No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show

Episode: The Biggest Conference Tournament Matchups To Watch For

Hosts: Zena Keita, Chantel Jennings, Sabreena Merchant
Date: March 3, 2026

Episode Overview

With NCAA Tournament season fast approaching, Zena Keita, Chantel Jennings, and Sabreena Merchant break down the conference tournaments across women's college basketball. The episode covers major storylines (including a surprise coaching change at Rutgers), deep dives into Power 5 conference tournaments (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12), and shines a spotlight on intriguing mid-major matchups. The hosts analyze contenders, potential upsets, bubble drama, and key players to watch, wrapping up with a trivia game “Something in Common” to test each other's hoops knowledge.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rutgers Coaching Change and Contract Trends

[02:23 – 06:13]

• Rutgers fires head coach Coquese Washington after a 1-17 conference season, surprising many due to the hefty $1.7 million buyout.
  • “They're paying her a lot of money to go away ... Rutgers was not willing to do two more years of losing.” — Chantel Jennings, 03:35
• Discussion about evolving elements in high-level women's basketball coaching contracts:
  • Growing importance of revenue sharing (Rev Share) as hiring leverage.
  • Adds transparency pressure, with coaches and agents increasingly pushing universities for contractually obligated Rev Share.

2. The Sabrina Scale: What’s Popping in the Power Rankings

[06:13 – 12:20]

• SEC Watch: South Carolina
  • Medina Okot’s development as a big stretching the floor and hitting threes:
    • “Every game it's at least two [threes]. ... It's a little unfair when you're playing South Carolina ... their six-six center just steps out and is like, nope.” — Sabreena Merchant, 07:09
  • Credit given to Okot’s improved footwork on the perimeter.
• ACC Focus: Duke, Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame
  • Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) dominance and importance:
    • “When she can do that, it's like, oh, yeah, well, it doesn’t really matter who you have around her because Hannah Hidalgo is the best player on the court by a significant margin.” — Sabreena Merchant, 10:40
  • Transfer portal speculation: will ND’s late surge attract more talent?
    • “I'm always thinking, what do these teams look like next year? ... Are other players watching this going, maybe Notre Dame?” — Chantel Jennings, 12:20
  • Note: Transfer portal opens the day after the national title game.

3. Previewing the Power Conferences

Big Ten

[17:07 – 23:59]

• Seven teams in the top 16 reveal; committee is clearly swayed by recent results and head-to-head matchups.
  • “What [the committee is] looking at is most recently, what have you done for me?” — Chantel Jennings, 17:55
• UCLA is the clear favorite: went 18-0 in conference, seen as a team “head and shoulders above” the rest.
  • “Maybe this is boring ... but we watched UCLA ... they've just been consistently excellent over and over again.” — Sabreena Merchant, 20:57
• If there’s a challenger, Michigan is the dark horse, especially with Olivia Olson heating up. But upsets are unlikely: “UCLA ... is too good, too talented, and too disciplined.” — Chantel Jennings, 22:36

SEC

[23:59 – 29:36]

• South Carolina, Texas, Vanderbilt, LSU are the standouts.
• Texas has the most to gain depending on their performance — could boost their seeding and ensure more regional advantage.
  • “They can get a higher one seed by beating South Carolina in the final, which [means] you play in Fort Worth ... huge deal if you’re Texas.” — Sabreena Merchant, 24:37
• However, playing in Greenville, SC is a near-insurmountable home-court advantage for South Carolina.
  • “As much as the upside exists, I would be shocked if we ended Sunday and the Gamecocks weren't once again cutting down the nets.” — Sabreena Merchant, 25:15
• Oklahoma has a chance to improve its hosting status with a good run.
• LSU recognized for big-stage potential but historically struggles to topple South Carolina in the SEC tournament.

ACC

[29:36 – 33:08]

• Duke and Louisville share the regular season title; North Carolina is surging under the radar.
  • “North Carolina has been playing awesome basketball ... they have a really good chance of making some noise here.” — Sabreena Merchant, 31:12
• Wide open for upsets; everyone’s watching if Louisville can get revenge on Notre Dame, and if UNC can keep its hot streak.
• Lower seeds like Virginia Tech, Syracuse, etc., not expected to break through.

Big 12

[33:08 – 35:43]

• TCU is the overwhelming favorite (“TCU’s to lose”).
• Iowa State is the X-factor now that Audi Crooks and Adi Brown are healthy: “They are finally whole again ... when Adi Brown is available, it just amplifies everything.” — Sabreena Merchant, 34:42
• Lighthearted note: hosts excited for the new glass LED court debuting in the tournament.

