← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
Loading summary
Transcript103 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]
Zena Caida
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 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.
- [02:08]
Sabrina Merchant
And I'm Sabrina Merchant.
- [02:10]
Zena Caida
Today on the show we are giving you the Sweet 16 primer that you want and you need. It's the biggest matchups, the players to look out for our thoughts on how it all might go down. I got Sabrina here and we're going to walk you through what's happening on the west coast in Spokane and then Ben is going to join me to talk all things Birmingham. We're going to play a little game. Knowing what we know now, how would we redo our brackets? All right, Sabrina, tell me a little bit more about Spokane because I quite literally know nothing about this place other than that there's March Madness happening yeah.
- [02:46]
Sabrina Merchant
So first things first. We got to get a longer A on Spokane and Birmingham. All right. Oh, just for the locals out there.
- [02:53]
Zena Caida
Is that real Birmingham?
- [02:55]
Sabrina Merchant
I think you're trying to talk about the English city, or is that.
- [02:58]
Zena Caida
Maybe that's what it is.
- [03:00]
Sabrina Merchant
Birmingham.
- [03:00]
Zena Caida
Yeah, it's Birmingham. Okay. Birmingham. Okay. My bad, girl. Go ahead.
- [03:05]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. So Spokane, home to Gonzaga University and lots of tournament games all the time. It also hosts a high school girls volleyball tournament annually, which, you know, puts some stress on the hotels and transportation here. You know, I was on a flight with a lot of girls in spandex and tall socks and the same backpack. So, you know, we're. We're all here for, I think, going.
- [03:30]
Zena Caida
To the same place.
- [03:31]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, we're all here for the. The good sporting action this weekend.
- [03:35]
Zena Caida
There you go. Wait, that's hilarious. And I. And the thing about it, I was on a volleyball team. They're loud. Lots of energy. Lots of shrieks, I would imagine. Okay, fun. So Spokane. Spokane.
- [03:50]
Sabrina Merchant
Spokane.
- [03:52]
Zena Caida
Spokane. Why am I struggling with these A's? This is strange. Okay. Spokane, Washington. Boom. That's where you're at. And before we get into what we can expect out of the games in Spokane over the next couple of days, let's check in for a minute about Juju Watkins. You know, we talked about this at length on Tuesday's episode. Juju is out with a season ending ACL tear. What can you tell us about her plans moving forward in terms of surgery and recovery and then also how long may she be out?
- [04:21]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, so ACL tears really differ in how long you wanna wait before you get in for surgery. There's just some people wanna wait a little bit longer to get a little bit more mobilization so that the knee doesn't stiffen up during surgery. If other ligaments have torn at the same time, then it might be necessary to go in a little bit earlier just to stabilize the knee before, you know, attacking the rehab. So, you know, I'm not actually terribly versed on all of the dynamics with juju's knee, but I would say that based on the fact that the school confirmed it was an ACL tear, we're looking at like a 9 to 12 recovery timeline. 9 to 12 month recovery timeline for Juju.
- [04:57]
Zena Caida
Got it. Wow, that's going to be huge. And I know something that we also touched on in the last episode was just like what USC's trajectory looks like now. I was looking at some of the betting odds of their next game against Kansas State. And Kansas State is expected to win by just A little bit more points. Now, I still am learning the terminology around betting in general, but from what I saw, Kansas State is favored by one and a half points. Now, some people think that this is like disrespectful to juju in terms of just how much he brings, but if you saw the way that they took care of business, they being USC against Mississippi State, you're thinking, okay, yes, juju is gone, but there are some serious role players that have stepped up in her absence. And of course they still have Kiki Area Fed.
- [05:48]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, absolutely. I think this is more not so much about usc, but about Kansas State, who is just better than your average number five seed because their body of work was judged on the fact that Aoka Lee was not healthy for most of the Big 12 season. And now that she is, that's just like another All American added to that lineup. And you know, I think Kenny Brooks called them closer to a number two or number three seed after Kentucky lost to them in that overtime game in the second round. And you know, when you have Aoka Lee, everything just flows a little bit smoother because you have that dominant presence who can create a little bit more room for those shooters on the perimeter. This is like the second best three point shooting team in the country with, you know, Tomyra Poindexter had those eight threes against Kentucky. You've got Jalen Glenn and Serena Sundell and just a really talented veteran group that knows how to play with one another and is just very comfortable with what they have going on. Even though this is their first sweet 16 in a little bit at Kansas State. But to me it's, it's really not that. Obviously juju being out makes a big difference, but I think this is also just a reflection of, oh, okay, the Wildcats are actually a lot better than we thought a number five seed was going to be. And you know, that's, that's just a really good team that was in the top 10 for most of the year before the Lee injury happened for sure.
