← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Final Four breakdowns: Iowa, UConn, South Carolina, NC State
01:00:55
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- [00:00]
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- [04:57]
Zena Keda
For the athletic I'm Zena Keda and this is the Athletic Women's Basketball Show. Welcome back to the Athletic Women's Basketball show where we are here to talk all things women's Hoops baby. And whether you're a die hard fan that eats, sleeps and breathes the game or you're just a casual fan Looking to learn more after women's basketball took over your screens on Monday night. Make sure to subscribe to this pod wherever you get your pods to stay up to date with us. Also, subscribe to the Athletic because when I tell you people are putting in work to cover this game right now, you don't want to miss out on any of this coverage. I'm joined today by Sabrina Merchant for now and then Ben Pickman and Chantelle Jennings will join us on the back end here. We got to go over the Elite Eight, but first let me, you know, go through what we're covering today or what we like to call our scout. So Sabrina and I, we're going to break down the Portland region. Okay. That's the West Coast. West coast has been showing up this, this year. We're going to talk about how these teams got to the Final Four that are in the Portland regions. And then Ben Chantel, they're on the east coast holding it down. They're going to talk about good old Albany. And let's just be real out of Portland, Albany. Sabrina, I think we win as far as cities go.
- [06:23]
Sabrina Merchant
I think we definitely win.
- [06:24]
Zena Keda
Okay. Yeah, I just wanted to put that out there. Like, no shade to Albany, but like, let's just be appropriate.
- [06:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Shade to Albany.
- [06:30]
Ben Pickman
Yes.
- [06:32]
Zena Keda
Right. We're bringing some of that Portland shade to Albany. But yes, I feel like everything I've seen on Twitter have been like complaints about what is there to eat in Albany? Where is there to go in Albany? What is there to do in Albany? Well, there are definitely basketball games to have happen, but we're going to let Ben and Chantelle talk about that. Let's talk about Portland right now. As of the time that we're recording this, it's Tuesday morning. Last night was mayhem. Monday mayhem. My entire feed, entire feed was talking women's basketball. I did not know that Devin Booker dropped 52 against the Pelotons until this morning. I did not know that there was a no hitter, a walk off no hitter in baseball that just apparently just happened to have started their season. Didn't know because women's basketball is the talk of the town, folks. And I'm very, very excited for just the level of attention it's getting in general. Thoughts on that, Sabrina?
- [07:27]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, it was just a wild, wild day. Like we had a feeling that it was going to end up like this because you had LSU versus Iowa, the rematch on one side, and then you have Paige versus Juju, vet versus rookie, like historical USC versus the dominant program of the 2000s, Yukon, just all of these storylines in place. It had the potential to be something really special. And then for it to just absolutely deliver on all accounts, everybody put up a good showing. Everybody played so well, so hard. Just incredible games almost down to the wire, you know, just, I, I couldn't have asked for more. Like, it was just so much fun to be in the building, to just experience and I'm glad that everybody else got to take part in it. Like, I'm glad that people understood what this moment was going to be.
- [08:09]
Zena Keda
That's exactly right. You couldn't have asked for more. Both games last night tied at the half. Both games lost by seven. Both games going into clutch minutes. I mean, it was everything you can ask for in a competitive basketball game. But we got to talk about also games on Sunday that were also really competitive because those were where the Elite 8 games actually started, were on Sunday and then completed on Monday. So let's start with Portland 4. Portland 4. On Sunday, number one seed Texas took on number three seed North Carolina State ended up losing by 10. North Carolina State took it away 76, 66. And I promise you, that game could have gone either way for a while. Like could have gone either way for a while. But NC State picked it up because they have somebody called as they were calling her Za Za James. AI James was going off and their back court was doing crazy things. So we're going to talk about the game really quickly. But before we get into that, how did NC State make their way to the Final Four? Sabrina?
- [09:14]
Sabrina Merchant
Right. So quite literally first round they beat Chattanooga, interestingly, former home of West Moore, who is the current coach of NC State. Second round they beat Tennessee, coached by Kelly Harper, who used to coach at NC State. Third round they play Stanford, who they beat despite it being much more of a home game for the Cardinal. I mean, Cameron Brink is from Beaverton, Oregon, right by Portland. So they take care of that one. And then in the Elite Eight they got to face Texas, which is probably the first neutral ish game. You know, I mean, obviously the first two were less neutral in favor of NC State, but yeah, the, the most neutral name, they get to play Texas. The game gets a little bit delayed by this reveal of the three point line disparity before the start, but they like to go with it anyway. And if there was any problem with the three point line, and there absolutely was, the players did not realize it and did not seem to care for it because if you look at the shooting numbers for NC State, they shot 50% from the three point line regardless and had no issues with it as I James, a perfect five or five in the first half, ends up making seven in the game. That ties a program record for NC State. So yeah, just a really steady march towards the Final Four. I mean this is if we even go back to the beginning, right? This is a team that started the Season unranked, beats UConn Week 1 of the season, jumps to 14 in the poll right away. They basically occupy a spot in the top 10 for most of the year. You know, they jump into the top 10 like three weeks into the season and they're, you know, hovering in that range for most of the year. They have a tough week in the triangle, lose to Carolina and Duke back to back, get bumped down a little bit. I think that week is probably why they ended up as a three seed and the fact that they lost to Notre Dame in the ACC championship game. But like this was, this is a really good team all year. And I look at them and I look at three seed and I'm thinking like on the day of selection Sunday, I guess that made sense. And now I'm thinking probably could have done better with that rating. But hey, the number two is almost unlucky in women's college basketball this year. We think about all the losses that the top, the number two team in the country suffered, the fact that none of the number two seeds made it to the Elite Eight, let alone the Final Four. So NC State is right where they need to be. Just like their men's program. Just having a grand old time in Raleigh.
- [11:25]
Zena Keda
Oh man, I'm telling you, Raleigh and Stores, Connecticut, they're going off. Both colleges being able to send their men and women's basketball programs to the Final Four is like insane. But going I wanted to go back on that three point line. For those of you that did not know, There is a 9 inch disparity on one side of the court in terms of the three point line and they were able to fix it by yesterday where there was just like an additional line added and it was very awkward. The gap that you could see that someone messed up this significant of a gap but you know, it didn't, it did not impact Isaiah James. You said five, three seven career high for her. She ended up winning most outstanding player in the region. I loved her quote. Like people didn't know my name freshman year but they know my name now. And I feel like that quote applies to NC State because yes, they beat Connecticut to start the year and that puts some people like wait Is NC State good? Like, wait, I didn't maybe. Did you know? I didn't know. Did you know? And I will say, Sabrina, you were the one that kind of put me onto my own school and my from my hometown. I was just kind of like, you know, N State has always been to me a gritty basketball team, pretty good. I've had friends that have played for the program. I went to their camps when I was growing up and I've always had respect for them. But I did not know, I did not know they were Final Four worthy this year. But starting to watch them. It was that back line of backcourt of Sinai Rivers and Isaiah James that was like, you know, leading the pack, pun intended. But Zoe Brooks in there too. Zoe Brooks had a really great game against Texas too. And I did feel as if this is going to be the thing, particularly when you look at North Carolina and South Carolina, the backcourts, because, you know, River Baldwin on NC State, good post player. I don't know how she's going to match up against a Camila Cardoso, but even Camilla was in her game to get to the Final Four. She was missing some bunnies at the basket too against Indiana. And so that post player situation is going to be interesting. But for me it's the guards. For me it's Saniyah Rivers, Zoe Brooks, Isaiah James going up against Raven, Johnson going up against Brie Hall, I mean, she's kind of a forward, you know, wing player, etc. But going up against Malaysia, full Wiley like that is going to be the bread of that game. And I am can't wait to chow down because it's going to be good. It's going to be good.
