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- [00:00]
A
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- [01:43]
A
Hello, everyone, and welcome to no Off Season. I'm Zena Kada.
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C
And I'm Sabrina Merchant.
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A
And today on the show, we are doing something that I don't necessarily love to do, but we know it's fun. We're overreacting to the college hoops season. Yes, it's early, but still there are some things that we can have some thoughts on. That's what we're gonna do today. We're two weeks in. We're gonna see who's looking good, who's looking not so good, and who's making things potentially exciting for the season, especially as conference play comes along very soon. But we're gonna actually have someone joining us to talk about this. Ira Gora. She's been doing some really cool stuff for the college sports desk at the Athletic, if you've been reading her stuff at all. But she knows ball, okay? And she's gonna be able to join us for these overreactions. But first, we got some fun numbers around the athletic association at the college level. I love this door. Dash, if you're listening, you missed out an opportunity. We're gonna get into why in just a few seconds, but first we've gotta talk about Grace College and the ridiculous, ridiculous stat line they put up against Ohio Christian. I'm so sorry that Ohio Christian had to be on the other side of this, where Grace College dropped 172 points, breaking the record of any point scored at any level. D1, D2, D3. Didn't matter, Sabrina. They went in against Ohio Christian. Most effort points by a women's college basketball team. Like what happened?
- [03:18]
C
Yeah. So over at CBS Sports, Jack Maloney wrote a story about this and basically figured out that they ran a full for 40 minutes, which when you are up by 80 plus points in the final minute of a game, I don't know how I would feel as the opposing coach if my team was still getting full court pressed. But, you know, I mean, if you break it, I guess that's how you get 91 points of your own. To be clear, the previous record was 159 points. So it's not as if they needed to break the record in the final minute. They were just, you know how you talk about like not playing the scoreboards? You know, like they were very much not playing the scoreboard. This is just how they play every second of the game. It was just the tempo. I mean, you have to have that kind of tempo to score a combined 200. What, 63 points on both teams.
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A
Crazy.
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C
They forced 42 turnovers. They scored 93 fast break points, which would have been more than the 91 that the other team scored total. And fun fact, they only made 10 three pointers. So it's not as if they were just reigning three pointers. It was a lot of layoffs.
- [04:22]
A
This is, this is a college practice. They basically went to practice for the for against Ohio Christian and just ran layup lines like, that's wild. They made four or they took 44 free throws. So the fact that this game even paused and there was time to recalibrate and they were like, you know what, let's keep going. Let's keep going. I was reading the article, trying to figure out, like, is there beef? Like what's good with the coaches, like what happened in the past and Ohio Christian, if there wasn't beef before, there's beef now, you better register this because that is wild. And the fact that they now are in the record books with your name at the other end of it. Ohio Christian, I expect a stat like 173 next year. Okay? Figure it out.
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C
All right.
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A
Other folks that felt like they had beef against their opponents, two juniors across the country, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame and Audi Crook of Iowa State I mean, they did some things. Okay. They did some things. Sabrina, break it down for us.
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C
Yeah. So let's start with Hannah Hidalgo, who just was really mean to Akron on Wednesday.
- [05:24]
A
Like, there's beef all around.
- [05:27]
C
She set an NCAA record, men's or women's, with 16 steals in a regulation game against the Akron Zips. It's not like she played 40 minutes or anything. She played 28 minutes, picked up 16 steals of her own. Notre Dame as a team had 30 steals. So just Akron. What are we doing? Dribbling the ball or passing the ball? Kind of work on some drills during practice next time. NCAA record was actually 14, so. Set by Jill Ingram of Georgia Tech and Tisha Pentiro of Old Dominion. So good company for Hannah Hidalgo to be in, as she also set a Notre Dame program scoring record with 44 points. In addition to those 16 steals, you know, four assists, nine rebounds throw in. She did have six turnovers of her own, but I feel like at that pace, like things are bound to happen. But, yeah, 44 points, 16 steals, nine rebounds. Just a regular day in the office for Hannah Hidalgo from Notre Dame.
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A
That's disgusting. Disgusting is ridiculous. That's amazing.
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C
And I don't want to shortchange Adi Crooks.
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A
I was just going to say the 16 steals feels like it could have gone with Audi.
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C
Yeah, she did have 43 points in 20 minutes, 18 of 23 from the field. But when you have 44 points on the other end, plus all the other extras that Hannah Hidalgo added, like kudos to Adi, what I was more impressed with is that, you know, Iowa State, who we talk about their defense a lot, they limited Valparaiso to 5 of 17 shooting in the restricted area. So that's a very impressive defensive performance. Good for you, Adi. But again, we're talking about 16 steals on the other end. So happy for the Cyclones. Nice undefeated start to the season. Also an undefeated start of the season for the Irish, who faced their first real test of the year against Michigan on Saturday. And, you know, I'd like to think that Silas Swords, Olivia Olsen, Mila Holloway are a little better at handling the ball than the Akron Zips.
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A
Absolutely. And they're definitely looking at that tape. Like, I don't even know if they look at that tape, but they're definitely seeing that stat line and being like, absolutely not. We refuse to allow that. Well, congratulations to both of them. People just doing some crazy things. If this is any indication as to how crazy this season is going to be. Strap in, y'. All. Strap in. Okay. Let's shift over to some off the court basketball news. Still in the college space, but also going pro. Juju Watkins stepped inside to the business side of sports. She became the first college player to invest in a women's professional league, joining the investor group for the Boston Legacy FC of the nwsl. No, I did not misspeak. I did say Boston. And I know this might be a little confusing, folks. Juju born and raised in Los Angeles, home of Angel City fc, you know, right there, one of the most high profile soccer teams in the country. And yet she has chosen Boston Legacy FC as her first professional investment. Now Boston Legacy is also invested in by Aaliyah Boston and for several reasons that makes sense. Sabrina, what did you make of this? And break down why Aaliyah Boston makes sense. But how did this juju thing happen?
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C
I mean, I think people listening can understand why Aaliyah Boston makes sense. Aaliyah Boston investing in Boston Legacy. She also did grow up, spend her high school years in Massachusetts when she, you know, moved over from the island. So multiple reasons why investing in the Boston Legacy makes sense for the Indiana Fever star Juju Watkins. Is she friends with Leah Boston? Like, I'm not really understanding the connection here. There is a team in la. There are other teams you could invest in. Maybe there is not a historic Louisiana Boston rivalry in women's soccer because again, this is an expansion team. So not the historic nature that you might see in basketball or baseball, for example. I don't really get it. I don't know if we need to clarify. There have been college athletes who have invested in unrivaled, including juju Weapons. They have the nil partnership. So I don't really know about the distinctions there. Just suffice to say a lot of college players using their portfolios to make investments in women's sports, which is awesome all around. Even if it does happen to be teams that LA has historic or maybe not historic rivalry, who knows, right?
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A
And I think, I think maybe the distinction is like unrivaled a league versus a team. I don't know. But yeah, that's fair. I'm still a little confused. I'd love a little background, like a breakdown when they announce it. Like, you know, they do those cool videos like welcome Juju. Can we give a little bit of context what happened?
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C
Maybe she was like Swans. I don't know. Isn't that like the thing on the crest of their.
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A
Yeah, I don't know. Right, exactly. I'm curious. I'm curious. Either way, congrats. I don't have the money to be.
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C
Making those decisions is what I'll give you.
- [10:07]
A
Yeah, either way. Exactly. NWSL playoffs going on. Lots of growth happening in the nwsl, just like there is in the wnba. So great investment overall. Congratulations to Juju for sure. And now, last but not least, let's turn our attention to the world of WNBA and an interesting piece from Annie Costable of the Front Office Sports Team saying, why are so few teams wanting to host the WNBA All Star Game? As you know, Chicago was announced as next year's location, but they just had it. 2022 just happened. And I know a lot of folks were like, really? Really? There are other teams available. I mean, I am in the Bay. It feels like that would have been a space where that could have happened. But that article revealed not that many people are raising their hands. So, Sabrina, break that down for us. Why are so few teams actually willing to take on All Star Weekend?
- [11:02]
C
Yeah, so like as you mentioned, if you're wondering why your favorite WNBA team is not hosting 2026 WNBA All Star, it's because they didn't bid on it. The only team bid on hosting 2026 WNBA All Star was the Chicago Sky. And you could say, hey, maybe that's a result of nobody knows what's going to happen with the season. There's a lot of indecision with CBA and whatnot. No teams really bet on 2025 either. The league just asked Indianapolis to do it and they sort of went, I guess some infrastructure in place from having hosted NBA All Star in 2024. The article does reveal that there was a lot of interest in 2024 WNBA All Star, which was hosted by Phoenix. The president of the Phoenix Mercury, Vince Kosar, says they beat out three other bids to host that year. And you remember that's the Olympic year. So you get the Team USA versus All Stars as the headline of that event. And there's a couple of things that makes me think of one, what exactly do All Star Games mean in our modern sports landscape? When every game is on TV and you can watch every player all the time, see them on socials, all of their games, all of their highlights, Is it that cool to have an All Star Game still? Like, we've seen this problem in a lot of sports, right? How much does the All Star Game really mean other than when the WNBA has the best format possible with the Olympic team going up against the rest of the WNBA All Stars, which we'll always love that. And I can see why there's A lot of interest in that game. But then again, like, we've talked about ownership in the wnba, you know, putting their money where their mouth is and providing more resources to players in the form of practice facilities and bigger training staffs and more better player experience, you know, throughout the league for the wnba. But maybe there's a limit on, like, how much money they're actually willing to spend on other things because there's a lot of costs taken out of pocket to host All Star, right? And you know, Phoenix Mercury is saying that, like, the only way we're really able to do this is because we have all the Sun's resources on our side. So, like, doesn't really know how an independent ownership group would do it. And maybe that's why we just keep seeing All Star back in Vegas over and over again, right? They had it in 19, 21, 23. Kind of surprising, honestly. It wasn't back there in 25. But I wouldn't be shocked at all if Vegas were back on the list to host an All Star game just because of all of the convention center space and hotels and everything that naturally exists in Las Vegas to host giant events. But yeah, I think it is interesting that despite all of the growth at wnba, it's still facing a very similar problem to other professional sports of like, what is this previously very exciting game meet in the modern era of our sport? And also, is it worth the financial outlay that it seems to cost? It seems to be a very big investment for these ownership groups. And like, what does it really do for the franchise to host it? Like, does it make a meaningful impact to them?
