Tag: Stanford Basketball

Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer used a morbid (but on-brand!) joke when explaining her retirement decision

Tara VanDerveer, everybody!

Tara VanDerveer’s retirement shocked many fans, but it was a new reality for her that finally made sense. On Wednesday, when describing why she decided to retire now, after 38 seasons, she dropped a morbid one-liner — a “Tara-ism” — about what making that decision was like.

To know Tara VanDerveer is to understand that she can coach the heck out of some basketball and deliver a zinger like nobody else can. Affectionately known as “Tara-isms,” VanDerveer’s witty but impactful one-liners were a staple of her career. That wasn’t going to change simply because she’s retiring.

During her retirement press conference on Wednesday, the Stanford head coach explained to the media that she wasn’t sure the day she would no longer coach would ever come. VanDerveer jokingly said she thought the conclusion of her life would be on the bench.

“Sometimes, it’s just…you’re ready. I just felt I’m ready. I never really thought I would be. I kind of just felt like maybe I would keel over on the bench…because I love it.”

How to buy NCAA Tournament Portland Regional Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Want to watch March Madness and the women’s Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Portland this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $23.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament, and half of them will be playing in Portland, Ore. this weekend.

That’s right, March Madness heads to Portland as Moda Center at the Rose Quarter is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send two teams onto Cleveland and the Final Four.

SHOP: Portland Regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Individual tickets to Portland’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games on a single day.

On Friday, March 29, No. 2 Stanford kicks off the Portland Regionals when they take on No. 3 North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga.

SHOP: Friday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $23

On Saturday, March 30, the other Portland Regional gets underway with JuJu Watkins and No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by Paige Bueckers and No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 Duke.

SHOP: Saturday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $37

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $146.

The weekend passes include access to all four of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 games and then both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Elite Eight showdowns between the winners of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 contests.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland weekend passes” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/deqPQ8w”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Friday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/3PXOXnw”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Saturday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/0eoA1OW”]

How to buy NCAA Tournament Portland Regional Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Want to watch March Madness and the women’s Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Portland this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $23.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament, and half of them will be playing in Portland, Ore. this weekend.

That’s right, March Madness heads to Portland as Moda Center at the Rose Quarter is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send two teams onto Cleveland and the Final Four.

SHOP: Portland Regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Individual tickets to Portland’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games on a single day.

On Friday, March 29, No. 2 Stanford kicks off the Portland Regionals when they take on No. 3 North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga.

SHOP: Friday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $23

On Saturday, March 30, the other Portland Regional gets underway with JuJu Watkins and No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by Paige Bueckers and No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 Duke.

SHOP: Saturday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $37

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $146.

The weekend passes include access to all four of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 games and then both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Elite Eight showdowns between the winners of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 contests.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland weekend passes” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/deqPQ8w”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Friday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/3PXOXnw”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Saturday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/0eoA1OW”]

How to buy NCAA Tournament Portland Regional Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Want to watch March Madness and the women’s Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Portland this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $23.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament, and half of them will be playing in Portland, Ore. this weekend.

That’s right, March Madness heads to Portland as Moda Center at the Rose Quarter is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send two teams onto Cleveland and the Final Four.

SHOP: Portland Regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Individual tickets to Portland’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games on a single day.

On Friday, March 29, No. 2 Stanford kicks off the Portland Regionals when they take on No. 3 North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga.

SHOP: Friday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $23

On Saturday, March 30, the other Portland Regional gets underway with JuJu Watkins and No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by Paige Bueckers and No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 Duke.

SHOP: Saturday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $37

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $146.

The weekend passes include access to all four of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 games and then both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Elite Eight showdowns between the winners of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 contests.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland weekend passes” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/deqPQ8w”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Friday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/3PXOXnw”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Saturday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/0eoA1OW”]

How to buy NCAA Tournament Portland Regional Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Want to watch March Madness and the women’s Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Portland this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $23.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament, and half of them will be playing in Portland, Ore. this weekend.

That’s right, March Madness heads to Portland as Moda Center at the Rose Quarter is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send two teams onto Cleveland and the Final Four.

SHOP: Portland Regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Individual tickets to Portland’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games on a single day.

On Friday, March 29, No. 2 Stanford kicks off the Portland Regionals when they take on No. 3 North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga.

SHOP: Friday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $23

On Saturday, March 30, the other Portland Regional gets underway with JuJu Watkins and No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by Paige Bueckers and No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 Duke.

SHOP: Saturday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $37

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $146.

The weekend passes include access to all four of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 games and then both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Elite Eight showdowns between the winners of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 contests.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland weekend passes” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/deqPQ8w”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Friday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/3PXOXnw”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Saturday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/0eoA1OW”]

How to buy NCAA Tournament Portland Regional Women’s Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Want to watch March Madness and the women’s Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Portland this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $23.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament, and half of them will be playing in Portland, Ore. this weekend.

That’s right, March Madness heads to Portland as Moda Center at the Rose Quarter is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send two teams onto Cleveland and the Final Four.