- [13:56]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I think we're seeing an interesting evolution on the women's side where, you know, you look at these matchups and if there's a team that has a clear frontcourt advantage like Stanford, let's say with Cameron Brink and Kiki Area often, but then there's a team that has a clear perimeter advantage like NC State did in that game. The teams with the backcourt advantages are really, you know, winning overall.
- [14:15]
Ben Pickman
Right.
- [14:15]
Sabrina Merchant
Like I look at Iowa, lsu, where I would consider that LSU had a frontcourt advantage, but Iowa obviously has Caitlin and that backcourt advantage and just the way the game is evolving, the way the game is changing, that guard play is so very important. So for NC State to be dominant in the backcourt and to have three ball handlers, three shot creators in Brooks, James and Rivers and all of them play so well off of one another. Like, there were so many sequences in Texas where it was like driving, kick, kick out to Zoe. You know, she drives and kicks, kicks out, you know, and it's just that it's so synergistic that you know exactly where the other one is going to be. The way they hit each other in transition. Like those Rivers feeds on the break to James early in the game, even Zoe doing that, they are so dominant at the guard position. And yeah, River Baldwin, I'm not trying to, you know, sell her short at all. She was excellent in that fourth quarter. The game slows down. She's perfect from the field, perfect from the line. Has 12 points in the fourth quarter. Really carries them home. Honestly, in a game that could. Could have gotten a little bit closer, a little bit tighter, but like, Texas's advantages were inside, right? They're a little bit bigger, they're a little more physical, they're better on the glass. And NCC was just like, whatever. Like, we can shoot better, we can shoot the ball better, we're faster. Like, these are advantages that I think we've seen play out throughout the course of the tournament. And I think NC State is the clearest example of the. That sort of trend that's been taken over. You know, just the whole idea of the game, like we look at the all American teams. I mean, I'm getting a little bit off on a tangent here, but it was like, very guard heavy on the first team, right? Like a lot of primary ball handlers on that first team. And, you know, the assignment is to pick a team that could actually play. And I guess because Paige Beckers plays the four for UConn, it's okay for Paige Beckers to be the four on the first team. But like Hidden Watkins, Caitlin Clark, Paige Beckers, these are primary ball handlers, all on first team, All America. And I think that's just a showcase of how important it is to have those dominant shot creators, those dominant lead playmakers. And NC State has them in abundance. So I think maybe that's a reason why they were slept on a little bit earlier, because you look at their team, it seems a little imbalanced, but it's not. It's just this is where the game is heading and this is how they've prioritized their roster. And these three, my goodness, they're just so much fun to watch.
- [16:24]
Zena Keda
They are. I'm obsessed with them. I got. I felt pretty cool. I tweeted about the three of them. And Zoe Brooks, I think either liked or reposted one and I was like, love you guys. No, I, I mean, I'm trying not to be biased in this situation, but they are so fun. They're just so. And they, they're. They. They're swaggy. Like they've got a cool, like, you know, poise about them too, that makes their game even more elevated and just fun to watch. I am interested in the storyline of, you know, Sinai river is going back to South Carolina to play up against it. For those of you that don't know, Sinai Rivers actually started her college career under Don Staley and then transferred out after freshman year, correct?
- [17:04]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, played one year, won a national championship. Wasn't really getting a role. And you look at South Carolina, a lot of good guards coming in. She goes closer to home. She's from Wilmington, went to same high school as Michael Jordan, goes to NC State and finds a place for herself. And it's pretty cool because, like, she's still really good friends with a lot of players on the South Carolina team. They. We're all in the trenches together watching this freshy class like of Leah Boston, Zach Cook, Leticia Meir, like all these players running the show, trying to learn from them and now they have the opportunity to lead their own teams and, you know, looking ahead to South Carolina, like you look at the Final Four, NC State's kind of like the forgotten child here, right? Like South Carolina is undefeated season, right? I was Caitlin Clark, revenge for last year's national championship game. UConn is UConn obviously, right? Paige Becker's trying to get her first Natty get on that UConn Mount Rushmore, right? You can't be on the UConn Mount Rushmore unless you get a champion. And then there's NC State, right? There's no like dominant storyline that's bringing the wolf pack here, but they've just been right great team all year. And I'm so glad that we get this little regional clash with North Carolina State and South Carolina. Like you said, the familiarity with Sanaya and so much of that South Carolina roster. I mean, I think about the South Carolina guards, like it's, it's going to be really interesting because like, who's, who's stopping Sinai, Like Raven versus Si, like that's. That's gonna be awesome, right? That's good size, good skill at both of those positions. I mean, my leisure coming off the bench. You've got Zoe coming off the bench. Like that's a fun little one too. Brie hall is going to have to guard Isaiah James, I mean like you mentioned River Baldwin and Camilla Cardoso. I think River Baldwin's really strong, really physical. Like that's honestly a kind of matchup that Camilla hasn't. Like she had to do with Regan Beers. Right. And that was, that was tough. Yeah, that's true against Oregon State. So. So I'm really interested in what's going to happen here. Obviously South Carolina have you favorite? They should be. They have won. Was it 35 or 36 games coming into this? Like that's, that's all they've done all season is just win games. So obviously the, you know, the team to beat. But just having watched NC State, you know, from that very beginning against UConn, splashing onto the national stage, it's a really cool team. Just. And like I said, I think a really cool indicator of what the college game has looked like this year.
- [19:21]
Zena Keda
Yeah. And it's funny because NC State as an entity often is the forgotten child in North Carolina.
- [19:29]
Sabrina Merchant
Like in the Triangle, unc, Duke and.
- [19:32]
Zena Keda
Then there's like the team that keeps on fighting and that's always NC State. At least growing up for me, this is my opinion, folks. Growing up for me, the Wolf Pack were that underdog always. Always. Even if they were the better team, they occupy the space as we're the team that no one believed in. We're the team that no one thought of. We're the team that people forgot. And yeah, it's just funny that they're also occupying this space here in the Final Four before we switch over to Portland. 3. Just some love on Texas. I am very, very excited for Madison Booker and her next year. I feel like every single time a team that has been led by a freshman, Notre Dame with Hannah Hidalgo, Madison Booker, Texas and you know, even after last night's loss, USC juju Watkins, it's just like the, oh, I wonder how this is going to motivate them. Like, I'm scared about what they're about to do next year. Texas had an amazing season, especially with the losses that they had in terms of injuries and the adjustments they had to make. And Madison Booker really stepped into that role as a freshman carrying her team. It's surreal that she's only a freshman at that size, at that speed, at that ability to play the way she does her pull up game. It is immaculate. It's beautiful.