- [13:36]
A
Yeah, it does. You know, as you're laying that out and immediately thinking about, you know, the Bay Area being able to host NBA All Star recently, like, it worked in conjunction with everything they were trying to showcase in general, because there are so many events coming to the Bay. This NBA All Star was an opportunity for them to one, show off the Valkyries facilities. That was like a really great red carpet, of course, violet carpet, to be able to showcase, you know, what they're doing and what they're building in Oakland. But also there are so many more events that are coming to the Bay that aren't even just NBA All Star. There's a Super bowl coming, right? It does seem like there's so many more tentacles than we know and could think of, for what it's worth, like Phoenix and Indiana in terms of, like, their layout and the fan experience of getting to the games, et cetera. Like, that was top tier People did not have any issues getting to where they need to be, where the events are and how things were laid out. There's already concerns questions around how Chicago is going to be laid out because.
- [14:34]
C
A lot of people are calling in Illinois All Star Game.
- [14:36]
A
Yeah, right, exactly. The Illinois All Star Game. So this is interesting. It really does seem like you have to have an extra incentive, peripheral incentive to want to host something, an event like that. And yeah, when things are already built in, you do feel like you're at an advantage. So we'll see la I imagine, particularly after the Olympics and the work they're gonna have to do to get up to speed with that. I feel like they might be set up to be able to host one soon and they're gonna want to have their purple and gold carpet laid out because they have a facility on the way as well. So. Very interesting. Appreciate you breaking that down, Sabrina. All right, guys, I've been pushing it off, but it's time to overreact. Tell me if I'm alone here. No offseason listeners, but shopping used to feel more fun. The algorithm fed blah and the endless sea of dupes. But I have a confession. I found that fun feeling again on ebay. It's not mindless scrolling. It is a fashion pursuit. And when you score that rare Adidas Collab or the Dior saddlebag you've been manifesting, it's a rush. Ebay has millions of pre loved finds from hundreds of brands backed by the eBay authenticity guarantee. EBay things people love if you love to travel, Capital One has a rewards credit card that's perfect for you. With the Capital One Venture X card, you earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy. Plus you get premium benefits at a collection of luxury hotels when you book on Capital One Travel. And with Venture X, you get access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. Open up a world of travel possibilities with a Capital One Venture X card. What's in your wallet?
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- [16:57]
A
All right. Joining us as we dive into our college hoops overreactions is the athletics Ira Gorawara. Ira, welcome to the show and thank you so much for joining us.
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B
Thank you, guys. It's like a loyal no off season listener. I'm excited to be here.
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A
Yes. Snaps for that. I love that. Thank you. And now, before we get into our reactions, we do want to introduce you a little bit more to the audience. You actually wrote this unbelievable piece on sorority influencers in Alabama Football. Currently has 529 comments. Whether those are hate comments, whether those are love comments, people are fascinated by this. It's a conversation and it's a thing that is happening. Break it down. How did you come about, like, wanting to write that story and what were some of the little details that you. You loved learning about it?
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B
Yeah, so I was seeing on my social media everywhere these girls, like sorority girls who are just like literally making a whole career out of themselves and they're still in college. Like, the one girl that comes to mind, her name is Kylan Darnell. She's a million and a half almost TikTok followers. And I saw a report that she makes six figures a month, so. And she's my age, so she's still a senior in college. And this is all from like. Well, one thing is she's like some sort deal with ESPN where she's on college game day whenever they come to Tuscaloosa, which is often once a year, and she'll come and show like social media stuff like around the stage. And so she has that. And then she's all these brand deals with like a bunch of like, clothing brands and jewelries and like, you know, all this sort of like food brands, whatever. And she's just literally like, she has her career set out for herself. It seems like she's gonna. She wants to go into sports broadcasting. So she's kind of got that path already laid out. So there's a lot of girls like her. She's definitely the face of all of it and kind of started this whole tre, but there's so many like her. And so I went to Tuscaloosa in Alabama a couple weeks ago, and it was just like the way that these girls dress for game days is so I go to ucla and so what I'm used to is like, you wear a jersey, you wear some denim shorts, you wear some rusty sneakers and you call it a day. But down there it's like leather dresses and like blazers and, like, boots and all this, like, expensive jewelry. And some of them. One of the girls I Talked to spent $5,000 on jewelry alone. And, like, they have, like, spreadsheets and canva boards and stuff to, like, you know, like, write out K takeoff times, opponent, color scheme, everything. So it's like a whole production. Like, one of the girls was like, it's like a Saturday to Saturday thing of, like, game day. It's, like, literally the crown jewel of their, like, school year. So, yeah, basically it's about how these girls have the production behind game days and habits all led to, like, these lucrative careers and influencer, like, influencer careers and, like, content creation and social media.
