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- [00:01]
Flauje Johnson
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]
Ben Pickman
Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do@mintmobile.com.
- [01:19]
Chantel Jennings
Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month.
- [01:24]
Ben Pickman
Required intro rate first 3 months only Plan options available. Taxes and fees extra.
- [01:29]
Chantel Jennings
See full terms@mintmobile.com hey Lonzo Ball, it's your agent. What's up?
- [01:34]
Ben Pickman
I've got a commercial opportunity for you from Buzzballs.
- [01:37]
Flauje Johnson
Ready to go.
- [01:38]
Ben Pickman
Cocktails. Nice.
- [01:39]
Flauje Johnson
My last name is Ball. The product is a cocktail in a ball. I get it.
- [01:43]
Chantel Jennings
That's what I thought too.
- [01:44]
Ben Pickman
But no, they want you for your hands. They think your big hands will show.
- [01:47]
Chantel Jennings
Off the size of their new blue biggies ball. Big blue balls really get blue balls.
- [01:53]
Ben Pickman
This season with Buzz balls.
- [01:56]
Chantel Jennings
Please, you're responsible Buzz balls available in spirit, wine and malt.
- [01:59]
Ben Pickman
Elian Bus Balls llc Carrollton, Texas hello everyone and welcome to no off season presented by MassMutual. I'm Ben Pickman.
- [02:20]
Chantel Jennings
And I'm Shantelle Jennings.
- [02:22]
Ben Pickman
And today on the show, we are recapping the sweet 16 who came out on top, who fizzled out and which players and moments came out out in full force. Then of course, Chantel. The Elite eight is upon us. Things move quickly in this March madness in this NCAA tournament. We're giving you everything you need to know to follow the games over the next couple days. Now, Chantelle, we're taping this podcast late Saturday night. Will be up Sunday morning for people to listen to. I'm in Birmingham, Alabama. You're in Spokane, Washington. We're across the country. We're looking at each other taping this. So just tell me a little bit. How is Spokane? What is the vibe like in the locker room in that city? Just what's everything like on the Pacific time zone right now?
- [03:05]
Chantel Jennings
It's good. I mean, it's not as late as it is where you are. So bravo to you for being able to record this. As late as it is, Spokane's been great. There's been a pretty good turnout. Spokane has a really large tournament for basketball in the summer called Hoopfest. So this is a basketball town. There's a lot of people, I think, that are just Spokane or Washington natives that have turned out for the games as well as specifically the Yukon following has definitely shown up here. There was a large crowd today for UConn slash Paige Beckers. However, we want to frame that. So it's been exciting in Spokane and I think it's been, it's been lived up to the billing. How's Birmingham?
- [03:40]
Ben Pickman
I mean, Birmingham is certainly basketball crazy right now. Like, like Spokane, we obviously have eight teams here, but I think we should give people a little bit of a peek behind the curtain. Like we get to these arenas on Thursday and Friday of the sweet 16. So. So early. Because on I guess Thursday, for instance, or I guess it's Friday, we have four media availabilities for the teams that are playing in the Sweet 16, and then we go right into four Sweet 16 games. So it is literally a full day of basketball for us. I got to the arena at 7:15 in the morning on Friday morning. I think it's the earliest I've ever been to a basketball arena talking to players. Notre Dame had to give a press conference at 7:30. It was like, you know, we were basically saying good morning to everyone and it felt right. Did you get, did you get your morning coffee in like, like what is in your morning routine? Those were the first questions people were starting with because of how early we started. So it's been a crazy last couple days for everyone watching this, recording this podcast, writing so much going on, basketball wise.
- [04:41]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, I'm excited for all of the people that are like surgeons that work, you know, or nurses that work like 48 hour schedules and they're listening to us like, oh, I feel so bad. You're At a basketball arena for 14 hours. But no, I would say in terms of thinking our schedules as reporters, the first day of the Sweet 16 is the longest day of the season for us in terms of when you're at the arena, how long you're there, sort of focusing on everything, paying attention to everything. It's an incredibly long day. And then after that sort of as, as the pool of team shrinks, so too do our schedules and our focus. So it, it doesn't get easier, but it gets less challenging? I would say.