- [20:54]
Sabrina Merchant
Probably the most consistent thing we've talked about on this podcast.
- [20:58]
Zena Keda
It is beautiful. Hang it in the Louvre. It is just like unreal. But overall, thoughts on Texas before we switch over?
- [21:06]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, Just big picture. I think Paige was asked about this after the game against usc. You know, just knowing what it feels like to be juju and be that national star as a freshman and having to deal with all of this at once. And she said, you know, it's tough, especially as a freshman, to be leading your team like that. Have no experience in this sort of environment, on this stage and lead your team, you feel a lot of pressure. And she said, success is a process. Right. And I think we're seeing that with all of these teams where Texas isn't full yet, right? They get Rory Harmon back next year. She and Aaliyah Moore have played like six games, seven games together over the last two years. They were brought in as these big recruits in their class together. And the long horse has just never had a chance to see what it all looks like in one piece. I think that experience, that leadership from Harmon and Moore will help Maddie Booker so much in her second year, too, that she's not responsible for everything. Right. She can just be more of that pure bucket getter that she is destined to be. But, you know, you look at Texas, like, they just. They have so much going for them, right? They have really great perimeter defense with Shay Holly coming back. Matty Booker, obviously, great Harmon. Rory Harmon, defensive player of the year a year ago. You've got great bigs inside. Like, I thought Deanna Gaston did well in that game. Aaliyah Moore, super strong inside. Just you. They have all the pieces you want if you can just put them all together into one team. And you just saw, like, they didn't. They just didn't have a great shooting day against North Carolina State. And like, that's not to say that the Wolf Pack were not the better team. They were absolutely the better team and deserve to win. But I don't look at the Longhorns and think that there's some major deficiency holding them back. Like, you plug Rory Harmon into that team. That's team I expect to be playing in April next year.
- [22:42]
Zena Keda
Yeah, that's. Taylor Jones stepped up as well in that game, I remember. So I. I'm excited for them for next year. Rory Harmon coming back makes me happy. She's another one of those guards that I just like, love to see play. I love her tenacity, love her competition. Let's flip over because, man, I could talk all day about Portland 4 region and particularly NC State, but UConn, USC, one of the games on Monday night, that did not disappoint, man, the anticipation for this game, it was Hilarious because everyone finished the lsu Iowa game and they're like, man, we don't get a breath before this game kicks off. We don't get a second before this game kicks off. But yeah, you didn't want a second because this game got off to a very quick start between both teams, particularly on the USC side. But man, you just saw two teams go at each other defensively. You think about the halftime scores for the game right before them, lsu, Iowa. There was very, I don't want to say very little defense being played. There wasn't as much really good offense, you know, just really, really good offense. I mean 45, 45. And then you see 33, 33 or 30, 35, 35, either one of those in the 30s at halftime for USC, UConn. And they were going at each other and you saw the immediate adjustment on how to guard a big time scorer like a juju Watkins, because Nica Mule and Paige Beckers were going at juju and making sure that her touches, her view, her vision wasn't simple. So let's talk about UConn's path to the Final Four a little bit.
- [24:18]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, so I mean, just to back up for a Second, you know, UConn, every year they schedule like nobody's business, right? They've got NC State in the non con, which we didn't realize was going to be as big of a game as it ended up being. But you know, they've got NC State, they go to Texas, they played Notre Dame, they played UCLA in one of those Thanksgiving tournaments. They went to South Carolina and you know, long story short, they didn't win any of those games. They went really, really great teams. They played, they went.05 in those games. And I'm looking at the Sweet 16, you know, when this weekend starts, when I get to Portland and of all of the teams left, UConn hasn't beat any of them. And they obviously rolled through the Big east schedule, right? Undefeated in the Big east, rolled through the conference tournament. I mean, Aaliyah Edwards gets knocked out, doesn't play the last two games. What do they do? Plug in ice Brady, she plays 40 minutes like didn't miss a beat. UConn owns that conference. But looking at the larger picture, they had not beaten a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 all year. They didn't do that until they beat Duke in the sweet 16. And that comes after, you know, they had a tight matchup against Syracuse where for some reason they were 20 point favorites against Syracuse. It was much closer than that. In that game against, you know, where Deja Fair becomes the third all time leading scorer in women's college basketball history. So they beat Jackson State pretty easily. They have a little bit of difficulty in Syracuse. They don't look great against Duke. Right. Like they were up big chunks but sloppy game as a lot of Duke games tend to be, you know, cuts down to five in the final minute. Gino doesn't look happy throughout any of it. I mean, you know, like him looking happy during a game, it's like a really high bar. But it's a, it's just a tough game. Like, you know, he's joking about how he needs to like down his drink in some ice later when the girls are talking about getting ice baths to recover for USC and like, yeah, he's like, that's the kind of ice bath I need. It was a slot, right? So you think about just the schedule that UConn brings into this game. The fact that USC has been in the PAC 12. We've talked about the PAC 12. Probably the deepest conference in the country all year. They've got those two wins against Stanford. They just won the Pac12 tournament. They'd beaten UCLA twice. They'd beat in Colorado, like they beaten Ohio State. All of these big wins that they've collected. Seemingly getting better over the course of the year. I had a hard time thinking like, is UConn actually going to win a big one? Because they just haven't done it all year. It's like, oh well, like remember this is UConn that gets to the final Four every year. Yeah, they didn't make it last year. But just because UConn's final four streak ended, that doesn't mean Paige Beckers final four streak ended. And I went against my mantra. Have you just picked the team with the best player? And all due respect to juju Watkins, but that best player in that game was Paige Becker is just so controlled. Know exactly what UConn wants to do on every single possession. And you look at the way they executed. USC just wasn't sure of what they wanted to do with the way UConn was playing them. It was a little rushed, it was a little indecisive. And then you look at UConn. Yeah, maybe they didn't make every shot they took, but every single possession was like, okay, Nika, I'm eyeing ice braid in the corner. I know ice is not a three point shooter, but she's got me locked in the eyes. I'm throwing it to her. She's wide Open. She's going to take that through with confidence. Lo and behold, corner three pointer from a girl who started at center for you in the Big east championship game.
- [27:32]
Zena Keda
Crazy.
