← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Loading summary
Transcript124 lines
- [00:01]
Zena Caida
21 year old flaw J Johnson has built an impressive career, making strides on the basketball court and the rap scene. A national champion and rising music star, she embodies the passion and determination required to excel in both worlds. But Flaw J's success hasn't come without challenges. The financial services industry has often overlooked the needs of women, leaving many feeling misunderstood or treated differently by financial professionals. For Flauje, the this reality strengthened her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flauje trains for success on the court, she understands the importance of preparation when it comes to her finances. MassMutual, a leader in helping people create a strong financial future, understands the unique financial challenges that women face. That's why they offer tools and personalized help so that women like flaujay can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more.
- [01:01]
Sabrina Merchant
Take your plans out of the group chat and get Long weekend ready in new Abercrombie. From day to night, pack new outfits for every part of your itinerary grabbing brunch, throw on the A and F Mila dress, then head to your dinner reservation in their new bubble hem mini dress and yes, permission to overpack for.
- [01:20]
Zena Caida
Pics with the girls.
- [01:21]
Sabrina Merchant
Abercrombie's best selling Scarlet Squirt deserves a.
- [01:24]
Zena Caida
Post in your feed.
- [01:26]
Sabrina Merchant
Your plans are worth it. Shop Abercrombie's new long weekend collection online or in store.
- [01:32]
Chantel Jennings
McDonald's meets the Minecraft universe with one of six collectibles and your choice of a Big Mac or 10 piece McNuggets with spicy nether Flame Sauce. Now available with a Minecraft Movie meal.
- [01:43]
Zena Caida
At participating McDonald's for a limited time. A Minecraft movie only in theaters. Hello everyone and welcome to no off season presented by MassMutual. I'm Zena Caida.
- [02:04]
Chantel Jennings
I'm Chantel Jennings.
- [02:05]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm Sabrina Merchant.
- [02:07]
Ben Pickman
And I'm Ben Pickman.
- [02:08]
Zena Caida
Today on the show, the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball title game is set tomorrow. Defending champion South Carolina will face off against UConn for for all the glory. And we are going to get into what to expect, what to look out for all the major players as we always do. But first we got to talk about last night, y'all. I'm going to tell you right now, these games did not go the way that I think the entire nation expected them to go. At least from a competition perspective. Before we we dive into those, how are y'all feeling?
- [02:41]
Chantel Jennings
Pretty tired yeah, yeah, pretty tired.
- [02:43]
Zena Caida
I heard some of y'all got home at what time?
- [02:45]
Sabrina Merchant
2, 2am Eastern Time is an abomination. Just unne.
- [02:50]
Zena Caida
It was insane to me to look up and realize it's 11:30pm and there are women's basketball players on the floor. Yeah, like that is crazy. And it makes sense that Gino Oriemma went off after the fact about time about the super regionals. All the above.
- [03:07]
Chantel Jennings
But it made sense that he went off about the super regionals after the national semifinal game.
- [03:12]
Sabrina Merchant
After his team had played what he considered a mistake free game, he decided to hold court yet again about something that happened five days ago. No, I'm not sure.
- [03:20]
Chantel Jennings
I think it's Peak or Elmo.
- [03:22]
Zena Caida
Right. And he's. I mean, I'm saying that from a perspective of looking out for the student athlete. He's absolutely right. But yes, his team was phenomenal last night. That was the second game of the night. Let's go to the first game of the night because Dawn Staley and her Gamecocks put on a show taking down Texas 74, 57. There were times I kept looking at the bench for Texas and I'm looking at Vic Schaefer and I'm like, stand up. Do something like poking at this team. Sabrina, I'm start with you. Overall, what'd you think of that matchup?
- [03:55]
Sabrina Merchant
It's really hard to beat South Carolina when they make jumpers. You know, you think about that run that they had in the third quarter when they limited Texas to nine points. I think it was a three point game at halftime. But you know, Brie hall hitting jumpers, Tahina Powpow hitting three to start things. I mean, Texas is not the kind of team that can score a lot of points in bunches. They need to keep things close and then they just can out execute you. They're not going to be the kind of team that can put a flurry of points on the board. And South Carolina, although their shooting has not been to the level that it was last year during their undefeated season, if they can start hitting some threes. It's just, I don't really know what you're supposed to do with that combination.
- [04:29]
Zena Caida
Absolutely, Ben. The only thing I kept thinking about last night was Ben talking about shooting threes. Texas not being able to shoot threes. And you can't put a dent in a lead if you can't shoot threes.
- [04:39]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, but for me it wasn't even their offense. It was their defense. That really was the thing that, that plagued them the most, I mean, giving up 38 points, SC in the first half. You know, I don't know how Texas necessarily felt in the locker room at halftime considering they were still only down three and hadn't played a very good half. But that was the alarming statistic, the alarming number, just big picture number for me, the 38 points given up because Texas loves to hold teams to 50 points or under 60, like, that is one of their goals. And so when it was clear that was not going to happen, that spelled trouble. Because knowing that they were not then going to match on the other end, I mean, the game had this kind of weird rhythm, right, Because Maddie Booker looked like for the first three minutes, four minutes, she was going to have just a day, like she was going to go off 3 for 3. Her jumper was real pretty. It was real smooth.