- [05:15]
Ben Pickman
Absolutely. So let's get into it. From Spokane we have LSU topping NC State 80 to 73. A great performance by LSU. Ole Miss versus UCLA. The Bruins advance 76 62. Lauren Betts, phenomenal performance, 31 points. Yukon advances over Oklahoma. Big run in the second half. A 40 piece for Paige Beckers and USC despite no juju Watkins advances past Kansas State. Then in Birmingham we had Duke over UNC, South Carolina over Maryland, TCU beats Notre Dame and Texas 67, Tennessee 59. Let's hit the Spokane games first. Who kind of stood out to you? What performances and or moments just have stuck with you as you reflected on the four games I mentioned out west?
- [05:57]
Chantel Jennings
Well, this is a little bit of recency, I'd say, but I mean Paige Becker's tonight was just playing out of her mind. Like it was phenomenal to be there courtside, sort of giving like Caitlin Clark vibes from last season where it was like, you know, I think back to that game where she broke the Division 1 scoring record and it was like every play felt better than the last one you saw. And that was what we saw with Paige. Like she hit 6 of 8 from 3 point range, including a few that were just like super far out there. Nothing was falling for her in the second quarter, but it was like during that time even she stayed poised. And so I would say Paige was someone that I came out of this, the Sweet 16 round of games thinking like, geez, you really don't want to see Paige Beckers on your path to the national championship because she is playing with such a, such a motivation. I think that sense of urgency is really coming through with her. And then I think, you know, the team that they will face in the elite eight, usc. There were so many questions about that team, specifically what are they going to look like without juju Watkins. That sort of the question hanging over this team. And you had players like Kennedy Smith step up a freshman and lead that team with 19 points. Same with Avery Howell started for the Trojans 18 points. The second leading scorer, Kaylee Heckle, also played a lot of minutes, heavy minutes in that. And so I think in the top six rotation, you had three true freshmen playing for Lindsay Gottlieb. And it was really fun, sort of in the postgame press conference, you had both Avery and Kennedy there and they were like giddy, kind of like they're not used to being on that stage and making jokes. And at one point Avery was like, yeah, I think juju sent us some good juju from la. And they both just started cracking up and blushed so much on stage. And Lindsey Gottlieb's just sitting up there sort of like, this is what all my freshmen are like. So that was kind of a lighthearted moment. And then I think probably the other performance I want to highlight would be Anissa Morrow. 35 minutes against the Wolf Pack. And just like everything we've seen from her this season and more so 30 points, 19 rebounds, like any rebound that was within six feet of her, like she's a threat to get. And I think, you know, we'll talk about the games coming up, but those are just a few players that, as I think back to this first round of games in Spokane, they really stand out to me.
- [08:03]
Ben Pickman
And we should say Kim Mulkey's fashion designer for in that game as well. Another standout performance.
- [08:08]
Chantel Jennings
It was giving torero vibes, I felt, you know, I studied abroad in Spain and I was transported back to Sevilla. The bullfighting scene. I thought it was a great. Was the first to text the group chat that the Queen of Sparkle showed out for the sweet 16. Queen of Sparkle being Kim Mulkey's usually chosen brand of clothing, I thought it was a nice outfit.
- [08:27]
Ben Pickman
Going back to some of what you said, you know, you mentioned Paige Becker's at this hop and I do want to ask one follow up there. You know, we saw her match her career high or what was her career high, tie it in the second round round. A 32 game against South Dakota State. She then has 40, you know, 40 piece against, you know, Oklahoma. An incredible second half with a big third quarter run that blew the game wide open. Are they being more intentional about trying to get her attempts? Is she being more intentional about trying to get more looks, knowing that this is her last opportunity? What is Geno? What is Paige? What have they said about kind of what we have seen from her over these last couple games as UConn is staring down another Final Four berth?