SHOP: Portland Regional Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets

Individual tickets to Portland’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games on a single day.

On Friday, March 29, No. 2 Stanford kicks off the Portland Regionals when they take on No. 3 North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Gonzaga.

SHOP: Friday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $23

On Saturday, March 30, the other Portland Regional gets underway with JuJu Watkins and No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by Paige Bueckers and No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 Duke.

SHOP: Saturday Sweet 16 tickets for as little as $37

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $146.

The weekend passes include access to all four of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 games and then both Saturday’s and Sunday’s Elite Eight showdowns between the winners of Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 contests.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland weekend passes” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/deqPQ8w”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Friday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/3PXOXnw”]

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop NCAA Tournament Portland Saturday Sweet 16 tickets” link=”https://stubhub.prf.hn/l/0eoA1OW”]

Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer used a gross nose metaphor to describe March Madness thriller with Iowa State (but it works!)

Tara VanDerveer said WHAT now?

Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer has the most wins in college basketball history, so she knows what it takes to reach the mountaintop. You have to play some wild, hold-on-to-your-butts games to lay claim to a title like that, including Sunday night’s Stanford-Iowa State overtime thriller. Naturally, VanDerveer described it as “hotter than snot.”

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

To be fair, Sunday’s game was so wild I wasn’t even sure I was breathing for half of it. It had SEVENTEEN lead changes, ELEVEN ties, a 41-point performance from Stanford’s Kiki Iriafen, a 36-point performance from Iowa State’s Emily Ryan and two stars — Cameron Brink and Audi Crooks — fouling out.

Postgame, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, as only she can do, described the game as legitimately “hotter than snot.”

SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?

Lip-readers think Cameron Brink said a fiery 2-word quip to a nearby ref after fouling out in Stanford-Iowa-State thriller

Lip-readers think Cameron Brink used some very NSFW language as she walked off the court.

The Iowa State-Stanford matchup was an instant classic, and the hoopers were HOOPING. Unfortunately, it was not the best night for Cameron Brink. She brought her signature defense but fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Brink was none too pleased about the call, and lip-readers think she shouted some colorful language toward a nearby ref.

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

If you didn’t stay up to watch the Cyclones and Cardinal women’s basketball team go at it, frankly, I don’t blame you. (It ended well after midnight Eastern time.) BUT YOU MISSED OUT.  It was a back-and-forth game that included tons of buckets, blocks and fouls. Standford senior forward and WNBA prospect Cameron Brink had her lowest-scoring performance since January. Additionally, with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Brink was called for her fifth foul, ending her night and her career at Maples Pavilion.

She seemingly didn’t approve of the call, and as she walked to the bench, lip-readers think she said “[Expletive you]” to a nearby ref.

(Warning: NSFW language.)

SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?

With Clark and Bueckers making announcements, attention turns to Stanford star Cameron Brink

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers announced their plans for the future, so the women’s college basketball world turns their attention to Stanford’s Cameron Brink.

The star power in women’s college basketball is at an all-time high.

Not only is Caitlin Clark breaking records and dominating headlines, but Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink are making women’s hoops appointment television. The future is clearly bright with USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo breaking records in their first collegiate campaigns.

And while Clark announced she is leaving to pursue the WNBA, Bueckers is giving it another shot at UConn, teaming with Azzi Fudd for what they hope will be a fully healthy season and a push for a national title.

That leaves Brink, a superstar forward from Stanford, as the biggest star yet to make a decision on her future.

“So, I’m sure all of you are wondering, as far as my decision goes to stay next year or enter the draft, I’m still undecided,” Brink told fans Sunday during a postgame celebration after Stanford defeated Arizona State to clinch Pac-12 regular-season title.

The 6-foot, 4-inch forward is averaging 17.9 points and 11.8 rebounds on the year, including a dominant 25 point, 23 rebound performance against Oregon State on Thursday.

Should she declare, most expect her to go No. 2 in the WNBA draft behind Clark, but with name, image and likeness licensing opportunities aplenty in women’s basketball — and far more eyeballs watching the college game than the pros — Brink’s decision is not an easy one.

For now, Brink and the Cardinal turn their attention to finishing the regular season strongly, earning a top two seed in the NCAA Tournament and making a push to bring a national title to Palo Alto.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: Stanford wins last conference title, three bubble teams all lose

Tara VanDerveer and Stanford were supposed to have a down year. Instead, they won the Pac-12 convincingly.

On Thursday night, the Stanford Cardinal — already assured of a share of the Pac-12 women’s basketball championship — clinched the outright title in the final season of Pac-12 women’s hoops by beating Oregon State in Corvallis. Stanford winning the Pac-12 women’s basketball title is a very regular and common occurrence. The Cardinal have won 27 Pac-10 or Pac-12 titles dating back to 1989. Legendary coach Tara VanDerveer has won 26 of those titles. Yet, this most recent title is special.

We will explain why this latest Pac-12 championship for Stanford is so remarkable, and we’ll also go through the Pac-12 women’s basketball bubble watch, in the slides below: