Tag: NCAAW Tournament

Ryan Ruocco delivered the funniest call of a thrilling Caitlin Clark 3-pointer during LSU vs. Iowa

Ryan Ruocco absolutely nailed this call.

ESPN broadcaster Ryan Ruocco drew arguably the best game of the women’s NCAA tournament so far, as LSU and Iowa finally faced off in the 2024 Elite Eight for a rematch of last year’s national title game.

Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark brought her unreal ability to hit 3-pointers from seemingly anywhere on her side of the court with her on Monday night, as she got the third quarter started off right with a stellar 3-point shot from near the logo.

Ruocco had plenty of Clark 3-point shots to call during the game, and he found a hysterical way to ring this one in. Since this game is being played in Albany, New York, Ruocco yelled “From Schenectady!” after Clark banked the 3-pointer.

Ruocco did as well with the broadcast call here as Clark did with the basket, as the viewers at home had to appreciate the creativity from the ESPN broadcaster to make this Clark thrilling 3-pointer take even more life.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Angel Reese probably wasn’t playing mind games with Caitlin Clark by placing a crown on LSU’s bench

Fans thought Angel Reese was sending a message to Caitlin Clark, but she wears a crown before every LSU game.

The rivalry between arguably the two biggest stars in women’s college basketball — Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese — is set to renew in the Elite Eight on Monday night.

We’re sure to see quite a bit of trash talk between the pair as we did during last year’s national title game, which was won by LSU. But after a pre-game moment caught fire on social media, some fans thought Reese was getting the mind games started early.

While Iowa was warming up, Reese placed a crown on the Tigers’ bench, appearing to send a message to the Clark and the Hawkeyes as they look to get their revenge for last April’s 17-point loss in the national championship game.

Reese wears the same crown during every game’s starting lineup introductions, and she also placed one on LSU’s bench before Saturday’s Sweet 16 win over UCLA.

Though it was nothing out of the ordinary from Reese, that didn’t stop fans from speculating that it was meant to play mind games with Clark and Iowa.

Trash talk between the two is nothing new, and Reese’s viral “Ring Me” celebration at the end of last year’s game has been one of the most lasting college basketball images in recent memory. Reese also mocked Clark’s “you can’t see me” celebration in that game.

Even the Iowa band got in on it before the game, playing the banned LSU anthem “Neck.”

Both have said there’s nothing personal behind the trash talk, merely two of the top competitors in the nation going at it. But personal or not, we’re almost certainly set to see an intense game between the defending champions and the favored Hawkeyes seeking revenge.

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Iowa’s band trolled LSU by playing banned team anthem ‘Neck’ ahead of Elite Eight

The Hawkeyes band is getting in on women’s college basketball’s biggest budding rivalry.

The budding rivalry between LSU and Iowa is one of the most endearing in women’s college basketball at the moment, and it’s set to renew on Monday night.

The two teams will square off in the Elite Eight in Albany, New York, in what will be a rematch of last year’s national title game, which the Tigers won 102-85 to capture their first championship in program history.

Now, they’ll meet again with the prize being a return trip to the Final Four, and Iowa’s band is getting in on the competition.

Ahead of Monday’s game, it was spotted playing “Neck” by Jacques Doucet of WAFB in Baton Rouge. “Neck” is a popular (and now banned) song that the LSU band routinely used to play.

A cover of Cameo’s (and later Dem Franchize Boys’) “Talkin’ Out Da Side of Ya Neck,’ the version by the LSU band was a fixture until it became rare at Tiger games when it was banned in 2010 due to the NSFW chant from the student section that accompanies it.

While not used by the university in an official capacity, it remains a fan favorite. Now, it’s being co-opted to troll them by Iowa, which is seeking revenge in a star-studded matchup between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

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How the NCAA says it fixed the women’s Portland court before UConn-USC Elite Eight game

The NCAA apologized for having unequal 3-point lines and said it was “human error”.

The NCAA’s history of slights and mismanagement during the women’s basketball tournament unfortunately continued in 2024 — with more than one example — but as far as unequal 3-point lines go, it says it fixed the issue.

During the women’s NCAA tournament Elite Eight on Sunday, before NC State and Texas tipped off at the Moda Center in Portland, both teams and officials noticed that the 3-point arcs on opposite sides of the court were different distances. At that point, it was too late to change, and the game carried on with the Wolfpack advancing to the Final Four.