- [05:24]
Zena Caida
Like in her spot in her zone.
- [05:26]
Ben Pickman
You could see like, this is the best player on the floor. And then in an instant, when she picks up two fouls from 355 to, I want to say, 308, everything started to flip and the whole rhythm of the game changed from then on out. And we saw South Carolina get back in the game, take the lead, and they never really. Texas never really recovered after Booker went out early on. The whole game flipped from there on out.
- [05:47]
Chantel Jennings
That second foul, to me, felt like a freshman moment, like, for as good as we've seen Madison Booker play all season. That was one of those things where it's like, you have to be on the floor for this team to win this game and, and to advance to the national championship. Texas does not get to the national championship if Madison Booker scores 11 points and has one rebound, which was her stat line last night. And it's like she picked up that second foul, kind of jumping into a passing lane, going for a pass. And it was like, you don't make that play a few minutes into the first quarter of the game when you've already picked up one. Like, that's not, you know, and it. It just felt really uncharacteristic for, for her and, and I wonder sort of what was going on in that situation. But like, Vic had to pull her at that point, had to sit her for like 10 minutes. And that's just.
- [06:30]
Ben Pickman
I mean, they were all in between fouls, right? The first one was a block charge call that she sort of was trying to get set and she just didn't hit it clean. She got hit in the side. The second one, as you mentioned, was like a little bit of a Hesitation. And then the third to, you know, look like a cornerback or a safety in football who wasn't sure if they should make a break on the ball. Like, do they have enough time? Do they have enough? Like, you know, they're trying to gauge the. The distance of the pass. And she made a late break, and she realized too late that, like, oh, no, I'm going to hit, you know, the South Carolina player. And she knew it right away. And you could see the reaction from her. I think they went to her dad on the broadcast. You could see his reaction. And you know, that it was that kind of night for Texas, simply put.
- [07:10]
Zena Caida
But the thing is, on that second foul, I feel like it is uncharacteristic of Matty Booker, but it wasn't uncharacteristic of what Texas was trying to do in that first half. You saw them overplaying the lanes and overplaying the passing lanes a lot. They were more aggressive trying to get the guards, the South Carolina guards, to catch the ball way further outside the arc than I'd ever seen this season. And so I feel as if that was the game plan from Vic Schaefer. But that absolutely, I think, was the shift for Texas. So now Texas season is over. If I'm Vic Schaer, I'm looking for shooters in the transfer portal. I mean, what's the kind of closeout for Texas now that they're leaving Tampa?
- [07:47]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, I mean, what's the point of looking for shooters if you're not going to empower them to shoot threes, Right? Like, I don't really think the problem with the Longhorns is not that they don't have people who can't make shots, it's that they just don't take shots.
- [07:57]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, I think that's fair.
- [07:59]
Ben Pickman
I mean, to me, so much of their stealing next year is just going to be about Booker again. Right? Like, if she feels more comfortable shooting, you know, from the perimeter or if her game continues to develop, like, she might be the best player in the country next year. Like, yeah. And if she is, that this team is going to be really, really, really good because they're going to play great defense whether Rory Harmon comes back or not. They're really well coached. We know that they're super talented. And Booker is. Is that player, like, she is that good. You know, it was. It was a great, historic season for Texas getting back to the Final Four. First time since 2003. Most wins ever in program history in a single season. Like, they have a lot to be proud of they just ran into a South Carolina team that was super, super crisp on both offense and defense. They played free, they played with flow. I mean, players talked about it after, like they were happy to get out of Birmingham. That was pretty clear. They were happy to get back to the final four and get, get out of Birmingham.
- [08:49]
Chantel Jennings
Well, and those freshmen I think gained really valuable experience this season that are coming back. Preston Lee and Carlton, like, this is a team. Like Booker will be the star of this team next year. But you have freshmen who got really good experience and minutes this year that can kind of build around her.
- [09:03]
Zena Caida
And that's where I think the system will shift. Because I saw Jordan lee put up seven threes last night and play 27 minutes and they needed her. She had 16 points, led Texas, and I think the system will shift. I saw a really great clip. I think it was CBS Sports that asked the players, if you could bring one player back from all NCAA history to join your team, what would it be? And it was hilarious that both Taylor Jones and Madison Booker both kept reiterating, we need shooters, so we need shooters. Who can we bring? We need shooters. So clearly Texas knows what's going on. All right, let's move it forward to UConn versus UCLA, where the two seed put a whooping on UCLA. 85, 51. Now, I came into this game knowing that UConn would win. I came into this game knowing that in my opinion they were the better team. I did not come into this game knowing that they would win by this deficit. I mean this was from jump a pure beat down Chantel. What was it that UConn was did like from opening tip to be able to control this game?
- [10:17]
Chantel Jennings
I thought their defense was fantastic. I think especially early on they were aggressive and smart with the gambles that they took. They forced 14 first half turnovers and I don't know how many points they scored off those in the first half, but 19, 19 overall in the game they scored 27 points off UCLA turnovers. And this isn't a super turnover prone team. They averaged 14 a season that UConn also got, I believe nine steals. No 13 steals. I think it was nine in the first half. And so it was just like that. Defense got out, set the tone, set the pace, set the intention of the game. And I think UCLA was kind of playing on its heels at that point. And you know how they decided to defend bets. They really pushed her out, didn't let her get her passes as deep as she wanted them throughout the game. It was like you could see she was like trying to get them to throw the ball higher. And Jana El Alfie, again, I was, you know, made the case for UCLA a few days ago that Jana Alfie is not good enough to guard Lauren Betts one on one. But what they decided to do and sort of pushing her out of her positions, you know, it was a smart, smart move on the Huskies part and their defense fueled their offense. And then, you know, they got Az Fudd going early, which I think was really, really smart for UConn.
- [11:26]
Zena Caida
Absolutely. Gotta give credit to Janelle Alfie because the way in the positions in which Lauren Betts was grabbing the ball lower toward the mid post forced her to have to make some moves that she's not used to making. She likes a one dribble elbow close to the basket. Get up there. She had to maneuver a little bit more with Jana L. Alfie on her. Things shifted a little bit. She got some buckets when Ice Brady got in there, you know. But Jana, al.
- [11:50]
Chantel Jennings
She still had 26.
- [11:51]
Zena Caida
She still had 26. Right. But.
- [11:53]
Chantel Jennings
But I think also UConn made sure no one else did. London Jones and Gabriella Hawke has held the zero points, no ma field goals. Like, it was an excellent team defensive performance. Like we said in the intro. I don't think I've ever heard Gino or say he has like, no, no issues. He didn't see any errors. And I was like, what? Like, is this man okay? Like, what did they do with Gino? Yeah, it was just, I think their team defense really, it was a vintage Yukon performance. They won by 34 points. It's the most. It's the highest win margin ever in a regional semifinal game. And the next three highest are all Yukon. So I think we can look at this team and say, like, wow, this is truly historic group.
- [12:31]
Zena Caida
There you go. And you talked about, you know, the fact that UCLA could not find a bucket outside of Lauren Betts. That was the name of the game. But also, Ben, their defense was non existent. They couldn't buy a bucket. They couldn't stop a bucket. Like what was going on.
- [12:45]
Ben Pickman
I mean, in that way though, they are much like pretty much every other team UConn has played in this NCAA tournament that no one has seemingly sustained the Yukon run and punched back to an equal degree. Right. We saw that with Oklahoma in the second half. South Dakota State in the round of 32, like, got off to a little bit of a fast start and then UConn blitzed them. And we saw the same thing here against ucla. Like, the second quarter is really when the Huskies started to pull away and UCLA both couldn't get stops and then they couldn't score on the other end. And that was kind of the game was lost there, right? Like they, it was one big run, blew it open and then it was a wrap. Like, it's as simple as that.
- [13:24]
Zena Caida
There's something to be said about the fact that the team that had the closest margin was a juju less usc, right? Like, and I give credit to the babies at USC because without their fearless leader on the floor, they really did put up a fight overall. Sybrina, I'm looking at ucla. I tell you right now, there was nothing more awkward than I think it was a third quarter timeout in which they announced WBCA Division 1 coach of the year score close while her team was down 23 points or so. I mean, what. Where does UCLA go from here?
- [14:05]
Sabrina Merchant
The whole idea of the seating of this tournament is just so strange to me. First of all, because all of us came into this thinking, oh, UConn's the best team and they were number two seed. And none of us complained about that because UCLA was obviously the number one overall seed. So I don't know, it's just very weird to me that we're talking about these teams based on their seeding, as if we don't know that UConn is the better team even though they played crappy Biggie schools all year. But UCLA has the opportunity to return every single player on this team. The only senior is Angela Dugalid. She has an extra year because of a medical red shirt, so they could bring back their entire roster. They've got Lauren Betts sister coming in. They've got Charlize Ledger Walker coming off of a torn acl. This is a absolutely stacked roster. Obviously there are no guarantees that everybody does come back or that nobody decides to go pro. You know, the portal is the portal. But you know, you look at what Chantel was saying about Madison Booker having a freshman moment with those fouls, and there was a certain level of experience that you could see South Carolina exert over Texas, having been in the situation before. And I think you saw the same thing with Yukon and ucla and the Bruins mentioned that a number of times. Like Kiki R. Said, just, you just don't know what the stage is until you get there. And Corey Close said that she tried to seek out wisdom from a lot of other people about being in this opportunity and she didn't feel like she was her best self coaching the Bruins in this game. And, you know, no teams usually win the championship in their first Final Four. It's. I think it's Texas A and M in 2011 and Baylor in 2005, and they were playing another team that was also in its first Final Four. So it's just very hard to level up this early. And I think UCLA has done a lot of leveling up this year, you know, in terms of winning a conference title for the first time since 2006, getting to the Final Four for the first time in NCAA Tournament history. It's just a lot of first to have to hit all at once. So, I mean, I'm not excusing their performance because you don't get opportunities like this all the time. It's. You're not guaranteed to get back to two games away from a national championship every year unless. Unless you're UConn, obviously. But I think that there was. I don't know. I'm not. I'm not surprised by the outcome, but I do think. I just. I don't want to just say, like, oh, UCLA is going to come back better than ever. Like, it's not. It's not guaranteed that you get to this point, that you have a healthy season, that you have everything clicking on all cylinders all the time.
- [16:07]
Chantel Jennings
You said you're not surprised by the outcome, but what about the margin?
- [16:10]
Sabrina Merchant
Oh, the margin is surprising. Yeah. I didn't really recognize that UCLA team in the first half. I mean, they have spurts, you know, where they have difficulty entering the ball. DeLorean. Or where, you know, they give up a little too many jump shots on defense, but just the combination of everything going poorly at once, all of the mistakes they were making in terms of gameplay and execution, it's just. It's the worst game they've played all season. And just they picked a terrible, terrible time to tail.
- [16:33]
Ben Pickman
How do you feel like UCLA talks so much about, like, their mind gym, Like, Corey Close focuses so much on, you know, approach and player mental health and, you know, the mental aspect of the game. How do you feel like they will regroup after this game? I mean, did you get a sense of what they might do over the summer into the fall? Yeah, just how they were thinking about it, knowing that they played their worst game at the worst possible time.
- [16:57]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think we have a blueprint of what's going to happen based on how they responded to the LSU loss in last year's Sweet 16.
- [17:02]
Zena Caida
Right.
- [17:02]
Sabrina Merchant
They got into the gym, they worked on their toughness, their ability to execute in special situations. And I think you saw that over the course of the season that UCLA was a very good team out of timeouts, you know, out of bounds plays like they they fixed all the things that they wanted to from that LSU game and they got to another level from what they were last season. I just think that there were too many steps to have to take from what they were last year to being a team that could beat UConn and contend for a national championship. And you can't just do that all in one calendar year.
- [17:31]
Chantel Jennings
Your point stands though. Like the two teams that are playing for national championship, neither one of those coaches, neither one of those programs won the national championship in their first Final Four appearance. Like, this isn't a death sentence for UCLA at all. This is a step forward. Despite having this performance, it's a huge step forward.
- [17:52]
Zena Caida
21 year old flaw J. Johnson has built an impressive career, making strides on the basketball court and the rap scene. A national champion and rising music star, she embodies the passion and determination required to excel in both worlds. But Flage's success hasn't come without challenges. The financial services industry has often overlooked the needs of women, leaving many feeling misunderstood or treated differently by financial professionals. For flaujay, this reality strengthened her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flauje trains for success on the court, she understands the importance of preparation when it comes to her finances. MassMutual, a leader in helping people create a strong financial future, understands the unique financial challenges that women face. That's why they offer tools and personalized help so that women like flaujay can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more.
- [18:52]
Ben Pickman
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying Big Wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment anyway. Give it a try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for.
- [19:15]
Sabrina Merchant
3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month Required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mintmobile.com Pro Baller Lonzo Ball for buzzballs ready to go.
- [19:25]
Zena Caida
Cocktails take 12 buzzballs just dropped their biggest blue ball, says biggies. Blue balls. Lonzo take 13 blue balls just dropped their biggest buzz balls.
- [19:36]
Ben Pickman
Let's try a vocal exercise.
- [19:37]
Zena Caida
Buzz balls, Biggies. Blue balls. Buzz balls. Biggies, Blue balls.
- [19:41]
Chantel Jennings
Big balls.
- [19:42]
Zena Caida
Just drop.
- [19:43]
Chantel Jennings
Get blue balls.
- [19:45]
Zena Caida
This season with Buzz balls. Please read responsibly.
- [19:48]
Chantel Jennings
Buzz Balls.
- [19:49]
Ben Pickman
Available in spirit, wine and malt, 15% alcohol by volume.
- [19:51]
Chantel Jennings
Buzz Balls, LLC.
- [19:52]
Sabrina Merchant
Car.
- [19:57]
Zena Caida
Okay, with the title game set tipping off tomorrow at 3:00pm Eastern. You awake, Sabrina. South Carolina will be facing none other than UConn. So let's get into it. Of course this is going to be a rematch. And last time that UConn faced off against South Carolina, they took care of business by 29 points worth of business. They got off quick, they got off fast, and then they got out of there in a hurry. This is now an opportunity for South Carolina to get their look back, but it's looking like UConn is. They're playing like a team possessed. I mean, they are on a mission. And whether it's Paige Beckers that's stepping up, whether it's Az Fudd and her 19 halftime points yesterday against UCLA or Sarah Strong, they seem poised to take over the helm from the reigning champions in South Carolina. First, I want to go around in the games yesterday one statistic or observation about either of these teams. You could do both or either. That really stood out to you for South Carolina and UConn. Chantel, I'll start with you.
- [21:14]
Chantel Jennings
I'll start with the UConn observation because that was the game I was courtside for. Sarah Strong is so good, so good and just so unfazed by the moment. I mean, we're talking about being here for the first time. Like, you know, we just got done saying you don't win national championship the first time you're at the Final Four. Like, Sarah Strong looks like she's shooting hoops in her backyard. There's no one watching. And it's like just her period in sandals, like, shooting a basketball. Like, she is so comfortable, so unfazed, so ready for this moment in a way that we don't see freshmen. I think we need to at some point, not today, but have a conversation about the best freshman seasons in UConn basketball history and college basketball history. And Sarah Strong needs to be a part of that. And, you know, she's sort of the victim of being at UConn, where she happens to be on a podium with someone who won the national player of the year as a freshman and Paige Becker. So it's like you can have a historic season and still be second, third, or fourth best at UConn, but that's sort of why you go to UConn but damn, like just to watch her play in person if you haven't had a chance to do that. It's just really beautiful, beautiful basketball.