4. Mid-Major Conference Tournaments to Watch

[35:43 – 41:37]

• Summit League: South Dakota State needs to win conference for a bid, but could become a two-bid league if they and North Dakota State both qualify.
  • “Historically ... does pretty well in the first couple rounds of the NCAA tournament ... The Jackrabbits, a team I always have my eye on.” — Sabreena Merchant, 36:45
• Atlantic 10: Richmond and Maggie Dugan’s last chance to dance relies on a tournament win; as the team isn’t favored this year, all the pressure is on.
  • “Can they go and do this the old school way where these mid major conferences only get one bid?” — Chantel Jennings, 37:32
• Ivy League: Columbia and Princeton remain the dominant two, with Harvard as a faint upset contender.
  • “Columbia has swept Princeton this season ... Not many people have.” — Sabrina Merchant, 39:30
• Big East: UConn’s dominance mentioned, with the Big East being less of a “mid-major” by talent but overwhelmingly UConn-centric in the national conversation.
• West Coast Conference: Loyola Marymount University (LMU) wins its first conference title in 22 years, making that tournament especially intriguing.

5. “Something in Common” – Hoops Trivia Game

[44:18–52:23]

Sabreena hosts a trivia segment, giving the others four names to figure out what unites them. Notable moments:

• First Question: Which power conference players average a double-double? (Answer: Camille Pierre, Clara Strack, Reagan Beers, Dariana Little Paige-Buggs)
• Second Question: Power conference players to score 40 points in a conference game: (Kiyomi McMiller, Samaya Nichols, Jada Williams, Olivia Miles)
• Third Question (most difficult): Maya Moore, Courtney Paris, Breanna Stewart, Juju Watkins — what will they have in common after this season? (All won Conference Player of the Year as sophomores; predicted to be joined by Sarah Strong and Kayla Blakes this season.)
• “This is why Sabrina competed on Jeopardy and we did not.” — Zena Keita, 52:23

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “It does feel like schools and colleges are going to become more competitive in the things that they place in contracts ... they start to operate like front offices.” — Zena Keita, 05:16
• “Watching Hannah Hidalgo have just a really good time taking that outright title away from Louisville ... just a reminder that, like, if Notre Dame can add just a smidge more of talent next season, that’s another team that you have to keep on your radar.” — Sabreena Merchant, 11:40
• “If you want to look outside of the top seed [Duke], look no further than the team that just beat them, the Tar Heels [UNC].” — Chantel Jennings, 33:08
• On TCU and the Big 12: “Honestly, the only thing I really have my eye on is ... Iowa State with Audi Crooks and Adi Brown both available ... because they are finally whole again.” — Sabreena Merchant, 34:42
• On the SEC tourney atmosphere: “If what we have on Saturday is LSU, South Carolina ... what a damn good day of hoops in Greenville ... the basketball is going to be so, so good if we have those two games.” — Chantel Jennings, 29:14

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:08] Rutgers coaching change analysis
• [06:13] SEC: South Carolina’s Medina Okot and three-point shooting
• [09:23] ACC: Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and transfer portal talk
• [12:20] Portal opening, recruiting implications, amateurism quips
• [17:07] Power conferences overview – Big Ten focus, top-16 reveal impact
• [24:37] SEC tournament breakdown
• [30:21] ACC tournament outlook — dark horses and top seeds
• [33:08] Big 12 summary
• [35:43] Mid-major spotlights (Summit League, A-10, Ivy, etc.)
• [44:18] “Something in Common” trivia segment

Tone & Style

The show’s tone is informative, enthusiastic, and conversational, seamlessly blending deep analysis, humor, and personal anecdotes. Each host’s collegiate and journalistic expertise adds distinctive flavor to their breakdowns and predictions. Occasional quips about “franchises tampering” and running jokes about trivia struggles (“this is why Sabrina competed on Jeopardy and we did not”) keep the discussion lively and engaging.

Final Takeaways

Conference tournament week is where the stakes and excitement soar in women’s college basketball, with automatic bids, bubble drama, and late-season surges. Expect dominance from teams like UCLA, South Carolina, and TCU, but keep an eye out for surging squads like North Carolina, upset-minded mid-majors, and the all-important X factors — star players who can tilt a tournament in a single weekend.

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