- [19:33]
A
Now, there were a lot of people, men particularly, that were upset that they had not been able to capitalize on their fandom in this way. But, man, it is fascinating. I think my favorite part was, like, how a lot of sorority girls, they share their closets, so they're like, they basically multiply. It's ingenious. It's ingenious. I love this for them. I've definitely seen Kylan before. I remember the story came out about her, and people were mad about it, and she was just like, I'm doing my thing, so I love you bringing that attention to that story, and we'll see what happens. Being a girl from the South, I went to Wake Forest. Each sorority gets their own color. Converse. Oh, okay. Imagine a girly coming from college in grad school, and I just, like, converses, period. And people are asking me if I'm a particular sorority. I'm like, I have no idea what you're talking about. It's a thing. Okay. It's a thing. All right. So one thing that I loved finding out, though, after even I've read this story, right? Sabrina and Ben, Ben Pickman of our show, let me know that, you know ball, and you, like, love ball. And I'm like, hold up. We gotta make this happen. I'm so happy that you're here. We're gonna get into the college hoop season. Talk about some early overreactions. Sabrina, I'm gonna let you go ahead and start us off. We got some new faces in new places. Freshmen breaking out, top contenders, playing well, you know, like, top contenders. We have a small sample size. It's teeny, but it's enough to make an overreaction. So what is your overreaction for the season so far?
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C
All right, so I think on our preseason All American team, we had one player from this team represented on our second team. And I actually Voted for a different player on my second team. And now I'm at the point where I'm thinking a third player altogether is the most important player on South Carolina, and that is Tessa Johnson. I think that she is the most important player to what the Gamecocks are trying to do this season. And I'm kind of shocked I got to this point. But she is Starting at the 3 for South Carolina, which is kind of a big position there because, you know, vacating where Brie hall was the last couple years. Just awesome connector defender, you know, latched on to the Valkyries and the Indiana Fever this season. Yeah, Tessa, I look at South Carolina, you know, we have all these questions about their depth, and they kind of have the Texas problem of like, where's the three point shooting coming from? Tessa Johnson, her shot chart is like all of the places where the Gamecocks don't get guarded. You know, like she, she gets her pull up in the mid range. She's the only one really on the team that's shooting any threes. And if you need the space to make room for Joyce Edwards to work inside, for Tenia Latson to work inside, because nobody gets downhill quite like Tenia Ladson. That spacing, that gravity that comes from Tessa Johnson. And I watch South Carolina whenever they get into a little bit of a lull. You know, you saw that game against Clemson where the Tigers kept coming back. She's the one who can create her own shot, like in places that other teams are not going to guard them. She's the one who's going to defend the other team's best perimeter player. Like, we're going to talk About South Carolina vs USC Southern California this upcoming weekend. She's the one who's going to guard Jazzy Davidson. So I look at Tessa Johnson and I think she might be the most important player on this team as they try to win another national title.
- [22:40]
A
I love this overreaction. And I don't know if it's an overreaction, but I'm sure some South Carolina fans are like, hold up, hold up, hold up. Joyce. Joyce is right there.
- [22:51]
C
But we didn't score in the country last year, right?
- [22:54]
A
Exactly. Tonight that is. That's a thing. Yep, absolutely. And she's scoring pretty well still for the South Carolina Gamecocks. But Tessa Johnson, when I think about her shot, even just last year, looking at, she can create off the dribble, she can pull up in the gaps, like exactly what you're talking about. Um, how many mid, like, baseline jumpers did we see her hit last year at the end of a shot clock like that. That's a good one. Sabrina Dam. I feel like I need to get my overreaction together. That's a good one.
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B
Okay, That's a good one.
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A
What do you think about that era, about Tessa Johnson maybe being the most important player?
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B
I like that. Especially in the, like, you know, no Chloe Kits sort of era, who is the standout, and I like that. I mean, agreed, 100%.
- [23:38]
C
I want to throw a couple more numbers out here. Tessa Johnson is shooting over 70% on twos, nearly 46%, nearly 47% on her three pointers. She sort of blocked a couple three pointers against Clemson the other night. So the defense is there, the offense is there. She's not exactly a playmaker. That's fine. They got other ones of those on South Carolina. But when you talk about people who are just going to provide some shooting, you know, for the Gamecocks, it's pretty much Tessa Johnson and nobody else. So I think that's really important. And that's why I have very high hopes for what she can accomplish in her first year as a starter in South Carolina.
- [24:14]
B
I can't wait for that USC matchup on Saturday, especially because it's gonna be Jazzy Davidson. Like Sabrina was saying, Jazzy Davidson and Tessa Johnson.
- [24:22]
A
That is gonna be a good matchup. And another thing, though, that I did not know until I went to that, to the Final Four. Tessa Johnson is a big guard. Like, I'm not gonna lie to you. If you've never seen Tessa Johnson in person, you might see her and might, you know, you feel endear, like she endears herself upon people. Right. Cause she's adorable. But. But she's a big guard and she's like six. One solid.