The court that five total women’s games were played on between the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight had one 3-point line that was nine inches shorter at the apex than the other side, the NCAA said in a statement released Monday. That this even happened is an embarrassing and careless oversight, and the NCAA apologized, blaming “human error” and acknowledging it “should have caught the error sooner.”

Part of the NCAA’s statement read:

“The NCAA uses an official supplier, Connor Sports, to produce and install all men’s and women’s basketball predetermined site tournament courts.

For all NCAA courts, a small hole is punched in the floor at each end of the court that indicates ‘center-of-basket’ during the finishing process. A calibrated vinyl-tape device is then placed in the hole, which lays the 2-inch game line to be painted.

After the conclusion of the Elite 8 game and a subsequent team practice, the NCAA worked with a Connor Sports certified technician to inspect the court markings in Portland. Review of the Portland court found the center-hole was punched in the wrong position, which resulted in the incorrect arc measurement for the 3-point line. The center-hole was placed approximately 9 inches from the center of the basket, causing the arc of the 3-point line to be approximately 9 inches short at the apex of the arc. Connor Sports and the NCAA found the inaccurate line was the result of human error by the finisher contracted by Connor Sports. The review also found the sides of the 3-point line were accurately painted, as were all other court markings.”

So how was the court fixed? Per the NCAA’s statement:

“Overnight in Portland, the incorrect 3-point line was painted over with a color that matches as closely as possible with the wood grain of the floor, and the correct 3-point line was painted on in black. This change brings the court into full compliance with NCAA playing rules.”

The unequal 3-point distances was noticeable — and painfully obvious once you saw it — but the lines appear to be the same distance now. The court before Monday:

And the court after the adjustments:

The NCAA also determined that other measurements for the tournament were correct and described this as “an isolated incident.”

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This NFL Films-themed cut of Caitlin Clark’s Sweet 16 passing highlights is awesome

Caitlin Clark passing highlights: NFL Films-style!

Iowa women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark had an expectedly impressive performance in her team’s Sweet 16 game against Colorado on Saturday.

Outside of her 29-point performance, Clark also impressed with her passing to create scoring opportunities for her Hawkeye teammates.

To commemorate this incredible passing performance from the Iowa standout, Twitter (X) user “@HeavensFX” spliced together a highlight reel in the style of NFL Films with a very perfect voice-over that reminds you of one of the NFL broadcasts.

Clark is one of the best basketball players on the planet because of abilities like this, and it’s fun to watch a highlight reel with a really unique twist to it.

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Angel Reese sang Flau’jae Johnson’s new song back to her after LSU topped UCLA in the Sweet 16

“Get out your feelings. Get a bag.”

Flau’jae Johnson is a certified baller, and her electric performance against UCLA will have fans totally amped for quite some time. It already had fellow teammate Angel Reese very hype, and Reese was not afraid to sing Flau’jae’s newest song back to her during a funny postgame interview.

Saturday’s Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2 UCLA should be dubbed the Flau’jae Johnson game. The rapper and hooper, who actually listens to her own music before games, didn’t need much motivation Saturday to churn out a 24-point and 12 rebounds performance. Flau’jae was dynamic, putting defenders in a spin cycle and doing things like this that simply defy comprehension.

Postgame, Flau’jae revealed what has fueled her dominance. Here’s what she told ESPN’s Holly Rowe:

“I know people are going to discredit me because I rap and I hoop. I know I gotta go extra hard, so that’s what I do. I’m in the gym.”

A moment later, Rowe attempted to weave in a reference to Flau’jae’s newest song, AMF, into the interview — an acronym that means “Ain’t My Fault” and is an ode to Louisiana rapper Silkk The Shocker’s 1998 hit. However, she was hilariously stopped by Flau’jae, who chimed in with, “It is our fault.” Angel Reese added to the fun moment by completing the lyrics to Flau’jae’s song — Get out your feelings. Get a bag. — back to her.

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Why Angel Reese seemingly cursed at the UCLA bench after fouling out of LSU’s Sweet 16 win

Angel Reese seemingly had a sharp message for UCLA after she fouled out of LSU’s Sweet 16 win.

After she fouled out of LSU’s Sweet 16 win over UCLA on Saturday, Tigers forward Angel Reese gave the Bruins bench an earful as she exited the game.

While Reese’s late exit didn’t have much of an impact on the actual outcome of the game, her seemingly fiery message to UCLA’s side of the floor caught attention from those watching.