- [22:26]
Zena Caida
I am so happy that you just said Sarah Strong because I'm just gonna go ahead and double down. That was gonna be my observation for you, Khan. And my observation is we gotta start talking about Sarah Strong the same way we talked about Juju Watkins. Now don't get me wrong, Juju Watkins averaged like 27 points her freshman year, et cetera. But the whole premise around juju was she's pro ready. She's pro ready. And I'm going to shout out our athletic colleague Richard Deitch for saying this. He said yesterday on Blue sky, if Sarah Strong was available in today's draft, I take her before I take Paige Beckers. And it started me thinking in my mind like, Sarah Strong is pro ready. And I started looking this up. Asia Wilson averaged 13 and 6 her freshman year at South Carolina. Aaliyah Boston averaged 13 and 10. Nafisa Collier wasn't even in that conversation. She had like six and seven maybe, right? Asia Wilson, I mean, and Brianna Stewart, 17 or so. All of them are prolific players, right? In the, in the wnba. If this is an indication of what she's doing now, 16, 10 of a freshman, she's pro ready. In my opinion, she is ready for the pros. It was. That's probably the number one thing that I noticed about the game yesterday is that, you know, of course everyone talks about Az Fudd having a big game, but Sarah Strong, I'm looking across the aisle. Who on South Carolina is going to be able to guard her, to stop her and to. And really take her out of the game? And I don't see anyone on that aisle. So that's my observation. I'm with you, Shanto. What about you, Ben?
- [24:07]
Ben Pickman
Well, one, I just want to also give another shout out to Richard Deitchch and just speak it into existence. Maybe it's a jinx or a reverse jinx. I believe if UConn wins on Sunday, Richard Deitch wins the no off season bracket challenge pool. You can say it's home cooking, but it really isn't. This was a.
- [24:23]
Sabrina Merchant
None of us are doing very well.
- [24:24]
Ben Pickman
We're doing okay, I think, climbing up the boards. But yeah, I believe Richard is. Will win.
- [24:30]
Sabrina Merchant
I thought if South Carolina beat Yukon.
- [24:31]
Ben Pickman
Oh, is it if South Carolina wins. Do I have that totally wrong?
- [24:33]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, you wrote that South Carolina has to be UConn, so I don't know Actually which one it is, you're wrong.
- [24:37]
Chantel Jennings
At one point I didn't know. Or when you wrote it.
- [24:40]
Ben Pickman
Either way, Richard has something at stake and could win this.
- [24:42]
Zena Caida
There you go.
- [24:43]
Ben Pickman
I guess the stat that, that I am looking out for is two from South Carolina's perspective that jumped out to me. Nine players played more than 15 minutes against Texas and seven players scored at least six points. And that just speaks to. They were kind of clicking on all cylinders. Don was throwing in various players and so many of them were having success. You could generate offense from any number of players. And I know in the locker room after she went around and called out pretty much the entire team just kind of acknowledging all the successes that various players had. You know, the names that normally get shouted out, the Joyce Edwards, the Tahina Powpow, Mariam Dauda. Like people couldn't say enough kind things, nice things about her in the locker room and the three pointer she took. That was one thing that I think stood out to a lot of her teammates after the win. I mean South Carolina very much looked like the team people have come to expect in the regular season in pretty much every game except for when they played UConn. And you mentioned who's going to slow down Sarah Strong. I mean I think it's going to be a combination of Joyce Edwards, it'll be Sinai Fagan, but more than anything it's going to be committee. Right. It's going to be by committee, South Carolina way.
- [25:47]
Zena Caida
And that is so. Right. That's why they're a juggernaut. They move by committee. Yep.
- [25:51]
Ben Pickman
And we don't know necessarily who on South Carolina is going to emerge on Sunday. And I think that is a blessing and maybe a curse for them that like we might get a big Malaysia full Wiley game, we might get a big Joyce Edwards game or we might not. We might get a Tahina Papaw game or a Raven Johnson game or a Fagan game like.
- [26:07]
Zena Caida
Or a Tessa Johnson game.
- [26:08]
Ben Pickman
We have no idea. Right. A Tessa Johnson game like last year's. I think it was the national championship. Like we have no idea how they are going to fare. It's why they are tough to game plan against. It's why they're tough to stop. They just played with so much more freedom than they did than they did in Birmingham and the players really did speak about that after it seems like, you know, I kept thinking about Vic Schaefer's comments in Birmingham of the Elite eight is the hardest game to win. Well, it seems like South Carolina had internalized that, too. Like, yeah, that getting out of that regional playing the way they did just allowed them to say, like, we're here. Like, we're playing not with house money, because they aren't. But, like, there was a different energy. There was a different Joe, There was more freedom. And I think they will feel more confident as a result heading into this rematch with UConn.
- [26:58]
Zena Caida
Yeah, I feel like they survived Duke and they were like, okay, let's go have some fun now. Let's go BS again. What about you, Sabrina? What were some observations out of the two teams in their wins that stood out to you?