- [24:46]
C
Yeah, I think she's less than six feet. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [24:49]
A
Like, she's solid. And that's one of the things that Brie hall had about her, was that length. And she was a big guard that could guard on the perimeter. She could switch in any situation. And so this is an opportunity. And I know Don Saley is probably, you know, that's a test for Tessa Johnson, particularly from her younger years to now being an upperclassman. Like, she's gonna have to really step up from that perspective defensively. Okay, Okay. I like it. I'm grateful for it. Now I gotta look for it. We'll see. Let us know if we're overreacting on that. I know South Carolina fans are like, mount up. No, I'm Joking. Okay, let's keep going. Let's keep going. ERA Sabrina's warmed us up. It's a good one. It's a great one. And I know you've been covering UCLA and the greater Los Angeles area. What is your biggest overreaction so far this season?
- [25:36]
B
Okay, so I want to get to UCLA and usc and we know those are the powerhouses and we know Jazzy Davidson's legit and London Jones is loving her time at her former crosstown rivals. And ucla, UCLA is deep and all that. But the team that I was thinking about when I was thinking of all this was San Diego State. So I watched them last week against UCLA in Anaheim for their season opener and they really gave UCLA a fight. I mean, that was UCLA season opener. And Corey Close said after the game that, you know, there was a lot of things that UCLA didn't do very well and she wasn't very proud of how the team started the season. There's a few things about that team, so I'm sure you guys saw. But last week after the Santa Barbara game, Corey Close was talking about how she reached out to every school from Cal Poly down to San Diego and nobody wanted to play ucla. And she really struggled to schedule those non conference games. And it was something that Dawn Staley warned her about being like, people aren't going to want to play you. And so she kind of shouted out, you know, the San Diego State and like San Diego State, like I said, really did give UCLA a fight. UCLA came out, scored the first eight points with, I think it was like a three point game after the first quarter. And then as UCLA should have, they took the game away by like 20 something points. But the San Diego State gave another run at it late third, early fourth, fourth quarter. And like it was always an avid Stlius game, but it really, you know, they gave them a fight, as I mentioned. And I think the one player that stands out, so she's a 5, 7 guard, so she's somewhat short. Her name is Naomi. I'm gonna butcher her last name, but panganiba. And I was watching her play and I was like, she reminds me of somebody and I can't figure out who. And so I searched her up and I was like, oh, she went to La Jolla, which is where Jada Williams went. Obviously the Iowa State speedy guards, I mean, it's, she's Jada Williams. She's, you know, she has that grit and toughness about her. And I was like, they just give very similar vibes when I watch them. Play. And so she, they play very similarly, played together. And Naomi only had four points against ucla. She had five assists. But nothing, you know, nothing to write home about from the scoreboard or the stat sheet. But she's not the host player on the court. And she kind of uses. Takes advantage of that by being like, compensating for that by being, you know, having offensive maturity kind of beyond her years. She's versatile, she's athletic, which makes sense because she did high jump and long jump and like some sprints and stuff in high school, and she's played internationally in the Philippines since 2022. So like, she has all these different things going for her. And I don't think she's going to be, you know, some sort of like one of the top players in the country, but certainly in the Mountain west and San Diego State, the reigning Mountain west champion. So I think they're going to have a run for it. I mean, they were knocked out of the tournament last year because they played LSU in the first round, but I was pretty impressed at what I saw from San Diego.
- [28:20]
A
Okay, okay, wait. First of all, thank you for putting us on because I'm not gonna lie to you, I haven't watched one San Diego State game. For San Diego State, Right. When we're watching some of these games, you're looking at UCLA in these circumstances, right? So this is really, really cool. Do you think, are you going to go ahead and overreact that San Diego State is going to make it past.
- [28:39]
C
The first weekend or even the first round? Honestly, that'd be overreacting the first round.
- [28:43]
A
Thank you.
- [28:43]
B
I'm going to say they're meant to make it past the first round.
- [28:46]
A
Okay.
- [28:46]
B
Unless they're somehow pitted against, you know, LSU again in the first round. But otherwise I think they're gonna make, they're gonna make it past the first round.
- [28:55]
A
Sabrina, there is something to be said about having a team as dominant as UCLA not being able to immediately put you out of the game. Right. When we're seeing all these non conference games, these quote unquote, buy games, right, where these bigger teams are getting teams to come in to play them so that they can get their reps in, they can make sure that they have their defensive set and their offensive choices put in place, there's not an indication that you're going to win this game and it's also not necessarily an indication that you're going to be a real big challenge in these games. So the fact that they were able to make a run for it Just, you know, still didn't win the game. That's okay. But just not being able to go away nicely. How much does that say about San Diego State?
- [29:36]
C
I think the fact that they're just willing to take the game, you know, like Corey was saying, UCLA's kind of graduated to another level.
- [29:42]
A
Right.
- [29:42]
C
First NCAA Tournament, Final Four appearance in program history. You know, they did make the Final Four back when the postseason was constructed a little bit differently. But, like, that just puts you on a different echelon, right. And it's like, are you going to want to play UCLA now knowing that they have these seven seniors and one of the deepest teams in the country and knowing that, like, oh, it's going to be a long night for us. And the fact that San Diego State is willing to do that. Right. I think they got a little bit of a concession. Right. The game gets played in Anaheim, which is a bit closer to San Diego than playing on UCLA's camp, which is, you know, that's nice. But, yeah, I think just like, take solid guts to play these games and to be that close. And, you know, you mentioned the comparison to Jada Williams. Like, I think La Jolla. I think little guard, she wouldn't like me calling that Kelsey Plum. That's a nice comparison. Just somebody who's using her size. Same high school, same.
