Tag: NCAAW Tournament

8 times we told you Caitlin Clark wasn’t going to lose money by joining the WNBA

Enough already. Caitlin Clark isn’t losing money by joining the WNBA.

It’s really a shame that we have to repeat this, but…

NO. CAITLIN CLARK WILL NOT HAVE TO TAKE A SALARY CUT WHEN SHE JOINS THE WNBA.

If that feels a bit over the top, it probably should. For some reason, people think that Caitlin Clark and other big college basketball stars will have to take a pay cut when they join the WNBA. We’re exhausted because not only is that concept wrong, it’s problematic. Yet, here we are again because the conversations started after Clark’s WNBA Draft announcement, and we just want to sigh — loudly.

The largest misconception from some folks is thinking Clark makes her money through Iowa’s collective, which isn’t true at all. It’s through big, national brands like Gatorade and State Farm. They aren’t going to suddenly ditch her when she goes to the W. (Imagine the PR nightmare they’d have on their hands if they did!)

So, once again, for the folks in the back, here are the eight times For The Win and our colleagues across the internet told you this won’t happen:

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.

Hailey Van Lith correctly predicted MTSU’s upset over her former Louisville team on Selection Sunday

Hailey Van Lith, everybody!

Hailey Van Lith tried to tell everyone that MTSU wasn’t going to be an easy matchup for Louisville. On Friday, MTSU steamrolled the Cardinals to win their first NCAA tournament first-round win since 2007.

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Somewhere, Hailey Van Lith is saying, “I TOLD YOU SO.” During Selection Sunday, lip-readers thought they uncovered Van Lith predicting a Lousiville loss to MTSU. The colorful language she used suggested she knew it would be a handful. Well, she was right. Actually, she was spot on.

Lousiville was rolling early, but turnovers and foul trouble unraveled them. Add in a filthy 20-point performance from Savannah Wheeler in the second half, and it just wasn’t their day. Louisville made it interesting with just 40 seconds remaining but couldn’t come up with a win. For the first time since 2010 —  and just the second time in Jeff Walz’s tenure — Louisville will not advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Fans have been seemingly waiting for this moment and came prepared with the jokes and receipts.

 

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March Madness ejection rules in NCAA women’s basketball tournament, explained

If we see a repeat of the LSU-South Carolina skirmish, here are the rules regarding ejections in women’s college basketball.

Heading into what looks like it could be a wide-open field at the NCAA women’s tournament, which begins this week, we could be treated to some top-tier matchups.

We’ll hope we don’t see something like the fight that broke out during the SEC tournament title game between two of the nation’s best teams in South Carolina and LSU — which resulted in the ejection of six players and the suspension of Gamecocks star center Kamilla Cardoso for the NCAA tournament opener.

But emotions run high with the stakes of March, and if we do see something similar, it’s worth having a familiarity with the women’s college basketball ejection rules.

There are two surefire ways to earn an ejection beyond fouling out. Drawing a disqualifying foul (the women’s equivalent to a flagrant 2 on the men’s side) is an automatic ejection, as is participating in a fight (which is why Cardoso was ejected).

Unlike in the men’s game, which only allows head coaches to enter the court in the event of a fight, assistant coaches may do so. However, any bench players who enter will be ejected, which is why so many LSU and South Carolina players were tossed.

You can also be ejected for drawing technical or intentional fouls. While the men’s side splits technical fouls into Class A and B, women’s basketball makes no such distinction. Vulgar language along with delay of game tactics can all fall under the purview of technical fouls.

Intentional fouling, a concept that has been absorbed under the flagrant 1 in the men’s game, is when a foul is committed that isn’t deemed to be a reasonable attempt to make a play, such as wrapping up a player in transition to prevent a breakaway basket.

Receiving two technical or intentional fouls (or one of each) results in an automatic ejection.

Hopefully, we don’t see a repeat of the ugliness at the end of the electric SEC title matchup. But if we do, now you know the rules.

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What are the overtime rules for women’s March Madness in 2024? Here’s the answer

Here’s how overtime works in the women’s NCAA tournament.

March Madness always has to include a little bit of madness, doesn’t it? And what would madness be without a good overtime period here and there.

We should expect a lot of that this year in the women’s NCAA tournament. There are great teams all around with lots of talent across loaded rosters. We’re going to be treated to plenty of close games. There’s a good chance a lot of those close games go into overtime.

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With that in mind, now is a good time to review the overtime rules for the women’s NCAA tournament. It’s always good to know exactly what you’re watching.

Here’s how OT works: 

— Overtime is initiated when there’s a tie at the end of regulation through four quarters.

— Like in the regular season, each overtime period lasts five minutes.

— There can be an unlimited number of overtime periods played until there is a break in the score and one team wins.

