No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Episode: How to Own Your 2025 Women's NCAA Bracket Pool
Release Date: March 18, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of No Offseason, The Athletic's hosts—including Zena Keda, Ben Pickman, Chantelle Jennings, Sabreena Merchant, alongside guest experts Mark Schindler and Tara Vandeveer—dive deep into strategies for dominating your 2025 Women's NCAA bracket pool. With March Madness in full swing, the team provides invaluable insights to help listeners make informed and strategic bracket choices.

Bracket Tips and Strategies

Mark Schindler kicks off the discussion by sharing his top three bracket tips, emphasizing the importance of:

1. Making Multiple Brackets and Being Unorthodox
   • Mark Schindler [08:21]: “If you just go chalk with everything you expect to happen, that's not what March is about.”
2. Evaluating Team Strengths Beyond Historical Data
   • Recognizing the volatile nature of March Madness, Mark advises focusing on current season performance rather than solely relying on historical upsets.
3. Trusting Free Throw Percentage Over Three-Point Shooting
   • Mark Schindler [17:15]: “Free throw percentage is pretty tried and true. If you, if you suck at free throw shooting, that's the number is a pretty good indicator.”

Ben Pickman and Tara Vandeveer further elaborate on these points, discussing the merits and drawbacks of multiple brackets and highlighting the critical role of free throw shooting in tight games.

Final Four Path Analysis

The conversation shifts to mapping out potential pathways to the Final Four. The experts analyze top-seeded teams and their routes:

Texas Longhorns

Mark Schindler raises concerns about Texas's three-point shooting woes:

• Mark Schindler [28:43]: “They are dead last in the country out of 362 teams in three point rate. That's really hard for them." Conversely, Tara Vandeveer counters by highlighting Texas's strengths in other areas:
• Tara Vandeveer [30:39]: “They are top five in defensive rating. They're top 10 in offensive rating... they got 31 wins.”

USC vs. UConn

The hosts debate the impact of absent star players from previous seasons:

• Tara Vandeveer [19:29]: “I do think there's still a ton of personalities in the game today on the college level.” Mark Schindler predicts a showdown between USC and UConn, emphasizing their dominance:
• Mark Schindler [37:23]: “I think clearly it's going to go through those two teams.”

UCLA vs. South Carolina

Comparisons are drawn between UCLA and South Carolina's paths:

• Mark Schindler [42:40]: “I would personally say that it's South Carolina.”
• Tara Vandeveer [46:37]: “I have UConn winning the whole tournament. I think they can go up to the highest ceiling of any team in this tournament.”

Viewership and Personalities Impact

The hosts discuss how the absence of marquee players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese affects viewership and fan engagement:

• Ben Pickman [20:50]: “Caitlin Clark Angel Reese dynamic... causes and fueled the viewership.” Tara Vandeveer notes the continued growth in viewership despite these changes:
• Tara Vandeveer [20:50]: “ESPN viewership was up 3% year over year from last season.”

Sports Gambling in Women's Basketball

A significant segment addresses the evolving landscape of sports gambling:

• Tara Vandeveer [24:28]: “March is a time in which we're going to see a lot more people betting on women's college basketball than they did during the regular season.” The discussion highlights disparities in betting opportunities between men's and women's games and explores the potential for growth in the women's sports betting market.

Teams to Watch Beyond the Favorites

Mark and Tara highlight several under-the-radar teams poised for deep tournament runs:

• Mark Schindler mentions Oklahoma State and Richmond as teams with strong potential:
  • Mark Schindler [51:25]: “Oklahoma State is really good. They have a lot of size. They're a fantastic offensive team.”
• Tara Vandeveer focuses on Vanderbilt and Florida State for their dynamic play and standout players:
  • Tara Vandeveer [55:59]: “Vanderbilt has a dynamic, incredibly high-scoring backcourt.”

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, the hosts encourage listeners to participate in the No Offseason Bracket Challenge hosted on Yahoo Sports, emphasizing community and competition. They tease the next episode featuring former Stanford coach Tara Vandeveer, who will answer listener questions live.

Ben Pickman closes with enthusiasm:

• Ben Pickman [56:31]: “We want to brag about your bracket pool. We want to own your bracket pool.”

Listeners are reminded to join the community using the ID number 2519 and to follow the show for ongoing insights and expert analysis.

Notable Quotes

• Mark Schindler [08:21]: “If you just go chalk with everything you expect to happen, that's not what March is about.”
• Mark Schindler [17:15]: “Free throw percentage is pretty tried and true. If you, if you suck at free throw shooting, that's the number is a pretty good indicator.”
• Tara Vandeveer [30:39]: “They are top five in defensive rating. They're top 10 in offensive rating... they got 31 wins.”
• Mark Schindler [42:40]: “I would personally say that it's South Carolina.”
• Ben Pickman [20:50]: “Caitlin Clark Angel Reese dynamic... causes and fueled the viewership.”

Key Takeaways

• Strategic Bracketing: Utilize multiple brackets and consider unorthodox picks to navigate the unpredictability of March Madness.
• Team Evaluation: Prioritize free throw shooting and assess current season performance over historical data when selecting teams.
• Final Four Predictions: Texas, USC, UConn, and South Carolina are strong contenders, each with unique strengths and potential challenges.
• Viewership Insights: Despite the absence of certain star players, viewership for women's basketball remains robust and continues to grow.
• Sports Gambling: The integration of sports betting into women's basketball presents both opportunities and challenges, with an increasing interest during the tournament.

For more detailed analysis and expert bracket tips, tune in to No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show every Tuesday and Friday.