- [09:05]
Chantel Jennings
I actually asked her this exact question after the game. Basically, I've Talked to Geno for years about this. He wants her to have more of that attack first mentality. And it's so hard for a coach to sort of pull that out of a player when it's not their natural instinct. Like there are players. He said, you know, like Maya Moore never saw a shot she didn't like, no matter where she was on the floor, no matter how many people were in front of her. That is not how Paige was and it's not how Paige is. And so it's not her natural instinct. Like she doesn't want to take 27 shots a game, which is what she took against Oklahoma. And so it's been a struggle for Geno to really pull that out of her. And I asked her, like, how do you find that mentality? Is it something you have to remind yourself of? Are you doing like, like verbal exercises or self talk exercises? And she said it's really just taking what the game is giving her. And I think what we're seeing right now is there have been times where the game might be giving it to her, but she's more ready to defer or more ready to pass off to her teammates, which when you're surrounded with all Americans, it's not a bad decision, right? But in this situation, Paige needs to be so much for this team. And I think this was really the performance and Geno said it was the best he's seen her play in a game. She needs to do that for this team. And not because the people, people around her aren't skilled, but because she is that skilled. Like she just needs to be that player for UConn. And so it's more about taking what the game is giving her, every opportunity she gets, rather than taking most of what the game is giving her.
- [10:26]
Ben Pickman
I think, you know, it's so funny that you say that because as you're describing Paige Becker's mindset out in Spokane, I couldn't help but think about some of the comments that I had heard all day in Birmingham on Saturday, right, from people in TCU about Hayley Van Lith. Because it seems like the kind of two themes of the day on Saturday were incredible lead guard play, right? With beckers out for UConn, Haley Van Lith for TCU and the freshman emergence. You know, you talked about it with usc, with juju Watkins being out, how Howell played, for instance, how Heckle played, how Smith played. And we saw it in Texas, like, yeah, they got, you know, some key contributions from Madison Booker. She ended up being the leading scorer. But. But Bree Preston, who is a reserve guard for the Longhorns. She played a career high 27 minutes, had a career high 12 points. She was really the Energizer Bunny for so much of the Longhorn success. Jordan Lee came in, another freshman, played 33 minutes for them as well. Key role. Like it seems like on both coasts, we had very similar storylines about, you know, lead guards, freshmen emerging, and, you know, I guess that's the prevailing sentiment that I have coming away from Saturday. And I guess the top of mind thought I have of the sweet 16 right now.
- [11:37]
Chantel Jennings
I'm curious. Hayley Van Lith is a player that, you know, with this appearance in the tournament, she's now gotten to her Elite Eight with three different teams, which is both sort of a product of the COVID playing days and the transfer portal, but obviously speaks to her experience. How did you see that come through in just her play today? And how much did that. How much like the experience level of not like TCU across the board, but specifically someone like Haley who's been to this point before when the rest of the TCU roster really hasn't.
- [12:06]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, as you mentioned, this is now her fifth Elite Eight appearance in five years, doing it with three different schools. She's the fourth first college athlete, NCAA Division 1 player, men's or women's, to ever do that. You know, three schools and five Elite Eight appearances. She talked about just approaching this game with a sense of gratitude for the opportunity as one of the ways to kind of calm her nerves and keep herself focused heading into TCU's matchup against Notre Dame. But the thing that kind of struck me about Hayley Van Lith and her journey to this point, and I talked to her about this after the game and wrote about it on the site, is Haley actually told me that, you know, she finishes with 26 points and she has 18 points in the second half. But she told me that at halftime, she felt gassed. Like that was the word she used. She felt really, really tired. She said that Notre Dame was being really physical with her and that they weren't letting her move without being armbarred. And she said kind of in those moments, she thought back to her summer workouts. And so often we hear this refrain from players. But what makes Hayley Van List summer workouts unique was that this past summer, she was also training for the Paris Olympics. And so at the start of the summer, in the lead up to the Games, she was actually doing 3A days. She would get up and work out with TCU. Players at 7:30, 8:00 in the morning, they would have their normal practices, their normal workouts. Then she would play three on three with some of her horn frog teammates. They would actually switch to a FIBA 3 on 3 basketball, which is a little different than what they use in college. And then she would drive from Fort Worth to Dallas, work with a trainer named Irv Rowland, who is a prominent longtime basketball trainer, works with a lot of NBA guys. And she would put in individual work and do a lot of film work with him. And then she would try to be home around 5pm and do it all again the next day. And she basically said that, like, it sounds like a lot and it is, but if you want to do things that are unusual, you have to do stuff like that, right? And that the hard work paid off. And so for me, when. When you talk about, like, the uniqueness of her journey, that was really the unique moment, the unique detail that, that stood out to me today. Just her reflecting on, like, how many other college athletes were playing basketball at the Olympics this year for Team usa, the answer is no one, right? Like, she was the lone American Olympian, whether it was on three on three or five on five, still in college. And the hard work really did pay off because we saw someone who, like, was so, so dynamic in the second half. Just left, right? She would, you know, hesitation, drive, she would come off curls. They were going under her on screen. She was being aggressive and she kept firing. I mean, it really was a special performance from Hayley Van Lith today. You know, obviously they don't beat Notre Dame, a really good Notre Dame team, if she doesn't have the game, she does. But it sounds a lot like what you saw from Paige out on the West Coast.