- [27:33]
Sabrina Merchant
Just the. The confidence with what they were doing, you could tell that UConn is comfortable being in these positions. And USC, for all of the good that they have done this year, just didn't have anybody who'd been there before. And, yeah, there was a little bit of a gap. And maybe all of those, you know, defeats were just blessings in disguise to, you know, beat up UConn a little bit to get in their psyche to be like, okay, we're not gonna go down again. We're still UConn. We're still the Huskies. We're still the program that is supposed to be here every year. And that's more than anything, that's what I felt. It was Paige saying, no, I am. I am the latest Husky. I'm the latest in this long line that dates back to Rebecca Lobo and Diana Tarazi and Brandon Stewart. Like, I'm doing what I came here to do. And that's what I felt watching her.
- [28:16]
Zena Keda
Oh, well, you just said long line of Huskies. I just got chills thinking about, like, this, the lineage and the, I don't know, the heritage that shows up in these players. It's funny because, you know, online people were saying, oh, you know, juju kind of reminds me of Maya Moore. And I was like, I actually don't think so. I think Paige reminds me of Maya Moore. I feel like when you think about Maya Moore's game and what you were just talking about, knowing where she wants to go, the finesse with which she finishes, being able to finish through contact, that she didn't often get called Paige often. You know, I felt like that's what you saw Paige do. And then also making the right next pass. That was something that you saw Paige do a lot last night as well. I'll say, on the Southern California side, I did not appreciate, okay, juju not getting the ball almost every single time on offense. I don't understand that. I don't get it. It don't make no sense. And I know Dame Lillard, you know, added his two little sense in talking about, you know, it's like mellow at Syracuse. If you want to win, give him the ball. It's like, okay, weird analogy, bro, but cool. Point is, it was very strange for me to see juju not have at the half, the most amount of shots taken. And I want to say it's both on her Teammates and on her. Like, there were some plays that you felt like she removed herself a little bit, maybe to catch her breath, maybe to kind of get a sense of what was going on. And then there were some plays where people were just. People being Mackenzie Forbes. Let's just put it out there. But people were just going down to. To the other end of the court and just jacking up shots or staying on one side of the floor, not forcing, you know, defense to switch and defense to move around. And that's my grief a little bit with us. Usc, they were not who they've been offensively this year, who we've seen them be this year. And I know Lindsay Gotley was probably having a mini aneurysm at looking at some of the things that her team was doing. But to that, I will give a lot of credit to UConn, because when I tell you, led by Nika Mule, when I tell you the aggression that they had, particularly on the perimeter. Holy crap. I couldn't. I. I wouldn't even know what to do if I was out there. Like, it was just so. It was so in your face. It was so loud. It was so. Just tenacious. And I know Nica Mule had some foul trouble throughout the game and still.
- [30:38]
Sabrina Merchant
Able to stay in minutes with four.
- [30:39]
Zena Keda
Fouls, four fouls, 13 minutes. I mean, to me, it's exactly what you're saying, Sabrina, of you could see who had been there before, you could see who had been at the stage before, who knew the stakes, who knew how to play, who knew how to, you know, lead their team in this moment, stay cool in the moment, not to get. Not get ahead of themselves, really. And then, of course, Aaliyah Edwards, big, big time plays and one plays. Just phenomenal player. I'm saying, as I was watching the game, I was like, she better put off for Canada. She better put on. I'm telling you, she showed up in the pose for sure.
- [31:21]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. One of the cool things about college basketball games is the seats. We get, like, I don't, you know, humble brag here, whatever. Like, me and Grace Rayner are sitting basically right on the free throw line, you know, across from UConn's bench. You can hear everything. You can, like, basically see them sweating and watching Nika.
- [31:39]
Zena Keda
Wait, pause, pause, pause. Let me get a 30 real quick. Was Paige sweating?
- [31:43]
Sabrina Merchant
Paige doesn't sweat.
- [31:44]
Zena Keda
She didn't look like she doesn't sweat. I'm telling you, it's not. And it's not a. Like a. Like a genetic thing either, folks. She Just does it. This is who she is. She is cool as a cucumber. Okay, keep going. Sorry.
- [31:57]
Sabrina Merchant
God, I wish. I wish I had that. That gift. But anyway, watching. Watching Nika guard Juju in the first half, like, Juju is 18 years old, right? I think we've. We've mentioned this a number of times. She is still very much growing into her body. Like, she has a little bit of baby fat still. Honestly, like, it's just. You think about all of the layers that she can still unlock and how good she already is, it's. It's terrifying. But, you know, seeing her go up against Nika in this game, Nika, who, again, senior, has been to two final fours before, is just physically filled in, right? Like, she is just a tank. Like, looking at her. Like, her legs are so strong, her upper body is so strong, and she just, like, was so much more built, more grown woman strong than juju Watkins was at this point. And that's what's interesting about college, right? Like, you see freshmen go up against seniors, and it's not just the experience, it's the fact that they're going through, like, this very formative phase of development as women, right? And Nika is just into her body more than juju Watkins is at this point. And you could just see it so clearly, like, oh, my God. Like, that is a woman guarding Juju Watkins. And it is. Yeah, credit to UConn. They use that to their advantage, right? Like, Aaliyah Edwards, strong inside. You know, Paige fighting through all that contact. Great comparison to Maya Mora. I don't know why I missed her in that lineage of UConn players, she's probably the best one, but, you know, debate for another day, just the three of them. Like, not just the experience of having been there, but also like, oh, like, we are. We are adults. We are like 22 year olds. We have done this. We feel it in our body is what this is supposed to be like. It's just something that was so cool to see, like, up close and personal.
- [33:35]
Zena Keda
Yeah, that's. That is really special. And it's true. I would love to see. I mean, I remember my side by side comparison of my freshman year to my senior year. Yeah, I definitely had baby fat. Even my face. Like, I had not been through the regiment of four years of strength training and conditioning and all those things. And it does, I mean, sharpen you and iron you out, really. And you get that grown woman strength things that we've seen our moms do that you're like, how the heck What? How are you doing that? You've never been in the gym, and it's like. No, there's an aspect of it just from being a little bit older in the mix. Okay. But before we switch it over to Ben and Chantelle, gotta get these predictions.
- [34:15]
Sabrina Merchant
Now.
- [34:15]
Zena Keda
I, from, you know, one side of the country, definitely chose South Carolina to go all the way, go to the championship. I'm still gonna say that. Okay. I'm still gonna say that because they. They have figured it out. They are just. Even when things got a little dicey against Indiana, they still figured a way out. And I feel like that's that. That calm and that cool composure that Don Staley reverberates throughout her team. I think that they'll be able to do that now. Will. I think it will be easy. Will it be a blowout? No, I think the NC State is going to give them a run for their money. I think that we are going to see them go to the last seconds of this game, as we've seen most of these games go to. So I'm still going to go South Carolina over NC State. Now, on the other side, that's where things get a little dicey. But Paige versus Caitlin is going to be fun to watch. I still think. I think UConn's going to pull it out. I think it's going to be a 1 and 3 again. Just like there's 1 and 3 on in, you know, South Carolina, NC State, Iowa, 1 and 3 versus UConn. I think UConn's going to pull it out, and it's going to be a 1 and 3 in the championship. South Carolina, UConn. And then from there, we'll see.