The video below shows Reese relaying her thoughts toward the UCLA bench, seemingly saying that something, perhaps the call that removed her from the game, was “weak [expletive] [expletive].”

We’re not sure exactly what sparked Reese’s frustration, but it was seemingly enough to warrant this type of response.

Some NSFW language to follow. 

Daily Bruin reporter Gavin Carlson noted that UCLA coach Cori Close actually wanted the technical called on Reese, which video corroborates.

During the post-game handshake, you can see video of Reese appearing to tell someone in the line on UCLA’s side to watch their mouth as they walked by.

Later, Carlson reported on Reese’s perspective. According to the LSU forward, it was a UCLA coach who provoked Reese to seemingly curse in the bench’s direction.

SBLive Sports reporter Ryan Isley said he saw Kim Mulkey asking folks in the UCLA line what Reese said as she left the court.

While Reese and LSU will be advancing to the Elite Eight and UCLA will be headed home, it seems like a real rivalry might be brewing between these two women’s basketball powerhouses.

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How Kim Mulkey reacted to The Washington Post’s in-depth profile ahead of LSU’s Sweet 16 game

Kim Mulkey has commented on The Washington Post feature story about her career.

Right after The Washington Post dropped its feature story Saturday on LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, she questioned the timing of its release.

Before the profile was published, Mulkey to call it a “hit piece” during a press conference last weekend and to threaten a lawsuit against the paper if it published anything she thought was untrue. The feature story by Washington Post reporter Kent Babb skewed more toward a thorough portrait of a great but complicated coach, rather than an explosive bombshell report. But Mulkey still seemed defensive about when asked about it.

Reacting to it in an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Mulkey questioned why the story was published Saturday not long before LSU’s Sweet 16 game against LSU. For timeliness, it’s common in journalism to publish big features around major events related to the subject of the story.

“Are you really surprised by the timing of it?” Mulkey asked Rowe. “I can tell you I haven’t read it; [I] don’t know that I will read it. I’ll leave that up to my attorneys.” 

We’re not sure if Mulkey will ever comment on the feature story, as she will likely continue to point to her legal team for an answer.

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The Kim Mulkey Washington Post profile finally dropped, and fans had memes after reading it

How college basketball fans reacted to The Washington Post’s profile of Kim Mulkey.

The Washington Post’s story on Kim Mulkey published Saturday, and if diehard fans were hoping for explosive revelations about the LSU women’s basketball coach, they likely didn’t get them.

The in-depth profile of Mulkey, by feature writer Kent Babb, is a thorough look at one of the best coaches in basketball, her controversies and how she got to where she is.

It’s far from a “hit piece,” which is how Mulkey described the story last weekend before it was published with other scathing and unprompted remarks during a press conference. She also threatened to sue The Washington Post if it published anything untrue, but several details in the story were already previously reported.

With the profile published, basketball fans predictably reacted with memes and jokes about Mulkey’s preemptive and unnecessary attack against the story, the paper and Babb. The story was thorough but didn’t seem to match the fire Mulkey insinuated it would have.

Here’s how some basketball fans reacted:

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Raven Johnson explained how Dawn Staley keeps South Carolina calm with the smoothest motto

“We have THE Dawn Staley…how can you sweat?”

South Carolina has won an impressive 35 games in a row, but their record hasn’t come without some close calls, including Friday’s thriller with Indiana. Sophomore guard Raven Johnson says the team doesn’t panic in those high-pressure situations because of two words: Dawn Staley.

We’ve been saying it all season long, but Dawn Staley is putting on a masterclass in coaching. After losing all five starters from last year’s team to the WNBA, many analysts didn’t think South Carolina would look as dominant as they have. But, despite the doubt, the Gamecocks have churned out an undefeated record — the only team to do so in college basketball. They have won 35 games and recently survived a nail-biter against Indiana that required a clutch 3-point bucket from Raven Johnson to propel South Carolina to the Elite 8.

Bree Hall, Johnson’s teammate and fellow 3-point specialist, was asked why the team continues to succeed in such high-stakes situations. Hall answered the question very transparently, and Johnson quickly followed up, adding a Dawn Staley-themed one-liner for the ages. Per Amanda Poole of WACH FOX 57, here’s what Johnson said that had the whole room, including Staley, giggling:

“We have THE Dawn Staley. I mean, when you have a coach like that, how can you sweat? If she don’t sweat, we don’t sweat.”