- [14:46]
Chantel Jennings
I also wanted to ask you. This isn't necessarily an individual performance, but curious for your general thoughts. You know, the game that I was the most surprised by, like, seeing, you know, as we're like, we have TVs obviously in our media rooms. So you're like walking by as you're writing and stuff. Maryland, South Carolina, you know, you think about these two teams specifically, specifically at the end of the conference season, Maryland lost by 27 points in their opening Big Ten tournament game to a young Michigan team. And at that point you think, like, what's happening here? This is a pretty veteran group. This is a group that has looked really good at times throughout the season. And then they're falling apart at the Big Ten tournament, like the worst possible time to be falling apart. And then South Carolina Alternatively, we saw them play a really close game in the second round against Indiana. Now they're playing a really close game game against Maryland. What were your thoughts coming out of that game? Because I think that was the one that probably, if people look, if, you know, if they're not watching every game, if they're not watching every quarter and they're just looking at the final score, they're thinking, hmm, this, this feels closer than maybe it should have been.
- [15:46]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, it was a 71, 67 win by the Gamecocks. And honestly, it could have gone either way. And really, from the start of the game, South Carolina just felt a little bit out of sync. Like they kind of lacked the crispness was how I thought about it, that they normally have. And that kind of manifests itself in so many different ways. Very simply, like a lot of passes were just getting deflected, some were getting stolen, sometimes they would recover. But just like deflections throw off timing on cuts, right? They throw off timing of, you know, backdoor screen actions. Like there just wasn't the kind of continuity, the sense of flow that you normally see when you watch the Gamecocks, especially on offense. And that's a big credit to Maryland, what they were doing. I mean, Maryland was sagging off. They were doubling a lot of South Carolina's frontcourt players. Some players told me that, you know, that was another reason why their flow was off. But yeah, like, South Carolina did look pretty different. And this was the second consecutive game they trailed at halftime, even in the fourth quarter as they, you know, played really good defense. Between the 714 mark of the fourth quarter and the 255 point remaining, they shot just one, like 1 of 9 from the field. Like they were very much playing with fire and they didn't get burned on Friday night. But the sentiment from players all around was not just joy, but relief. Like, we can't do that anymore. Like, yeah, you know, there's no style points in March. A win is a win and you move on. And they'll take an ugly win and they'll take three more ugly wins. We'll get them a national championship. But like, they know that they can't play like they did against a very good and experienced Maryland team and hope to repeat as national champions. I think that was one of the sentiments that they had coming out of the game. And it's one of the things that I'm certainly watching for as we turn to the elite 8.
- [17:35]
Flauje Johnson
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 flaujay'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 financial 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. Take your plans out of the group.
- [18:38]
Chantel Jennings
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 pics with the girls. Abercrombie's best selling Scarlet Squirt deserves a.
- [19:00]
Flauje Johnson
Post in your feed.
- [19:01]
Chantel Jennings
Your plans are worth it. Shop Abercrombie's new long weekend collection online or in store. 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 and participating McDonald's for a limited time.
- [19:20]
Flauje Johnson
A Minecraft movie only in theaters.
- [19:25]
Ben Pickman
Let's look ahead a little bit to the Elite eight in a little bit more depth. Let's turn our attention to some more great basketball that's going to happen over the next two days. It begins on Sunday, Sunday afternoon with a game in my region, Duke in South Carolina. Then you'll get LSU and UCLA as the second game of that day. On Monday night TCU plays Texas and then UConn plays USC. As you know, I guess maybe we'll go to Spokane games first like lsu, ucla. Since you're out there, what do you look at as the key to that game? How you think it's going to go down? What are you kind of have your eye on?