- [30:31]
A
Yeah, same place.
- [30:32]
C
Good pedigree there.
- [30:33]
A
I think that's crazy. Shout out to La Jolla, y'. All.
- [30:36]
B
Just making some.
- [30:37]
A
Some ballers right there. Okay, See? Yeah, Ira, this is why Sabrina encyclopedia for us. It's absolutely okay. Guys, guys, guys. I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't know if we've really overreacted yet. And now I'm scared for my take because I have, like, a player who.
- [30:53]
C
Was not a preseason All American as their best player.
- [30:55]
A
Okay, that's true, that's true. Especially on a team like South Carolina, runner up in the championships last year. Yeah, you're completely changing who the focal point should be on some scouting reports here. Sabrina. That's fair. That's fair there. San Diego State. Now they got. They're literally going to print out your quote. Yura put that on their locker.
- [31:16]
C
You know, somewhere they think they're going to beat us in this conference, right?
- [31:21]
A
They're like, okay, bet, bet, bet. Okay, well, my. My overreaction is. I'm not going to lie. They. One of these teams played last night and they looked real good, and I was like, oh, no. I don't know if I still believe in this, but I'M still going to make a this, this case and we'll see what happens. One team can use it as ammo, another team can use it as like, wow, we love Xena. My thoughts are around two teams that made the Sweet 16 last year did not make it past that, but they, they made it there and they, they want to go further. Obviously, they've made some moves, they've brought in some new folks and they're in two different conferences, two very challenging conferences, conferences that will absolutely probably have at least 10 people going to the tournament. And I'm talking about Maryland, and I'm talking about Oklahoma. And Maryland broke into the top 10 last week. AP Poll shout out. Sabrina, a voter. Shout out Ben a voter. Not my top 10. But sure, sure, absolutely. They're not, they're not in everybody's top 10. And this is why this is overreaction. But Maryland broke into the top 10. Oklahoma came in preseason break number six. I believe my overreaction is that Maryland will not fall out of the top 10 for the rest of the year and that Oklahoma is going to fall out of the top 10 and they won't make it back in for the rest of the year. And this is my breakdown. Why so Maryland, we just talked about UCLA having those returners, having those seniors, having the continuity. And we know that continuity in chemistry is super, super duper important. And when you look at Maryland, they've returned some solid talent from their team last year that entertained all of us in the tournament. Talking about Kayleen Smichel, talking about Poffenberger, Sailor Poffenberger. They've also added some solid talent. Adi Mack scoring 23 points in 20 minutes the other night against Georgetown, 17 points in the fourth quarter when they needed it. Impressive freshman performance. They added Aluchi Okononwa from Duke. They've got that, the depth from a guard perspective, from a defensive perspective, they've got lineups. They've got, I mean, right now Brenda Freese is playing like 11 or 13 or so people. Okay. She's still figuring things out. Yes, they are still turning the ball over, but I feel like the way that they're playing, the chemistry that they Already have, top 10 is their floor. They really, especially as Addie Mack, if she continues to get even more comfortable. I really think that there's an opportunity for them to just stay in the top 10 and keep beating teams. We will see what happens with them. But Oklahoma, I think they have a high ceiling. We don't know their floor just yet. And Oklahoma looking at their game Particularly against ucla, they were able to get it to one point in that third quarter. They were able to, I think they were down 5 going into the half. They played okay. They have not shot well from outside. And the reason why I was like, ooh, is this going to be a bad overreaction? Aaliyah Chavez literally went 7:10 from the three point line last night that we're recording this. But they have not shot well. They've turned the ball over and right now they're allowing their opponents to score at least 68 points. And if you remember last year, this was the problem with Oklahoma. They played fast. They coughed the ball up because they played fast, which is fine. They didn't have enough time on defense. And folks were scoring in the same range last year around that 67, 68. And that's too many points to allow when you're thinking about the teams in the top 10, much lower. There's a lot of questions I still have about Oklahoma. And there was a great game for Leah Chavez against a non conference opponent. You know, again, one of these by game type of games in my opinion. I just don't know yet if that chemistry that we're looking for between Aaliyah Chavez and Regan Beers is there. Regan Beers is gonna do her thing. She's averaging almost like 30 points a game right now. She had 29 the other night. Like, she's phenomenal. But I don't know if it's enough for me for Oklahoma to be able to overcorrect the fact that they're not playing enough defense. Do they have enough late game scoring? Do they have a reliable secondary ball handler? And they don't have a ton of continuity. So that's my thought. Oklahoma, prove me wrong, get in the top 10 and stay there. But I really feel like once SEC play starts, the size is going to be exposed. Ira, I'm sure you saw that UCLA game against them. They could not handle UCLA size very well. They do not have, I think, enough ball handling and athletic wings to be able to handle that. And in the sec you just talked about Tessa Johnson. Tessa Johnson is a big guard and there's tons of them. I'm thinking of Texas, I'm thinking of lsu. I'm thinking all across the sec, like I just don't know once conference play if Oklahoma is going to be able to stay up there. Okay, I'm rambling now. I think I'm trying to convince myself, but that's my overreaction.