- [27:10]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, credit to Chantel. She's been banging the storm all year. When UConn shoots the ball well from three, they're basically impossible to beat. Their last loss against Tennessee came when they shot 25% on three pointers. And what, they shot 44% against UCLA, even if it was a lower volume. I mean, they're just. They're clicking. It's very hard to get UConn out of a rhythm offensively. The last time they played South Carolina, they also did a very good job taking care of the ball. So those are just, you know, the things that stick out to me because, I don't know, UConn's offense statistically was the best in the country over the course of the regular season. And, you know, you can put your doubts into that just because the quality of opposition they played over the course of, you know, the last two months. But the way they've been able to continue to execute against good teams over the course of the tournament, I mean, it's all just bearing that out.
- [27:54]
Ben Pickman
And that was something. When these two teams met back in February, like, there were a lot of reasons why South Carolina lost by 30 plus points, but their inability to create live ball turnovers was one of them. Like, I looked it up last night, like, I think they had one steal all game long, you know, one Husky steal. And. And South Carolina normally scores almost 20 points off transition. They had just four in that matchup. Again, there was. You could rattle off a laundry list, a CVS receipt, long like, list of things that. That went wrong for the. For South Carolina in that game. But you got to believe the kind of defensive intentionality, the focus on that end, that's going to be one of the places where they start as they prepare for. For this national championship.
- [28:35]
Chantel Jennings
I think it's fascinating, like, for. For all of the knocks that we can put on UConn for the overall schedule that they play, because they do play in the Big east. And the teams like the last four games that they've played in a row are the four hardest games that they've played all season. And that's really hard to do when you go through the Big Ten or the SEC and it's like you're doing two day turnarounds against teams that you could see in the Sweet 16 happen for UConn on a weekly basis until they get to the sweet 16 and then it's like, welcome to the Big Dance, let's do this. And so I think the fact that they can maintain their offensive efficiency, that is such a testament to that program and their, again, their consistency. I was talking to a coach who had faced them this season for an anonymous scout that we did, and they said basketball is a game of runs for everyone except UConn. UConn does what they do and it's a game of runs for everyone else. And, and they capitalize when you don't go on your run, basically. And I thought that was really telling that, like, you know, whether they're playing some Big east, you know, opponents who aren't going to get into the NCAA tournament, that's a conference that got two bids this year. I think the Big 12 got, or the Big 10 got 12, 14. And so you just talk about the, the level of competition that they face to be able to maintain that when they are facing teams like Oklahoma, usc, UCLA on back to back to back nights, it's really impressive.
- [29:57]
Sabrina Merchant
And you talk about game of runs. I mean, the reason that UConn doesn't really concede runs at this stage of the game is because all their best players are actually playing more. You know, we talked about this, that Paige Beckers and Sarah Strong average fewer than 30 minutes during the regular season. They have not been lower than 30 minutes even in some very big margins of victory. You know, both of them past 30 against UCLA, against USC, against Oklahoma. So when you keep that talent on the court for so much longer, it just accentuates all of the strengths that UConn already has.
- [30:22]
Ben Pickman
And it's, and it sets up a really interesting matchup on Sunday when you see a South Carolina team that, you know, plays all these players less than 25 minutes per game. No one's taken more than 12 shots per game. South Carolina and Don Staley talked about it after Friday night's win. Depth is one of their advantages. They knew over 40 minutes they could wear out a player like Madison Booker because they were just going to throw bodies at her and cycle players in we'll see if it's successful again.
- [30:44]
Zena Caida
Well, I'm happy you brought up South Carolina because I feel like this is their game to win or lose. There's a lot of pressure on them. But the way that UConn is coming into this game with all of the momentum and, and the dominant win earlier this season, 87, 58, they broke their 71 game home streak. There being South Carolina's 71 game home streak, like this is South Carolina's opportunity to get revenge from that game and to get a back to back title. So now I'm looking at South Carolina, I'm looking at the fact that they play by committee. They've got this depth to them. What are some of the advantages that South Carolina should look to exploit against UConn to try and slow down this momentum that they're playing with right now?
- [31:27]
Sabrina Merchant
I think Ben's comment about the depth is, you know, really the most important one. You just have to speed up the pace of the game so that UConn can't be so deliberate within its half court sets. Like again, we talked about this, there was just no disruption of UConn's rhythm when they were trying to run their offense. And I think South Carolina, they haven't been as disruptive defensively, I would say this year as they have in past seasons, but they have at least the number of bodies that they can just continue to put out there to keep the level of activity high defensively. So that's the first thing that I would look forward.
- [31:58]
Chantel Jennings
I think for me, it's that, you know, for all of the gifts and skills that Lauren Betts has, like, you know, where she wants to work her game, it's within a few feet of the basket. And you look at the post players for South Carolina, they're more versatile, they're deeper in terms of their skill set. They're, they're more athletic than what UConn has. Like the Jan llfi Lauren Betts matchup. I was like, I don't know how this is going to work. But then sort of, they schemed it in a way that it didn't make sense for them. I'm curious how UConn is going to scheme when you have players like Chloe Kitz, Sanaya Fagan and Joyce Edwards who can all sort of work out of that elbow area as well. Like, they don't have to be three feet from the basket. Their game's range extends a little bit further. I think it's going to put a little more pressure on that one. On one post defense or how, however, UConn decides to scheme against it.