- [19:59]
Chantel Jennings
This is an interesting game because it's a rematch for the Sweet 16 from last year and I think anyone who's listened to this pod over the last year, will remember the number of times that we've brought up that Sweet 16 game because it was specifically the game that like UCLA refused to get the ball to Lauren Betts on the inside. She was obviously going up against Angel Reese, who the Tigers do not have this year, but they still have Anissa Morrow. And Samaya Smith is playing the best basketball of her career right now. She's coming into this game with her first ever back to back double doubles of her career. And so I think when you take Samias Smith and Anise Morrow together, neither one of them has the height of Lauren Betts, but sort of, you know, I don't want to bet against Anise Morrow in terms of her relentless rebounding effort. Like I said, any ball that's within six feet of her is like, you know, that's fair game. And actually I spoke with her assistant coach, Gary Reedus, who is six'six and that's who she goes up against in practice. And I had asked her, I was like, you know, how do you do against him? And she was like, oh, I smoke him every day. And so then I asked Gary, I said, well, I want you to fact check this for me. And he was like, that's not true. And so just this competitive energy that she has with every single part of her game, including her assistant coach, practice partner Gary, who they call G. But like, this is gonna be so much of the game. I think Lauren Betts for UCLA has to show up, but they also need to hit some threes here. LSU is not a team that takes a ton of threes or makes a ton of threes, but their guard play is elite. Flage Johnson, who missed the final five minutes of that Sweet 16 game, she got knocked in the head and was actually seeing double, but is clear to play on Sunday. You know, I think she's gonna come back hungry because she didn't shoot very well. It was actually. There's a great moment in the press conference on Saturday afternoon. Someone said, how do you move forward after a game? Like Friday night, you know, she only had three points. And she goes, well, what do you mean? And they said, well, you're shooting. And she said, well, what happened? And they said, well, you had three points. And she was like, I don't even remember it. And it was like, so to the point, like she has completely forgotten that performance and she's going to move forward. But I think LSU's big three and then sort of UCLA's ability to show up around Lauren Betts, it's going to be really fascinating. I think this is a game that could go either way. On our predictions, Sabrina picked UCLA. I'm kind of thinking it might be LSU's game at this point. Like I really think it's going to be close. It's different from last year, but I think it's going to be, regardless of how it goes, a single digit game.
- [22:14]
Ben Pickman
I'm glad you made a prediction because I was going to put you on the spot whether you were going to make a pick or not. Because you know what fun is that especially on a late night episode. On a quick turn you got to got to put your got your prediction, your prognostication hat on. Let's go to the second game from Spokane even though it's Monday night. Then we'll turn back to Birmingham. USC, UConn. Another rematch of an Elite Eight game from last year. This one obviously no walk ins having gone down with the ACL injury. We mentioned the freshman stepping up for the Trojans in the Sweet 16 win over Kansas State. I don't know what stands out to you about this one. How do you see this one playing out?
- [22:48]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, like you said, it's a rematch of last year's Elite Eight game. But this is also a game that happened during the regular season. This year it was the most highly viewed game of the regular season. On the women's side, I was Dar.
- [22:59]
Ben Pickman
Chanteling in beautiful Hartford, Connecticut.
- [23:01]
Chantel Jennings
You were there in beautiful Hartford, Connecticut. Almost as great as beautiful Uncasville, Connecticut. But I think the star power of juju and Paige. This was the game that when the bracket came out everyone kind of circled this and thought oh, I wish it would have happened in the Final Four, not the Elite Eight. This should have been a Final Four matchup. The game has changed now, obviously without juju Watkins who suffered a torn ACL in the second round. USC has rallied, the freshmen have responded. But it's just one of those games. The way that Paige Beckers is playing right now, like it's hard to pick against UConn in this situation. Even in the regular season. USC beat UConn by two in that game. AZ Fudd was coming back from an injury and only played eight minutes. Like AZ is back to full health. She didn't have her greatest game in the third round. But I just don't see how you pick against UConn in this matchup. And frankly I think if you're looking, if you're a USC fan, if you're looking at USC season like the way that the freshmen have rallied, the way that this team has responded, the way that the freshmen have shown up and like not been spooked by being on this kind of a stage and responded to being under these bright lights. Like regardless of how this season ends, the fact that they beat Mississippi State in a really, really hard situation in that second round, the fact that they came to Spokane, beat a really good Kansas State team, like there is so much to build on for this USC team, but I just don't think they have enough of the pieces to beat UConn. Especially the way that Paige Bec Cruz is playing right now.