- [35:33]
Sabrina Merchant
All right, so I want to preface this with the fact that in my bracket, my championship game is Stanford versus lsu. So all of this with a grain of salt.
- [35:41]
Ben Pickman
All right.
- [35:42]
Sabrina Merchant
None of my predictions have gone very well to this point.
- [35:46]
Zena Keda
Got you, got you.
- [35:47]
Sabrina Merchant
Seven of the eight Elite eight teams that it has just tumbled since then, My undying love for the PAC12 has not worked out so well. They are not represented in this Final Four. It is a. A deep, deep bummer that USC was the last PAC12 team to, you know, take its gasp in Portland. But I think South Carolina, NC State. I really want to pick NC State. Like, I just really, really want to pick NC State.
- [36:08]
Zena Keda
I do, too. I do, too.
- [36:10]
Sabrina Merchant
And, you know, I think. I think just in the interest of having some fun here, I'm going to. I'm going to go opposite you. I'm going to go NC State, Iowa. Yeah, we'll keep the 1 3.
- [36:18]
Zena Keda
That's a perfect transition. Ben, Chantel, tell us what's going on in Albany, please.
- [36:23]
Chantelle Jennings
Thanks, Zena and Sabrina. Now, Chantel, we are coming to you on Tuesday afternoon from our respective homes, having just spent six nights in Albany, New York, New York state's capital. And on Wednesday, we will be traveling to the Final Four in Cleveland. But before we look forward and really dive into the Final Four, let's discuss some of the takeaways from the weekend. Some of the things that stuck out to us, stood out to us, and that we'll remember and that will then pre help us preview and understand the matchup that are coming up. The place we want to start, though, is obviously so many eyes, all eyes. We're waiting. How many million eyes were on Iowa and LSU on Monday night? We were both lucky enough, frankly, to be in the building sitting courtside. I guess before we even dive into the on court action, just what from the scene stuck out to you? What will you remember most from Monday night?
- [37:16]
Ben Pickman
This is something you and I have talked about because I think it's just sort of been my realization, this tournament in terms of, you know, I've, I've seen Caitlin Clark a lot this season. I've been to a lot of her games. And I think the first round I sat next to someone who had never seen her play in person before, and I heard that reporter react to one of her behind the back passes. And he, he was like, oh, my God. And I was like, what happened? What happened? Thinking that something bad had happened, he was like, oh, did you see that pass? And I was like, yeah, it's Caitlin. Like, this is very normal. And so I think my, like, as I've sort of like reflected on this time in our careers, I've, like, just tried to keep reminding myself, like, not just Caitlin, but sort of this moment in women's basketball, like how angel and Caitlin have sort of propelled this game forward in such a way that we have a time or that we're covering a time in the sport when stars like Paige and juju are helping to push the game forward. And we have literally a courtside seat to this. I think, you know, I've never covered a Super Bowl, I've never covered an Olympics, but there's a lot of people who have never covered a sport at a time when it's truly exploding and sort of this level of stardom is happening. And I just sort of feel like everything is moving so quickly and So I think, you know, we can get into the plays and the play itself and the games and the outfits and everything that we want to talk about. But I think what I'm going to remember most from this season, but especially this weekend, was sort of having that anticipation of a game that we don't know the numbers yet. Richard Deitch was sort of teasing that it might be upwards of 10 million, which would beat the national title game viewership from a season ago. But to sort of be covering this game right now feels really special. And I'm trying to remind myself to be thankful for it and sort of take time every game to just sort of step back, just as sort of a fan of writing and a fan of our jobs and a fan of the game and say, like, soak this in. Like soak in this environment and these players and these stars in this moment. And so that's probably not exactly where you thought I would go with that, but I think, you know, I'm running on two hours of sleep and as I look back at the weekend or at the week in the capital city, that's, that's really what sticks out to me the most.
- [39:32]
Chantelle Jennings
You mentioned the environment, and I think that is something that jumped out to me. And it was one thing that I know I kept touching on in the lead up to LSU Iowa, just in the minutes and hours before tip off, just how early fans immediately started to fill the lower bowl of MVP Arena. It felt like an hour before the game, you know, it was 80% fill, 85% fill that, you know, already when Caitlin Clark in Iowa and then LSU came out for warm ups, there were cheers, there were boos. It felt like we were in the middle of a game or a middle of a regular season game, and we were still an hour or 75 minutes from tip off. And, you know, it was just like that alone made you appreciate just how unique and special the this scene was. Right. I've been to, you know, a lot of New York Liberty games this year, and they have, I would say they have a crowd that shows up and really shows up and is loud and enthused when the game starts. But oftentimes 20 minutes before a game, 30 minutes before a game, the arena feels pretty empty. And it's just suddenly like 30 minutes goes by and tip off happens and then there's suddenly six, seven, eight thousand people there. This was not like that at all. This was, you know, 10,000 people who were there 40 minutes early, something like that. Like it was just an electric environment. Well before Tip off even happened with people, again, capturing it with their phones, taking photos. I remember the first few fans that trickled in, you know, right when doors open 90 minutes before tip off, sprinted down as close as they could and just started taking selfies. You know, parents of their kids, kids together. And it was just like, cool to see all these people documenting that moment because it was really a moment worth documenting. And we saw, you know, behind us there were fans who, you know, continued to call out the names of their favorite players in warm ups just to try and get a little bit of a wave or a little bit of a look. And then, you know, we're so euphoric if they felt that a player looked at them and, like, saw them. And that was just really cool to see. And that was all before, you know, the game even tipped off. And then I think there was this breath that happened then at halftime, you know, and we can dive into the action in a second. But then at halftime when the score was tied and everyone kind of sat back and was like, wow, like, this game is really living up to the billing. I think it was another moment that everyone collectively in the arena had of, of this is just a pretty, pretty cool scene.
- [41:44]
Ben Pickman
And fans are sort of feeling the same way that a lot of Republicans supporters are, just in terms of how special this moment is and that we don't know at this point on Tuesday at 2pm What Angel Reese's decision is, whether she's going pro or not. We know Caitlyn's going pro, but I think these die hard Hawkeye and Tigers fans are realizing they only have so many more minutes, right, to see their favorite players in these uniforms. And so warm ups matter now. It's like they don't just want to see the 40 minutes of game time, every extra 5, 10, 20 minutes that they can just see angel on the floor, you know, even if she's not like shooting the ball or anything, she's just stretching. Like they want to be in the arena with these players. And again, I think it just goes back to sort of how special this moment is in terms of. Of the sport. But I think we should dive into the game a little bit because, like you said, it lived up to the billing. We both looked at each other when it was 45, 45, and went, Holy shit, this game is as good as we thought it was going to be, maybe better. Like, how is this possible? Obviously, Iowa comes out on top, goes to their second consecutive Final Four, the reigning champs headed home. What sticks out to you most either from LSU or Iowa. From what we saw on the floor in those 40 minutes, I think the.