- [32:43]
Ben Pickman
And I would just wonder, you know, I've talked about the turnovers and I've talked about the depths. Like, what kind of my leisure, full wily are we getting?
- [32:49]
Zena Caida
That's the X factor.
- [32:50]
Ben Pickman
The X factor. She is the ultimate X factor. The epitome of an X factor of a player who on any given night can be the best player on the floor and then on another night might only play 10 minutes and like comes away and you're like, what did they do? Or the other reaction is she plays 11 minutes because you know, she has a bunch of turnovers or three pointers that are forced. Like, we just don't know what we're getting. It was really interesting to talk to her in the locker room afterwards because she said that she couldn't sleep. Like she struggled sleeping in the lead up to Friday's Final Four game against Texas.
- [33:25]
Zena Caida
Just so excited.
- [33:26]
Ben Pickman
No, no, no. Not excited because of the nerves, because of the weight of the moment. The opposite, like ready to play, but like, because everything was kind of weighing on her. And Brie hall had to kind of calm her down and say that she was ready. But even still, like she talked about that she recognized she needed to slow down and play at a. Almost decelerate and play at a different speed, but she still only played like 20 some odd minutes. She had seven points. She didn't play a great game by her standards or what she could do. So what she brings, you know, it's an open question to say the least, but an important one to acknowledge.
- [34:00]
Chantel Jennings
There is truly no one on one matchup defensively for UConn, for Mylesha. I mean, there's not in the country, I don't know who you, who you put on her one on one to slow her down when she is on a roll.
- [34:11]
Zena Caida
I'm thinking, I mean, I'm looking at the game yesterday. Raven Johnson is going to have some, some work to do against Paige Beckers. Of course, I'm assuming that's going to be her matchup. I'm definitely assuming. You know, Chloe Kitz will most likely start on a Sarah Strong, maybe Sinai Fagan, but Joyce Edwards. I'm actually very excited for the Joyce Edwards series.
- [34:33]
Chantel Jennings
Battle of the freshmen.
- [34:34]
Zena Caida
Yes. So they take the ball, inbound it. Her guard passed it back. I think Brie hall passed it back to her. She brought it up the court, was waiting for a dribble handoff to Raven Johnson that got blown up. She protects the ball off of Like a nice little crossover, protects the ball and then turns the corner and takes it in for herself. I was like, the freshmen aren't freshmen. What's going on? That is a matchup. I'm looking forward to any other matchups as we come to the final.
- [35:01]
Ben Pickman
And we should say on those two players, they have played each other as recently as I want to say it was last December or last November in their senior years of high school. Um, in that game, Sarah strong, she scored 15 of her team's first 17 points. She had seven three pointers. She had 31 and 17 to beat Joyce's team by six points. So there is some, some shared history there.
- [35:22]
Zena Caida
There you go. Wow.
- [35:24]
Chantel Jennings
I'm fascinated to see if Az Fudd can sort of keep up this hot shooting. That was such a huge change for UConn when they played at Columbia. And to play that, Yeah, I think she had six three pointers. Like, that was such a breakout game for her. Such a confidence building game for her. She's played well this most recent game. I wouldn't say she shot the ball extremely well. She missed nine straight shots in that game against USC and it just sort of felt like UConn kept feeding her the ball. Like, we've got to get her going. We've got to get her going because we know we need her. At some point she has to start hitting these shots and seeing them fall. So I'm curious to see what they do to AZ to try and get into her game so that she's not able to get going and sort of how UConn counteracts that to make sure she does get going because they need those three players to show up if UConn wants to win this national championship.
- [36:12]
Zena Caida
Sabrina, what you looking for?
- [36:14]
Sabrina Merchant
I think Fudd vs. Powpow is probably the one. Just both of them have the ability to just make shots that either really settle their team or change the momentum of how, you know, a run is going. So both of them are veterans, been in these situations before. I think the last time Fudd played a national title, though, she was deathly ill before the game against South Carolina. So this is.
- [36:32]
Chantel Jennings
It was against South Carolina.
- [36:33]
Sabrina Merchant
Exactly. So this is her chance to redeem her. Whereas Pow Pow obviously had a very nice game against Iowa last year, but yeah, just two veteran guards, excellent shooters who just, you know, every time they hit a shot, it feels like it can suck the life out of a building or like breathe air into whatever their team is trying to do.
- [36:55]
Zena Caida
Spring fest and ego days are here at Lowe's right now get a free select EGO 56 volt battery with purchase of a select trimmer, blower or mower kit. Plus, shop today for new and exclusive items you need for your lawn. So get ready for spring with the latest in innovation from Ego, the number one rated brand in cordless outdoor power. Only at lowes. We help you Save offer valid through 4 2. Selection varies by location while supplies last. Make your next move with American Express business Platinum. Earn 5 times Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com and with a welcome offer of 150,000 points after you spend $20,000 on purchases on the card within your first three months of membership, your business can soar to new heights. Terms apply. Learn more@americanexpress.com Business Platinum AmEx Business Platinum Built for Business by American Express.
- [37:58]
Sabrina Merchant
I.