- [24:29]
Ben Pickman
I think that's, that's a really fair prediction. And I came away watching just even from afar, uscb, Kansas State thinking about wow, like this team is going to be so, so good when Watkins does return because of the kind of leaps that players like Howell and Smith and you know, just the young core that Lindsey Gottlieb has for that program, the amount that they're going to have to shoulder the load, you know, for next season, whether it's most of or all of next season, like their games are going to develop just because they're going to be pushed to in different situations than they would be in with juju. And you know, in the end like you would never wish it upon it but. But it certainly seems like growth is upon so many of those players.
- [25:11]
Chantel Jennings
Well, and I think you just look at a player like Paige Beckers who had an ACL injury herself. Like I doubt Lindsey Gottlieb is gonna look at it this way right now or tomorrow or in the next week necessarily. But you look at how Paige Beckers is playing and how she has recovered and returned from that injury, the fact that she is still playing her best basketball right now and I think we can all agree, you know, she has a decades long career ahead of her in the W as well, where she will be even better. Like that is something that juju can look forward to with her own career. Like her best basketball days are still ahead of her. Like it doesn't have to be anything other than that. And Paige Becker's is like a living, breathing, walking bucket getting example of that, right?
- [25:53]
Ben Pickman
No, that makes a lot of sense. I mean that is obviously another rematch from a game we saw, I guess earlier this year and last year. To kick off the day on Sunday in Birmingham, we have another rematch between South Carolina and Duke. They met earlier in December. Now I should say, Chantel, I know you've been super, super busy. I don't know how much you caught of UNC Duke, the 47, 38 game, that's a barn burner. Yeah, I mean, let's just say it wasn't exactly an offensive masterclass. It reminded me a lot of, if you remember a couple years ago when the Patriots played the Rams in the Super bowl bowl. And I think the Patriots won that Super Bowl 13 to 3. And everyone came away being like, this is the worst super bowl ever. Like there was a, you know, people who wanted offense and points came away with that. That's how I felt or a lot of people felt, I guess, watching Duke unc, like if you wanted offense, you should have turned to another game. And maybe if you were a big fan of defense, you would have liked this game. But 38 points in a 40 minute game for the Tar Heels, not great. And so Duke, you know, their offense was better than the Tar Heels, we should say, obviously, but like also not spectacular and it doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence going up A South Carolina team that I think is going to be especially motivated to show that, you know, they can move on very quickly from how they looked against Maryland. And we saw them, you know, when they played Duke the first time out in December, South Carolina was up 28 to 12 after the first quarter and they ended up cruising to an 8170 win. Duke remained competitive over the final three quarters and actually out outscored the Gamecocks throughout the remainder of that game. But the damage was done after the first 10 minutes as I mentioned, with South Carolina jumping out to a 16 point lead. I wouldn't be shocked on Sunday if we saw a very similar script that South Carolina is going to come out, throw the first punch, throw the second punch, throw the third punch, maybe throw the fourth punch and just keep punching throughout because they don't want to take their foot off the gas. They want to play one crisp game as a tune up to the final four. I mean, look, this has been a great season for Duke getting over, over the hump back into the Elite Eight. You know, Reagan Richardson, Ashland Jackson, Toby Fournier, like they are playing really well for the Blue Devils, but they can find a score, only 13 points. When these teams met back in December, they're obviously going to need to play a better game against the Gamecocks. The other player I have circled for South Carolina is my leisure. Folweiley, who scored 23 points. Yeah, I mean she scored 23 points against the Terps. She was really the one player who, you know, when things were not Going well, she would just knife through Maryland's defense. A number of just acrobatic super athletic finishes. She's really coming to her own. And if you think back to that game against Duke, she scored just three points in 15 minutes. Like you gotta expect more from her in this Sweet 16 game here or in this Elite 8 game rather between these two teams when we should note.