- [36:18]
B
I love the Oklahoma one because I was not, I Mean, okay, I don't want to. I don't want to be dramatic, but I wasn't that impressed with them against ucla and that was their real test of the season so far. As you're saying. Reagan beer is great, but Oklahoma was out rebounded by like somewhere in the double digits. I want to say maybe 12, maybe it was 15. So there was that. And then also I think. I think UCLA had like some 16 turnovers. Eleven were from their bigs, which obviously is not great sign for ucla, but that means their defense kind of in the backcourt is not very impressive. And also Aaliyah Chavez, I know she played well last night, but against, okay, she's a freshman. So again, I don't want to be dramatic here. And she's in her second game playing her first ranked team, playing ucla, but I just wasn't that impressed by them. I thought UCLA really came away with it in the end of the fourth quarter. They also have obviously the veteran experience and they have all these, you know, the seniors and all the veteran, seven of them. But I wasn't as, you know, as astounded as I thought I would be going into that game. So I like that take.
- [37:20]
C
I actually really like Oklahoma. I'm kind of surprised you mentioned the continuity because, like four of their starters were on the team last year. Three of them started. Zion was just not starting because her sister was starting as a senior. So there's a lot of returners. I acknowledge Aaliyah Chavez not ready for primetime and you want to give her some grace. But then I also think about, like, well, Jazzy Davidson, her second game of her freshman year on the road against a ring team looked pretty damn good. I think about Hannah Hidalgo going to France, playing against South Carolina her first game of her regular season as a freshman absolutely crushed it. So, like, there's a lot of precedent for when somebody's good, you know it right away. And Aaliyah Chavez has been eaten against these teams that are not, you know, among the best of the best. But you put her on the court against UCLA and like Kiki Rice got into her, Charlize Ledger Walker got into her and it was. It was hard. Yeah, I love Peyton Verholst. I'm probably like the biggest Peyton Verholst fan outside of like Norman, Oklahoma. So I love watching her dynamic with Regan Beers. I think, like, you could see a lot of what Gianna Eepkins and Lauren Betz are trying to do in what Verholsten Beers are trying to do. Just like, I mean, a Lot of the similar actions, honestly, that the two of them are trying to run, it's just. Bets is a little better, Newkins is a little better. But, like, there's, there's a lot of talent there. I do think the SEC is just like. Like it's going to eat them alive. Like, they're just not suited for that conference, you know, And I think the ranking point is really good because they're going to sustain a lot of losses. And their tournament run, to me is very matchup dependent because they can play with teams that want to score, but teams that are going to like, slow the game down, muck it up, try to make it a defensive showdown, like, that's just not where they're equipped to handle. And like, that's where you really need Aaliyah Chavez to break through and maybe she will again. Like, it's three games into the regular season, so it's totally possible. But yeah, them struggling in conference play and like, like finding their way in the rankings, I think is totally fair. As for Maryland, I think I've mentioned this on the show before. Like, I'm just a Terrapin hater, having been a Duke fan and Duke, like, back when they were in the same conference at the acc, like, I acknowledge it. It's just a thing that's happened. When I finally gave in and accepted that Maryland was a damn good team last year, all of a sudden they had like three knee injuries in the span of a week and just their season imploded. And I feel really badly about that. And a friend of mine just posted the graphic that I had about Maryland being a Final Four contender, like in our text thread over and over again. And I apologize to the Terrapin rooting for a Lucci Conanwa.
- [39:36]
A
Let's.
- [39:36]
C
Let's get it. But yeah, I think I should just eliminate myself from that conversation.
- [39:41]
D
Okay.
- [39:42]
A
I mean, fair, fair. No, it's a good point about Oklahoma. They do have their returner, Zyvan. I'm also, like, it really did concern me that Reagan Beers had seven points in that UCLA game. That was big. You are supposed to. This is supposed to be where you eat. Big girl against big girl. Like, this was supposed to be that opportunity. Big girls against big girls, I would say, because that whole squad of UCLA is just massive. Oh, yeah. And I just, I was not as impressed. And again, I don't want to compare Maryland and Oklahoma because that's a very weird comparison. But in terms of just like, guard play that I really like, I love Yarden Garzon's game. Kalene Smichel, she was like the person that got us all excited during the Big Ten tournament especially. Yeah. Okay, we'll see what happens. No, Oklahoma, take my quote. Put it on the wall. Work off of it. They're gonna be. God, we hate that girl. Don't let her in. Prove me wrong. I wanna see what happens. But, Marilyn, keep going. I'm a fan. I'm a fan. Okay, that's enough. Let us know if we really overreacted. Did we overreact? I feel like I overreacted. We'll see.
- [40:50]
C
I wonder if our enormous hot takes during the WNBA season that imploded so spectacularly have made us a little bit gunshot shy. You know what?
- [40:59]
A
That's true. Because, my goodness, did we have hope in Chicago?
- [41:03]
C
Did we have takes?
- [41:04]
A
Yeah, we have takes. Yeah, we. We were. We were bold in WNBA season.
- [41:11]
C
We're trying to be a little incorrect and incorrect.