- [37:59]
Zena Caida
Want this to be a movie. I want this to be an amazing game. But after what we just saw in the Final four, you don't know what to expect. But what we do know is that these are two of the best coach teams in the country that are going to be going up against each other. Um, I'm imagining that the energy and the electricity between the fan bases because even in the first game and the second game you could tell clearly way more South Carolina fans than there were Texas and way more UConn fans than there were UCLA fans. So the energy is going to be exciting. I'm going to close this out asking you guys. We already wrote this actually on the Athletic, so it's live. But final predictions for the championship.
- [38:38]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I see this one being a script reversal from the 2022 national championship. I know both coaches have said these are different teams, but if you remember that game, South Carolina jumped out to a 14 point lead. I want to say after the first quarter or early on against South Carolina or sorry, South Carolina jumped out to that early lead against UConn and UConn could never recover. I see this going the reverse of that. UConn getting up to a a big lead and open, you know, double digit lead and kind of holding on from there. So I have the Oski swinging it all.
- [39:06]
Zena Caida
You saw UConn do that last night, 2312 in the first quarter. It's like there was nothing, I mean UCLA could do.
- [39:13]
Chantel Jennings
Chantel, I'm also going with UConn. I think it's going to be a closer game than that. I have UConn by six. I think it'll be a lower scoring game than we saw ultimately for UConn than last night against UCLA just because South Carolina's defensive versatility, depth, athleticism, like, I think that's. It's just too good. And I think they'll play better. And they come into this game with a ton of motivation. Like I was at that game of UConn, South Carolina and Columbia in February. And to sort of see, you know, I think I talked about it on the pod. Tahina Powpow was not rattled. She was not pissed. She was not angry. It was like she was solidified in her mission of what her role was for the team and how she needed to steady them. So I think she comes in and she really is sort of the buoy for this team moving forward. But ultimate hard to pick against UConn with how. With how Paige is playing right now, with how. And not just the points. It's everything in between. Everything in between the buckets and the rebounds and the passes. Like, there's just something else there right now.
- [40:10]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I'm making a clean sweep. I think this is a bad matchup for South Carolina. Just dealing with an offense that can move the ball like this, they can shoot the ball like this. They don't see a lot of these in the sec. I mean, you saw how much success Alabama was able to have against South Carolina, and that's a team that can. That their offense is like a diet version of what UConn can do. So. Yeah, I just. I think it's not. Not the team you wanted to face. If you're the Gamecocks. I would much rather have seen UCLA just having. You know, even though they had lost them earlier in the year, there are things that they can do better in that matchup. I don't think it's going to be particularly close either, so I think. I think the Huskies get there first since 2016.
- [40:44]
Zena Caida
Well, I will make it a coin sweep. I. I do not want to bet against Dawn Staley because she is a mastermind.
- [40:52]
Sabrina Merchant
Undefeated in national title games.
- [40:54]
Chantel Jennings
Correct. And Sheena's only lost one to Don. To Don Staley.
- [40:57]
Zena Caida
Right. There you go. I don't want to bet against her, but the realization I had last night was she's not out there on the court. Yeah, the players are out there on the court. And right now, UConn's big three. I'm not betting against the way they're playing. I'm not betting against them, so. All right, guys. It sounds like the no off season classes Yukon across the board. I don't know how we're gonna I don't know how the South Carolina fans are gonna do anything.
- [41:23]
Chantel Jennings
Marcus Thompson picked South Carolina for our picks just to make that in fairness.
- [41:27]
Sabrina Merchant
We're notoriously bad at making predictions.
- [41:30]
Zena Caida
I had South Carolina like I was fully South Carolina until the Elite Eight and now the Final Four games. I'm like, there's a momentum that you cannot, it feels you can't stop right now that UConn has built up.
- [41:43]
Chantel Jennings
I feel like we should caveat that my original bracket had UCLA over Notre Dame in the national championship. So feel free to take my picks.
- [41:51]
Sabrina Merchant
With a grain of Salt.
- [41:52]
Ben Pickman
I had UConn over South Carolina.
- [41:54]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, congratulations on Sunday. We said UConn. Yeah.
- [41:57]
Zena Caida
All righty. All right. Well, guys, this is going to be it for today. Thank you Ben, Sabrina and Chantelle and thank you all for listening. We'll be back on your feet on Monday morning with reactions to the big game and then back again Wednesday and then our usual Friday. And don't forget, as always, there's more to read and watch over at our partner, the Yahoo. Sports hub. So check it out at sports.yahoo.com women-sports on behalf of the Athletic, I'm Zena Caida. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time. No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Begala. Brenna Haupt is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of Women's basketball at the Athletic. Jessie Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is our Director of Audio Operations. 21 year old flaw J. Johnson has built an impressive career, making strides on the basketball court and the rap scene. A national champion and rising music star, she embodies the passion and determination required to excel in both worlds. But Flage's success hasn't come without challenges. The financial services industry has often overlooked the needs of women, leaving many feeling misunderstood or treated differently by financial professionals. For Flauje, this reality strengthened her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flauge trains for success on the court, she understands the importance of preparation when it comes to her finances. Massmutual, a leader in helping people create a strong financial future, understands the unique financial challenges that women face. That's why they offer tools and personalized help so that women like Flawje can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more.