- [28:40]
Chantel Jennings
My Lasia was their leading scorer. 23 points in 21 minutes. Like she comes off the bench for South Carolina. On that note though, do you like you said, sort of Duke's big three would need to be better in order to make this a game in order for Duke to get to the Final Four. Is it Toby Fournier who you look to in terms of like if, if someone from Duke is going to shoulder that load, have a huge game to sort of be the antidote to a Myelasia Full Wiley or a Chloe Kitz? Like who is that player for Duke?
- [29:07]
Ben Pickman
I mean Fournier is a good call, but I think she went scoreless in the sweet 16, I believe. I think I want to say 0 for 8 from the field, 0 for 9 from the field. I mean she's Duke, Duke's leading score on the season in less than 20 minutes. But like it hasn't exactly been a great tournament for her. She did not play in the round of 32 game with an illness. I think all those players are going to need to play well is really the answer. Can I take choice D all of the above for who needs to play well for Duke? Because South Carolina, you know, we don't necessarily know who among their rotation is going to emerge. I think that's one of the beauties of this team, just the depth that they have. But, but that's a safe bet that full Wiley or Edwards or Fagan or Powpow or Raven Johnson, someone's going to step up. I mean I won't bury the lead here. I have South Carolina winning this game and getting back to the Final Four. The other game in Birmingham and this is on Monday night.
- [29:56]
Chantel Jennings
Yeah, the Texas State Championship.
- [29:58]
Ben Pickman
Exactly. It is the Texas State championship. I assume you didn't see what Vic Schaefer said about where this game could have been played. Did you see that?
- [30:04]
Chantel Jennings
I didn't see that.
- [30:05]
Ben Pickman
Vic Schaefer made a great comment for all those in the Lone Star State. He said we could have met in Corsicana, which is in Texas, the great state of Texas for all those. And he said we could have met in Corsicana and save money playing them. But nonetheless I Think this is great for our state. And he is right. It is not being played in Corsicana, Texas, but it is playing in Birmingham, Alabama. And I think this again sets up to be the game of this round. TCU again involved in it, in my opinion. I mean, these are two teams who are enjoying, you know, historic seasons. Texas tied their school record for wins with their Sweet 16 victory. The Horned Frogs had never been to a sweet 16, let alone an elite eight, let alone a final four. It features two elite offenses. You know, as I mentioned, Haley Van Lith. And the spread pick and roll that TCU utilizes is so important. And you have a player with Madison Booker on the other end for Texas who, you know, a conference player of the year in the sec, one of the best players, young players in the country. Like, to me, there are so many different ways that this game could go. I'm just super excited. Big picture. I'm curious what you think from an outsider. I'm just so excited to see what happens because I do think there's a lot that could happen in this game and there's a lot at stake for two programs who are really having great years.
- [31:17]
Chantel Jennings
This game, I think kind of like the lsu, UCLA game, feels very much like a toss up to me. I think from both Texas and tcu, we've seen high ceilings and low basements. And so it's sort of like which versions of these teams show up. And I think within that, you also have these teams who are really, really motivated. You have players that are on their last go around that are playing for something big. Obviously, TCU has never been this deep in the tournament. Like, they're breaking ground no matter what. Texas hasn't been to the final four since 2003. Obviously, Schaefer has been there more recently. But, like, this is a Texas program that is really trying to establish itself as this SEC dominant team, as the nationally dominant team. I think it could really go either way. Is there either. I mean, we've already talked about Haley Van Liss. She sort of feels like the bellwether for the. For the Horned Frogs. Who do you feel like that is for Texas? I have a sense of who you're going to pick, but who do you think is the player for Texas? That sort of tilts the scales.