- [42:54]
Chantelle Jennings
Thing that jumped out to me was Iowa's emphasis early and we really then saw it again in the third quarter to pushing the pace. And it's something we've seen throughout the regular season. But it was a clear advantage from the very start of the game. And it's why I, Iowa got off to a very hot start. Though I should acknowledge that LSU ended up coming back and leading after the first quarter, but it was just time and time again seeing Caitlin Clark push the pace, seeing Gabby Marshall push the pace, and seeing Sidney Faulther, Kate Martin, Addy O'Grady get these kind of easy run out layups. And there were times certainly where some of those players even missed these layups. And you saw like demonstrative Caitlin Clark a little bit, who was, you know, a little bit exacerbated at her teammates for blowing an easy, easy layup. But you saw, you know, Chris back cutting from the Iowa Hawkeyes, you saw them, you know, these two on three, three on two situations, semi transition or just beating LSU back, that was something that really jumped out to me and that is something that I'm definitely going to have my eye on, you know, as we look forward. And again, we're going to talk more about the Final Four a little bit later and in the week once we get on the ground in Cleveland. But that is something I especially have my eye on as we think about Iowa and UConn because Yukon really is only playing six or maybe seven players. And so if Iowa can get out and run in much the same way they did against lsu, I think that's something that, you know, really gives them an advantage and I think that's something we should expect to see going forward.
- [44:09]
Ben Pickman
And one of the players you mentioned, you know, I think it was important that Addie O'Grady and A.J. edgar got minutes. You know, they got important minutes in this game because Hannah Stolke got into early foul trouble and moving forward, you know, whether when they play UConn and you know, if they can get past UConn, if they're playing South Carolina or NC State, like those are both teams that have, you know, an interior presence that, you know, if Iowa gets into foul trouble again, that they're going to need to go deeper into their bench in terms of their bigs. And to have Addie O'Grady have a game like that where she's building confidence, where she looks good, where she's getting up and down the up and down the floor. Same thing with AJ like, just to get those minutes and reps in. You know, Addie hit a really nice like 12 foot jump shot that I just thought like, okay, she's, she's comfortable. Like, this isn't a player that feels like they're not big enough for this moment. Like she feels like she really belongs on this floor. And you didn't see them looking very timid. They, they were loose and, and sort of going with the flow. And I think that's a really good sign for Iowa because we've spent so much time this season talking about what they lost with Monica Zenano and McKenna Warnock. They're a much smaller team, they have less of a physical presence. But I think what they have more of right now is sort of that speed and athleticism to push the pace to get up and down the floor. That was something I talked about with Bob Starkey the day before the game and he said that was the big difference. You know, Hannah Stokey gives them a floor runner. She's someone who ran like a 12, 600 in high school. Like that's very, very fast for a post player. And so she just gives them a different dimension to get up and down the floor that not a lot of teams are used to seeing that pace. And, and that is sort of, I think the Iowa's inside track to any, any game from here on out that they win. Like they just sort of have to control the pace and get those buckets.
- [45:53]
Chantelle Jennings
I had a story go up on the site over the weekend about coaches game planning and how they would recommend game planning for Caitlin Clark. And I think there's a general consensus at this point in her career that there is no stopping her, that you can only hope to contain her. Now there is still a pick your poison proposition and a lot of coaches talk about, you know, do you really, really try and clamp down on Clark and allow the role players to get theirs or do you try and clamp down on the role players and just accept that Clark is getting, get 40, 45 points and just have a crazy night. I think the thing you're realizing is that, you know, these role players can produce and they really are integral, right? You look at the box score, you get 21 points from Kate Martin, 16 from Sydney, a falter on 5 of 10 shooting from the field, right? Hannah Stokey, eight points in 21 minutes. She dealt with foul trouble as you mentioned, and Adio Grady played some of the nine, you know, nine minutes in the third quarter that were Some of the nine biggest minutes of her probably entire life or entire college career. Certainly to really keep Iowa in the game and not let Angel Reese and Anissa Moore kind of overpower and just disrupt the rhythm that I would built in the first half. The role players on Iowa, I think, were so central on Monday night and they will continue to be so central because I think it is just not that it's a given that Caitlin Clark is going to have 41 every single night, 41, 12 and 7. But I do think the expectation right now is, you know, 30 points, 35 points. She took 29 shots on Monday night. I guess it's a little high, but it certainly didn't feel like it, right. There weren't many that I bet she wishes she had back. So how the players around Clark perform is really important. And they don't feel like they are, you know, afraid or overwhelmed by the scene either.
- [47:36]
Ben Pickman
Obviously, we should get to our other Final Four team that came out of Albany one. But before we go over to South Carolina, I do think, you know, like, let's, let's touch on LSU a little bit at the end of the season when, you know, you, me and Sabrina all sit down together, we'll do a big podcast where we sort of, sort of do a postmortem for every team. You know, rehash what happened, look ahead into the off season. But with this LSU team, there's some question marks going forward. Like I said, we don't know what's going on with angel, whether she's going to come back or go pro. We don't know. Same Haley Van Lith, what her plans are. Obviously this is a program that has highly utilize the transfer portal. I'm sure they will be active in there again this off season. But what do you like best about the Tigers sort of as we look forward into the offseason and what do you feel like they built on in this postseason run?
- [48:22]
Chantelle Jennings
I think there's a ton of positives and I think, you know, Flaje Johnson was tremendous on both ends offensively and defensively. And, you know, she also brought endless, boundless amounts of energy and a player who just gave it every single time out on the court. So her development, her growth, and it was something that Angel Reese, you know, talked about after the game as well. And I even asked angel too, like, what is something you've learned from Flage, right? They have such a kind of sibling relationship. They have such a close bond. And when angel fouled out, Flage walked over and they immediately Put their arms around each other. And I asked angel after, like, you know, after Flage had reflected on all the things she learned from angel, what have you learned from Faj? And she talked about maximizing every day and like every hour in a day and Flage getting up at 5am and working on her, her music and her homework, then working on her basketball and just like always having energy, always bringing spirit in. And that I think is something that, you know, you could feel in the arena. You could see it every single time down. And she was a captain, one of their three captains for a reason. The other player I just wanted to highlight, who I thought really impressed me was Michaela Williams. And I spent a bunch of time talking to her as well. You know, a year ago at this time, she was watching Iowa, LSU in the stands. She scored 18 points on Monday night. The way she kind of came off ball screens and pulled up for her kind of mid range jumpers, it's just so smooth. Her game is already so well rounded and as only a freshman, she has so much to grow, so much to improve on. She's already shown to be a dynamic scorer, but you know, her potential is so, so high. Having them as building foundational pieces, plus Anissa Moore, plus a last year poa, like they have some pieces on this roster. LSU is going to be very competitive going forward. There's no reason to think they won't even if Angel Reese does turn pro.