- [41:13]
A
We were bold and incorrect. Yeah. So we'll see what happens here. But, Ira, we appreciate you helping us with these overreactions and also, like I said, adding a mid major into the game because we love being able to learn more about more teams that are not just in the top 25. So thank you so much for that. Ira, will you be doing any more writing for the Athletic? I know you're still in school, which is crazy.
- [41:34]
B
Yeah. So I'm going to be working till May at the end. Till the end of May with the athletics. So, yeah, mainly doing call triple. But as you guys know, I'm trying to do as much women's basketball as I can. So working on a couple UCLA things right now.
- [41:47]
A
I love it. All right, well, you guys keep an eye out for Ira Gorawara for now. We appreciate you joining us. Do you have some games you want to watch this weekend, Ira?
- [41:56]
B
Well, we talked about the South Carolina one, obviously.
- [41:59]
A
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D
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B
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C
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D
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A
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D
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A
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C
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D
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- [44:14]
A
Alrighty, it is time to set our screens. These are the games that we're going to be over the weekend. Ira, I know you had started teasing a little bit the game that you wanted to watch. The battle of the scs. Break it down for us. Tell us why we're watching and when we should be watching.
- [44:28]
B
Well, top 10 matchup on Saturday evening. Um, and I mean, it's gonna be another test for usc. I kind of like how USC doesn't have those high expectations anymore. And it's probably a, you know, because there's no juju. There's don't have those expeditions they did this time last season. And so I kind of like that they're playing around that they don't have these, like, you know, lofty goals too that everyone wants them to kind of get at the end of the season. And so through that, they're just kind of playing quietly, kind of under the radar and are, you know, I mean, under Jazzy Davidson and Kennedy Smith and Cara Dunn and fortunately, London Jones, who left. UCLA are doing great, so I'm excited about. But the other one that I'm excited for is tcu NC State on Saturday morning or afternoon, depending on the time zone. And that's going. I'm excited for that matchup between Olivia Miles and Zamaria Jones. Mario Jones. I remember watching her like she used to post videos of herself like working out and these like parking lots and like, I don't know, underground gyms and stuff when I was like growing up kind of the same time as her. So I'm excited to watch her and then see her play against a veteran guard like Olivia Miles who's now at TCU.
- [45:32]
A
That's dope. That's dope. Yeah. South Carolina going to USC. That game's gonna be at 6pm on Fox, 6pm Pacific on Saturday and then TCU going up against NC State. That's also. That's gonna be on Sunday at 10am Pacific on ESPN. So. So definitely tune in for those. That was going to be my game. The South Carolina University of Southern California. We got to make sure we get these very clear. The battle of the scs. And that's so funny how Juju like basically revived that. That was not a problem before, I think before she got there, before Lindsey Gottlieb got there. Very cool to see. Now we do have the battle of the SCS on both coasts. Sabrina, what you watching?
- [46:14]
C
Yeah, I mean this is a little bit lower profile since we've already brought up a couple of the ranked games this weekend, but I've got my eye on Richmond versus Columbia this weekend. That's coming on Saturday at say 7:00pm Eastern in Colombia. One other reason you should set your screen to this game is because Columbia has some of the best media seating in the country. Like the reporters are right on the court. So if you watch this game and you tune in, you might be able to see Ben Pickman right there watching Columbia versus Richmond. So keep an eye out. But two of the best mid major programs in the country, you know, you've got Maggie Dugan at Ridgeman, Riley Weiss at Columbia, already on the short list for the Becky Hammond mid Major player of the year. So just really high level programs at XCUBE have brought back a lot of their talent from tournament teams last year and you know, looking to see if they can make that second weekend jump this year. So this is a good start against a high level program for each of them.
- [47:04]
A
I love it. And last one to set your screen to Notre Dame going up against Michigan. We obviously started this show talking about Hannah Hidalgo scoring 44 points. And let me tell you right now, them six one on average guards and forwards at Michigan are not going to allow that to happen. So very excited to see what the backcourt can do against Michig defense. And also what can Michigan's offense do when you've got Hen Hidalgo creeping around trying to get 16 steals again? That game will be happening also on Saturday. That'll be at 1:00pm Pacific on NBC. All right, guys, that is going to do it for today. Remember, please fill out the listener survey. We really want to hear from you guys. Also, if you got questions, what's going on with the cba? I know we haven't done a deal or no deal. That's because it's quiet on the Western front. But if you've got questions about it as it's being negotiated, let us know. If there's anything you want to know about college hoops, send them to our mailbag. Drop us a line on socials or at our email. No offseasontheathletic.com that's in our show notes. Also, wherever you're listening, subscribe. Subscribe to this show. Subscribe to the Athletics. You can go read Sabrina and Ira over there and if you're watching on YouTube like, you know, press that little red button. I think it's still right. Do that and then tell your friends to do that too. We would definitely don't want you guys to miss out on any info as this college season goes. And last but not least, of course, head on over to our partner, the Yahoo Sports Hub for more content. Sports.yahoo.com Womens Sports on behalf of the Athletic, Sabrina Merchant, Ira Gora Arara, I'm Zena Keda thanking you for listening and we'll see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Keita with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producer is Andrea B. Scott. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Monica Compton is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is director of audio operations.
- [49:22]
D
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