— Overtime is an extension of the fourth quarter. All fouls carry over. If a team is in the bonus at the end of regulation, it will remain so for overtime.

— Each team receives an additional 30-second timeout during the overtime period.

There you have it, folks. It’s that simple. That’s how OT works in the tournament. Happy March. Bring on the chaos.

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March Madness: NCAA women’s basketball unsportsmanlike and disqualifying foul rules, explained

Unlike the men’s game, which uses the NBA’s flagrant system, women’s college basketball has adopted the FIBA system.

If you’re watching the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, which begins this week, you may be wondering why you don’t hear the term “flagrant foul,” as you would in the men’s game.

There’s a simple reason for it: The rule doesn’t exist on the women’s side.

While the flagrant foul system originally applied to both men’s and women’s basketball when it was adopted in 2011-12, the women’s game abandoned it in 2017-18 to adopt the system used by FIBA, which features “unsportsmanlike” and “disqualifying” fouls.

The effect is the same, however. An unsportsmanlike foul is assessed when officials deem there was excessive or severe contact, such as an elbow being thrown. Committing a contact technical foul during a dead ball also falls under the unsportsmanlike category, unlike in the men’s game.

Like with a flagrant 1 foul, an unsportsmanlike call results in a pair of free throws and possession of the ball for the other side.

There are also disqualifying fouls which, like flagrant 2s, are called when there is an even more severe infraction. In addition to the penalties of an unsportsmanlike foul, it results in the automatic ejection of the offender.

Hopefully, we see a clean tournament with minimal excessive fouls, but if you see an unsportsmanlike or disqualifying foul called, you’ll understand the difference.

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March Madness: Here are the rules for players when declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft

Here’s what players need to do when declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

The 2024 WNBA Draft is just weeks away. And especially with March Madness here and with so many stars declaring their intention to turn pro, fans may be wondering: What are the rules to enter the WNBA Draft?

Some of the biggest stars in women’s college basketball are elevating their game to the next level by entering the 2024 WNBA Draft. Players like Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink have decided to continue their careers with some of the best hoopers the world has to offer.

Fans are getting really excited, but maybe some aren’t sure about how exactly this works, who’s eligible and when the deadline is.

Per the WNBA, here are the official requirements and steps for declaring for the draft:

  • NCAA players who are seniors or will be turning 22 in 2024 are eligible to enter the WNBA Draft. To be eligible for selection, the player must renounce any remaining NCAA eligibility.
  • The player must send an email to the WNBA renouncing eligibility by April 1, 2024, to be considered. If the player is playing in the Elite Eight or Final Four, they have up to 48 hours after their last game to submit their intention to renounce and declare. (These requirements do not apply to international players who have never played NCAA basketball.)
  • Players are allowed to withdraw their name from consideration for the WNBA draft no later than five days prior to the event.

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Where is Drake located as the Bulldogs play in March Madness 2024?

The midwestern university is the second most relevant result when you search “Drake basketball loss.”

If it’s March and we’re talking about Drake, it means one of two things. Most commonly, a certain Degrassi: The Next Generation star turned rapper has cursed whatever team has a rolling bandwagon with his fanhood. In 2024, this is the Houston Cougars.

Recently, however, it means the Drake Bulldogs have emerged as Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions, punching their dance ticket in hopes of escaping to their first Round of 32 appearance since 1972. This year, that came at the expense of Indiana State, sending one of the country’s most popular mid-majors to the NIT and heaping loads of scorn onto the selection committee.

The Sycamore’s loss is Iowa’s gain, however. Drake is located in the state capital of Des Moines, roughly three miles from the state capitol and, for a much more useful waypoint, less than two miles from the Big Grove Brewery and Taproom.

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Holy Cross perfectly used a Tiffany Haddish meme to show what it’s like playing at Iowa

“Oooooooh. This is niiiiice!”

The Holy Cross women’s basketball team is making the most of their time in the NCAA tournament. They just dropped a Tiffany Haddish meme admiring the Iowa Hawkeyes’ arena, and it’s near perfection.

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Making the NCAA tournament is a big deal. Making the NCAA tournament and playing your first game in Carver-Hawkeye arena makes it that much sweeter. Holy Cross and UT-Martin will face each other during a First Four matchup on Thursday for the chance to play the No.1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes.

It seems Holy Cross is definitely enjoying using Iowa’s facilities. Forward Janelle Allen, along with some fellow teammates, dropped a perfect Tiffany Haddish meme on TikTok about what it’s like to play where Caitlin Clark and her teammates drop buckets.

@janelle.allen

happy march madness ! #marchmadness #wbb #fyp #greenscreen #foryou

♬ Nobodys Fool – Seven11

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