- [50:09]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I completely agree with you. My gut is telling me that both Haley and Angel have played their last games for lsu, have played their last games at the college level. I think Kim Mulkey and her staff go into the transfer portal to try and find a point guard to really sort of capitalize on all of the skill that you just laid out. To have a big three of Anissa, Mikayla and Flage is just sort of like you were just oozing with talent at that point. And I, you know, what I particularly enjoyed about this this weekend in Albany was that I think we just automatically put Flage Johnson on the All Joy team. Like she just plays with so much joy and she had a block at one point in the Sweet 16 game and she just ran down the floor and it was like if you were at the very last like nosebleed section of the arena, you could see her smile from up there. Like it was just like, like you said, this sort of like boundless energy and joy and she really feels like, you know, the person on this team that can be sort of that thermometer for them next season, getting them to where they need to be emotionally as a team, like when they need to ramp it up a little bit or when they need to calm it down. She feels very much like that player for them next year. And if they can go into the portal and get a point guard who's, you know, even quite good, they're going to be in great shape.
- [51:30]
Chantelle Jennings
So let's talk about, you mentioned it. Let's talk about someone. We talked about the millions of people who were watching on Monday night. One of those people was Dawn Staley, who admitted after her team advanced to the Final Four that she was just going to sit back and enjoy Iowa, lsu, like every single other person out there. Dawn Staley, of course, could do that because her South Carolina Gamecocks had advanced to their fourth consecutive Final Four on Sunday afternoon after beating Oregon State. I guess from watching those last two games of South Carolina, seeing them advance out of Albany. 1 what were your impressions of watching the Gamecocks? What struck you and what do you think they take forward into their Final Four matchup with NC State?
- [52:09]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, this I think, was a great two rounds of games for the Gamecocks heading into the Final Four because I think they, they had tests, they had to sort of hold off runs from Indiana and Oregon State late. And this is a team that is younger, has turnover from last year, has a different personality to it than what Dawn Staley has had the last four seasons with the Freshies. And so, you know, I think one of the things that Dawn Staley says a lot is that she's a sight sound coach. Like how do things look, how do things feel, how do things sound? And this team just all in all of those ways is so different from the Freshies and sort of what she grew accustomed to over the previous four years. And yet here we are with sort of the same results, despite the fact that maybe their locker room is a little bit noisier. Dawn often talks about how her players are talking about absolutely nothing. It's just nonsense. And they're just talking and talking and, and it works for them. At halftime of the Oregon State game, Camila Cardoso started doing the Macarena and Brie hall and Raven Johnson joined in. And it wasn't like it wasn't anything other than sort of three young women sort of loose having fun. And I think this version of South Carolina really works for them and to sort of have that energy and also be able to turn it on and off as well as they do to hold off those runs that really impressed me. And then I think just the second piece of it is, my God, their depth. Like, just like close your eyes and point to someone on the bench at any point in the game and it's like, that might be the person who becomes the most important player in the game. I. You could have given me four guesses. And I want to pick Tessa Johnson as sort of the key player to close out that Oregon State game for them. And yet she was. She had a decisive seven points in the fourth quarter. Some important stops. Like, they just have so much talent at multiple positions that I definitely came out of this weekend even more impressed with them than I already was.
- [54:09]
Chantelle Jennings
And there's just a trust factor. You know, you talk about the depth and Dawn Staley really does trust so many players on her roster. And you see it, you know, letting them play through foul trouble. You see it. Letting them kind of voice their antics or their looseness as you're talking about. You saw it. You know, I took a note of it in the postgame celebration. Sanae Fagan, a reserve big. Like she was the person holding the trophy in their team photo. Like, that's trust in and of itself that, like, we're not a team with a lot of egos, that this reserve forward can be the one front and center holding the trophy and not Raven Johnson and not Cardozo.
- [54:45]
Sabrina Merchant
Right.
- [54:46]
Chantelle Jennings
Like, that is another form of just trust and connectivity around the roster. The thing that struck me in the Oregon State game was that I thought Oregon State played really, really well. Like, they dealt with a lot of foul trouble. They were not as deep of a team and they really did hang in there with South Carolina. But it was like a two minute, a three minute stretch in the third quarter where the game really flipped and South Carolina went on, I want to say, was a 10 or 12, zero run and that was it. Like three, four possessions. Oregon State was just a little bit subpar, didn't execute as well, didn't get stops on the defensive end. And that was really the difference. Like, they ended up clawing back and it was a four point game with just a few minutes to go in regulation. But like, they played them so, so well for 36, 37 minutes and it was just the slightest little laps from Oregon State and that was really the difference. Like, you can't take possessions off. You can't take two, three possessions off against South Carolina or they will burn you. And we did see them, I should say, you know, they were definitely a little sloppy against Indiana. Right? They did not close that game. Well, they let Indiana hang back in the game. I think it was a teachable moment for Dawn Staley and her group, but those instances are few and far between. Like, they play such a complete game time and time again. They get off to fast starts. They play third quarter as well. Like, it's just a really complete team. And that was one of the things that, that jumped out to me.
- [56:06]
Ben Pickman
Overall, I think one of my favorite moments of the press conference this weekend was after the Indiana game. Raven Johnson and Bri hall came into the post game press conference and they were talking about all the weapons they have on their team. And you know, I think it was Raven who said, coach, if you don't sweat, we don't sweat because you're the Don Staley. And you know, we have, we have all these weapons and whatever. And Don said we gave up a 17 point lead, like, and it was sort of this very laughable moment, but it was sort of gave us insight into that personality of the team that I was talking about earlier, where it's like, that is a probably a terrifying feeling for Dawn Staley to watch her team, a young team in some ways give up a 17 point lead. But because of the personality of this team, because of the bounce back they have, how they can turn it on and off, that they are very fun and loose. Twenty minutes after the game, they can be joking about it in a way that I'm sure they didn't joke about it in film or practice. But the fact that they can sort of have this jovial nature together, that there is a looseness and a comfortability with dawn, you know, I just, it feels so palpable. This team is obviously really, really close. I think the loss in the Final four to Iowa last year definitely brought them closer together. They are 100% on a mission. You see that in the games that, you know, even when Indiana was making the run or when Oregon State was making the run, you know, we just kept looking at each other and going, South Carolina just sort of feels inevitable, right? Like we thought to ourselves, like, we should probably start prepping a story if Indiana, Oregon State pulls this off. But in my heart of hearts, I didn't think that was going to happen. I was like, we can start prepping this, but we're just going to end up deleting it because South Carolina is just that good. And I think my last note I want to make, having now seen Raven Johnson pick up full court defense one on one against really good ball handlers, my goodness, like these elite Guards that we have all across the country, rather, whether it's Rory Harmon, Hannah Hidalgo, Raven Johnson, like, man, and we got to see Hannah play some full court defense this weekend too. Like just elite guard play on both sides of the ball. But when you see someone picking up 94ft, like, man, that looks like such a pain to deal with. You sort of like, look at these ball handlers and you're like, I'm glad I'm not you. I'm glad I'm not your coach that I, I'm glad I'm not the person that's tasked with figuring out how to get by this person.