- [32:12]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, I do think it is Madison Booker. And the thing that I'm curious about is just how does TCU defend her? You know, I think they're going to likely have to lean on Donovan Hunter and Agnes Amenupu, who, you know, are two guards for them, guard forwards, but both are smaller than Madison Booker, who is taller and also longer than pretty much everyone in rotation and stronger. And so, you know, there's an obvious mismatch there. The other matchup that I have my eye on is like, you know, Sedona Prince has just kind of feasted on smaller players, you know, around the basket all season long, you know, and so many double doubles, so many, you know, 20 point, 10 rebound performances throughout the season. She was again, you know, 21 and six against the Irish. I think she had five or six blocks too. But Texas, we know that like this team is so strong and so physical on the inside. Taylor Jones, their six year center, like she's so reliable for Vic Schaefer and we saw them play like a, a fast and explosive game lean on a four guard lineup in the Sweet 16. That's what we saw from Texas. But Texas has the size, the physicality to match up with Princess, right. In a way that Notre Dame did not. Right. They were very much leaning on Matty west belt throughout the game and she got in a little bit of foul trouble and Prince was successful when she did. So, you know, can Sedona Prince establish herself is another big question that I have my eye on. And the other thing that I'm watching is, you know, Texas plays this aggressive, physical defense. They force a ton of turnovers. Their offense is also super efficient and we know that they don't shoot a lot of threes. TCU has a great offense, but their defense is not as good. Right. That is kind of the weakest unit of the four sides of the ball in this game. And Texas can and should be able to score on the Horned Frogs. And so, you know, I guess right now I'm going slight lean to Texas in the battle of Texas, but honestly, it wouldn't totally shock me if TCU came out on top. And I think if they do so, Prince will have to play a good game. But it's going to be the Vanless show again. Like she's just going to have to go crazy and you know, maybe Texas doesn't have an answer for her. What do you think about that prediction?
- [34:16]
Chantel Jennings
No, I think that's fair. I would say one of the a player that I think could tilt the scales for Texas. Like you were saying, Taylor Jones obviously in the paint, but Kyla Oldacre is someone that I think at the beginning of the season I was like, I don't know how I feel about this fit here. She's a Miami transfer I wasn't sure how she was going to fit into this Texas team. And then it was like, you know, it took me, I don't know, 80 minutes of watching her play and I was like, just kidding. I've done a 180. I think she's a perfect fit. I'm really excited to see what Vic does with her this season. She and Taylor Jones together in the post, it think could be a formidable opponent for Sedona Prince. But yeah, it comes back to this, though. If TCU is a team that can knock down a ton of threes like Matty Connor, Madison Connor can get hot from beyond the arc. Haley Van Lith obviously can get hot from beyond the arc. Texas doesn't have an antidote for that. They've already gotten through Tennessee, which obviously is one of the highest three point shooting teams in the country. But I do wonder if this is a game where TCU tries to establish itself from the outside early, specifically, which then obviously would open some things up in the paint as well. But if they start hitting threes early, does Texas have, you know, kind of clamped down on its defense enough and force enough turnovers and make it a game where they have more possessions ultimately to make up for the fact that they're trading twos for threes? Like you kind of get into a math game then. But I think overall this and the LSU UCLA game that I said, you know, I think those to me feel like the two biggest toss ups in this round.
- [35:36]
Ben Pickman
No, it definitely does. And I guess as we wrap up this podcast with a late night dad joke, I guess we know at least one team from the state of Texas is going to go to the Final Four. And we have not said that in a little bit of time here, Shantel, but. All right, friends, I mean, that's all we got for you today. The Elite 8 is upon us. We will have a full Elite 8 preview up on the site by the time you are listening to this podcast. So please check that out for more of our thoughts on the Elite Eight, all things that we think are going to go on. Thank you, Chantel, for staying up late with me here. Or maybe you should be thanking me for staying up late with you. I guess we'll have to figure that out on another time when we get to Tampa. But thank you all for tuning in. We'll be back on Tuesday to talk about everything that's going to happen over the next two days and look ahead to the Final Four in Tampa. If you're new here, hit that follow button wherever you're listening so you can stay up to date with us on all things no offseason and at the Athletic. And while you're at it, if you don't mind, give the show a rating. It really helps new people find this show and obviously bring it to as many listeners as we can. And don't forget too, there's also more to read and hear and watch over at our partner the Yahoo. Sports Hub. So check it out@sports.yahoo.com women sports I think that is all we got Chantelle tonight. So on behalf of the Athletic, I'm Ben Pickman. Thank you for listening and we will see you next time.
- [37:00]
Flauje Johnson
No Off Season is hosted by Zena Kada with Chantel 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 Bagala. Brenna Haupt is our video editor. Shannon Reiter is managing Editor of Women's Basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of Audio and 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 Flauje'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 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.