters. And that Cardoso was drifting toward the perimeter did not seem to both the Volunteers.

Johnson – with the motion a quarterback would use to toss a football – threw the ball to Cardoso, who caught it safely, set her feet just outside the 3-point arc and fired.

The ball kissed the top of the square on the glass, hit the front of the rim and fell through the hoop.

South Carolina 74, Tennessee 71.

Cardoso’s first-ever 3-point shot – made in front of her family from Brazil – kept the Gamecocks’ undefeated streak alive and put them in the SEC Tournament final.

Elizabeth Kitley is officially out for the ACC Tournament. Will the Virginia Tech star return for March Madness?

Elizabeth Kitley is out for the ACC Tournament. Will the All-American center play in the NCAA tournament?

The question on everyone’s minds this week as the Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament got underway in Greensboro, North Carolina was about Elizabeth Kitley.

Would the three-time ACC Player of the Year suit up for the top-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies after injuring her left leg?

Fans got an answer on Friday. Kitley – the only player in the country this season averaging at least 22 points and 11 rebounds per game – did not dress for Virginia Tech’s win over Miami in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, and Hokies’ coach Kenny Brooks said afterwards that she would not play at all in Greensboro:

“First and foremost, her health and safety is everything that we’re worried about, and no basketball game or games or anything is going to supersede that. So, we’re going to make sure. We’re taking it slow. Rehab is going well. She’s diligently rehabbing. We made the decision – she will not play this tournament, regardless of how far we go. No offense, but we really feel like we want to focus and really make that run that we did last year. So, another week is going to be able to do some wonders, not only from a physical standpoint but from an emotional standpoint. She will not play this tournament, the rest of the tournament, and then we will reevaluate when the time is right next week and see where we go.”

Based on what Brooks said, this much is clear: The Hokies have high aspirations of making a deep run in the NCAA tournament after appearing the Final Four for the first time ever last season. And he’s at least hopeful that – with what will be about two-and-half weeks of rest and rehab – that Kitley will be able to play for the Hokies when they get to the Big Dance.

What is still unclear is what kind of injury Kitley suffered and how severe it is.

Kitley – recently named an All-American by the Athletic, and a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award – suffered the injury during the third quarter of Virginia Tech’s loss at rival Virginia last Sunday. Kitley’s left leg seemed to buckle after she landed upon scoring on a transition layup. She was helped off the court and did not return to the game.

In her absence on Friday in the ACC Tournament, freshman forward Clara Strack played 27 minutes at center and finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Senior forward Olivia Summiel led the Hokies in rebounding with eight. Georgia Amoore – a star in her own right – powered Virginia Tech to a 55-47 victory with 27 points.

“We knew without the presence of Liz on the floor to lock down and get as many boards as we could,” Summiel told For The Win. “I definitely felt like I needed to bring that today… I think we really had to band together as a team and (Kitley’s injury) has brought us even closer. We might not have our franchise player out there, but you know, we’re going to do it for her and make things work.”

Will Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley play in the women’s ACC Tournament?

Elizabeth Kitley is on track to win her third straight ACC Player of the Year award. But will she play in Greensboro?

Virginia Tech’s Elizabeth Kitley has continued to prove this season that she is one of the best players in all of women’s college basketball.

The fifth-year, 6-foot-6 center is the two-time reigning ACC Player of the Year and could win her third this week, joining the likes of former ACC greats Alana Beard and Alyssa Thomas as the only players to win the conference’s highest individual honor three times. Kitley is armed with a lethal turnaround jumper, a knack for rebounding, an instinct for shot-blocking and a smooth shot. She’s the only player in the country averaging at least 22 points and 11 rebounds per game this season.

Kitley helped Virginia Tech win its first-ever ACC Tournament title last season, guided it to its first ever Final Four appearance last spring, and led the Hokies to their first-ever regular season ACC title this year.

Simply put: with Kitley at center, the Hokies have gone places and achieved things they never have before. ESPN’s College GameDay on Feb. 25 for the Hokies’ sold-out game against North Carolina, making Cassell Coliseum the first ACC venue the women’s basketball version of the show has visited.

But it’s unclear if Kitley is going to play this week in Greensboro, N.C., at the ACC Tournament, where the Hokies are the No. 1 seed.

Amidst the then-ranked No. 5 Hokies being upset by rival Virginia on Sunday in Charlottesville, Kitley went down midway through the third quarter with what looked to be an apparent non-contact injury to her left leg. She returned to the bench after being helped off the floor, but not to the game.

Afterwards, Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks didn’t have much of an update on her:

“I don’t know Kitley’s status. To be honest with you, that’s where my mind is… It’s not a concussion. I’m not going to be able to give you guys anything, out of respect for her… We’re praying for her. My mind is there.”

Brooks spoke to reporters again on Monday afternoon during a Zoom call with all ACC coaches, but he didn’t have many more details to offer about Kitley’s status, saying:

“We don’t know anything yet. Just waiting and praying for good results… We’re going to get everyone’s best shot regardless of who’s on the floor… If that is the case [that Kitley is out] it has to be next person up, because the games will still go on… My mind is in a lot of different places right now. It’s not in the normal mode that you would be as if you were preparing.”

Unfortunately for fans of the ACC, it could be the second consecutive season that the conference tournament’s No. 1 seed will be without its best player. Last year, it was Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles that went down in the regular season finale with a knee injury. Miles hasn’t played for Notre Dame since.

Fairfield made a clever resume to apply for a spot in the women’s AP Top 25 Poll, and it worked

A team like Fairfield, equipped with a player like Meghan Andersen, is one that can bust brackets in March.

I’ve been voting for Fairfield on my Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball ballot for the past eight weeks. And there’s been several reasons why.

The Stags are 26-1 this season, which is the second-best record in all of Division I women’s college basketball, behind only undefeated South Carolina. Fairfield is also the 16th best shooting team in the country, knocking down 46.8% of their shots from the floor. Their defense is good too, as the Stags allow just 0.69 points per play, which is sixth-best in the nation.

While my fellow voters were slow to hop on the bandwagon driven by freshman forward Meghan Andersen and second-year head coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, the Stags took it upon themselves to inform the general public about the best team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

On Sunday, Fairfield – with an old-fashioned resume and a bit of wit– applied for a spot in the AP and USA Today Coaches polls.

And it worked.

When the latest AP Top 25 Poll debuted at noon on Monday, the Stags – who have won 24 games in a row – held the final spot in the top 25 with 60 voting points. Fairfield is the first team from the MAAC to be ranked in the AP Poll since Marist appeared more than a decade ago.

Thibault-DuDonis was elated to see her program in the national spotlight:

“This is a momentous occasion for our program. I came to Fairfield knowing it was a special place with the infrastructure, the support from the top and incredible people that was set up to be in the national conversation every season, so this is a huge step in that happening. We are grateful that our consistency has been rewarded by the voters and we’re going to keep working hard so that today isn’t a crescendo, but rather a launching point to even bigger accomplishments.”

While Fairfield has a program-record 26 wins – and has a handful of impressive wins over the likes of Rutgers and St. John’s – it will still need to win the MAAC Tournament for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Should the Stags get a coveted spot in the 68-team field, they shouldn’t be taken lightly.

A team equipped with a player like Andersen is one that can bust brackets in March. She’s one of just two players in the country averaging at least 16 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the floor, 38% from 3-point land and 85% from the charity stripe.