- [58:27]
Chantelle Jennings
And I would say, you know, you talk about Raven Johnson, you could say the same thing about my leisure full Wiley and the way she comes in. And there were definitely times that, you know, she rushed up some three pointers or didn't attack the basket as aggressively as dawn and the rest of the coaching staff wanted. And you saw some frustrated faces at times in that Oregon State game. But, you know, the thing that I've taken note of in watching and being around this team these last couple days is with an undefeated team, you sometimes think about pressure. You look and you see them get tight, and you didn't really see that. Like, they don't really give off any vibe that they're playing nervous. There is just like a, a youthful freedom. And they are obviously so uniquely talented, but they're well prepared, they're well coached. And I'm sure, you know, if we had, you know, a true serum on Don Staley right now and their coaching staff, like, yeah, I'm sure they recognize that they're an undefeated group and that, you know, this has only been done 10 times or nine times, rather they would be the 10th overall. But like, their players don't, don't reflect that. They don't give off that vibe. Like, they just go out there and play and they play really freaking well time and time again. And they have a looseness, they have a joy, as we've talked about, they're fun to be around and, and I think everyone really likes to be around each other. And all that was really palpable this weekend and I wouldn't expect it to change even in going to Cleveland, you know, that's been their goal. That's been the place they wanted to get back to this whole time. But, you know, I, I don't have any reason to believe that they're gonna feel more tight or more pressure against NC State in their Final Four game. I, I don't Know, if you feel the same way, it's just, you know, I think this team is what it is. And that was something else that Don Staley kept saying that, like, at this point, their habits are their habits. Like, there are little things that they might correct and they might make adjustments in film here and there, and, like, little technical things on court that they might change. But, like, the personality of this team, how she's coaching this team, they are what they are. They are established at this point. They're not going to change. And, you know, there's no reason to think that they will change entering this Final Four.
- [60:30]
Ben Pickman
Well, I think this is probably a good place to kind of wrap it up, but maybe just to, like, reflect briefly on the two teams that we got to see this weekend that are going to the Final Four. Like you said, they are who they are. South Carolina, Iowa. Coming out of this weekend, as we get ready to go to Cleveland, is there anything that you learned about both teams or anything you saw in particular about both teams that makes you feel maybe more confident about their chances in their respective Final Four games?
- [60:58]
Chantelle Jennings
This week, I was impressed by how Iowa handled going up against bigs who are more skilled than their own bigs. And Kate Martin battled and Addy O'Grady battled, and they played a lot of 2, 3 zone, and that really helped neutralize LSU's front court. That was something I was concerned about heading into the tournaments. Why I liked Kansas State to beat Iowa. It's why I thought UCLA was a tough matchup, because of a player like Lauren Betts. Right. They handled Biggs really, really well. And that's something that, you know, theoretically, Iowa could meet South Carolina in the title game. They're gonna have to come up with a way to guard Camila Cardozo. They're gonna have to come up with a way to guard Ashland Watkins, like, and I would expect a lot of zone. And I bet South Carolina. Carolina knows that they're going to play a lot of zone. And so that chess match between the two coaching staffs will be really apparent. So that was one thing that jumped out to me on that end. On the South Carolina end, it was just seeing the bodies come in and out and rotate in and out, and there's kind of hockey sub styling, just throwing people out there. Everyone kind of succeeding in various degrees. I also talked to Brie hall, and she said something really interesting to me, which was that, you know, she felt herself, and she's one of the more experienced players on the team, that she was a little flustered a little bit antsy against Indiana when her shot wasn't falling, she was trying to force things. And against Oregon State, she calmed down. She tried to attack the basket. Like she made that mental adjustment. She said Aaliyah Boston helped her out and actually gave her that piece of advice, that piece of wisdom on the morning of their Elite Eight game. And so, you know, there's this recognition that, you know, they're able to make adjustments and change how they want to play. And that was something that hall did between the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. And it is something, you know, they can shapeshift so well. South Carolina and I think that was so apparent. What about you? What, what are you going to kind of take forward in a kind of a final thought as we look to the Final Four?
- [62:40]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I think same thing with Iowa. I just feel much more confident, I guess, about them defensively just trying different things at least. I think most people looked at a Hannah Stolke versus any other sort of starting big as like, well, obviously it's going to favor the other side sort of a thing. And I don't think that's the case coming out of this weekend. I think, you know, this isn't something we say a ton, but like, you have to sort of respect Iowa defensively in this situation coming out of this weekend. At the same time, you know, just sort of another chance to sort of see Caitlin Clark rise to the occasion. I've had a chance to be in arenas with her in these big games this season and there's just not been a moment that she hasn't met. It's just sort of bewildering to me at this point. Like, I don't know how many more words I have to just sort of say how remarkable it is to sort of see this truly storybook situation unfolding in front of our eyes and feel like life is not scripted on the South Carolina side. Yeah, I think their depth, watching them run out. I like what you said, the hockey, hockey sub sort of situation where they're just throwing out lineups and you're like, okay, here's another five star. Here's another five star. Here's another five star. Here's someone who could be starting on another team and only plays 11 minutes for the Gamecock sort of a thing like, but that is how that program works. We've seen it happen before. Players who don't start become first round draft picks in the wnba. That's just the South Carolina program at this point. So I think I'm really excited to get to Cleveland. It's going to be a really exciting weekend. I think we can guarantee that it's going to break viewership records. It's certainly, you know, if we end up with an Iowa, South Carolina title game, I can't even venture a guess at this point what the viewership for that would be because that, that would be the matchup. But even before we get to that point, sort of the idea of a Yukon Iowa matchup, which is a rematch of Paige and Caitlin's freshman years in the Sweet 16 when UConn beat Iowa. I went back and read one of my stories I wrote from that game, actually, four years ago, three years ago, and just sort of how, how highly I thought of that freshman class, right, which was those two and Cambrink and Camille Cardoso and Angel Reese. And, you know, time is a circle. Here we are talking about another incredible freshman class during their senior years. And so I'm just excited to get to Cleveland.
- [64:57]
Chantelle Jennings
Chantal, I know you said that you have no more words left, but I think I'll speak on behalf of readers and listeners. We hope that you find the words later this week that you recharge before you get to Cleveland. I hope I recharge before I get to Cleveland. We'll be there on Wednesday and we'll be bringing you guys another show on Friday morning. Thursday, we'll be in press conferences. We'll be talking to both of those teams as they address reporters, and we can give you all the tidbits that we learned from being on the ground. And we'll really get you set for the Final Four matchups on Friday night and eventually on Sunday. So that wraps up this edition of the Athletic Women's Basketball Show. Again, we'll be back on Friday morning from Cleveland, Ohio. Thanks, everyone for listening, for learning, for loving the game, and hopefully you've enjoyed this tournament as much as we have. So much more fun to come.
- [65:52]
Sabrina Merchant
As.
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