- [07:05]
Zena Caida
And I'm so happy you mentioned just a few names on the Kansas State side. Number one name, thinking beyond, you know, Aoka Leese, Serena Sundell, like number one playmaker, assist wise in the country, and the veteranship across the board for Kansas State is going to be a huge factor. Their offense runs smoothly. It's going to make USC's defense have to be, you know, on alert. Uh, if you guys want a really great story on this matchup, Grace Rayner did a great matchup story on Kansas State vs USC. Go read that on the Athletic. But a lot. Lots of other matchups that are going to be happening, of course, LSU versus NC State. That one I'm particularly excited about. Especially considering the way that NC State plays defense and the way that LSU plays offense. I mean this is going to be a matchup for both sides of the ball. Let's talk with that one particularly because if there's any reason that LSU was counted out, it was purely off of the fact that Flauje Johnson and Anissa Morrow were uncertain in terms of what they would look like health wise. No one had any doubts about their ability if those two were healthy, but they showed up to select and Sunday in boots. So now Flauj Johnson and Issa Moore have put the entire NCAA on notice. Like, oh, we're back, we're out of the boots, we are playing well, we're on the glass, we're, we're getting to our spots at NC State. Now we'll have their hands full with those two, but Aziah James is a walking bucket on the NC State side and Saniyah Rivers is a transition machine for NC State. So what do you think about that matchup that's happened on Friday?
- [08:42]
Sabrina Merchant
If this is not the highest scoring matchup in this week 16 I'm going to be severely disappointed because you look at the way NC State put up points against Michigan State, you look at what happened with LSU and Florida State in that second round where one point game at halftime and LSU just goes on an absolute tear in the second half and the power offensively of their big threes, whether we're talking about Flagee, Mikayla Williams and Anissa Morrow or Isaiah James, Saniyah Rivers and Zoe Brooks just they're all capable of going off getting really hot from three point range and well, I mean not so much Anissa Morrow and Sinai Rivers, but all just putting up points in big bunches. And you know, this is actually a rematch of a game that happened earlier in the season that LSU won pretty convincingly. But the big difference in that game was that Mallory Collier was still starting at center for NC State. And I think we've noticed over the course of the season that the switch to Tilda Treeger as they're five has really opened things up. She's been the big that they were looking for with the graduation of River Baldwin and Mimi Collins and she only played five minutes in that game against lsu. So I think her presence in the middle, just that lineup combination has worked really well for NC State over the course of the ACC regular season and now into the tournament. And so I imagine that that's going to help them defensively a little bit. And like LSU is not a team where their center is going to score a lot of points anyway. It's not like, I guess my Smith gets a lot of open buckets, but it's not like they're running the offense through her. So I think their weaknesses, so to speak, where like LSU center position and NC State center position sort of neutralize each other. And it's just going to be a lot of cards getting buckets, a lot of cards scoring. And as much as I respect the defenses of these two teams, I don't think that's really what's going to decide this game. It's going to be who hits more shots. So I would expect this to look very different than the first matchup they played back in November. But I still think LSU has a slighter edge just because Madison Hayes on Anissa Morrow is a very tough matchup just containing that physicality. And I think that probably is going to be the swinging point here.
- [10:30]
Zena Caida
Yeah, I think for me, the two X factors I'm looking at on both sides of the ball, Madison Hayes ability to shoot the three, which we saw so far in this tournament, has been a key factor for NC State's offense. And then on the LSU side, Cheyenne Day Wilson, I mean the way she showed up specifically in that second half against FSU in ball creation, in being able to make her shots and knock them down like that, I think those are the two X factors for now. Let's keep it pushing and keep talking about some teams in California that are gonna be matching up with some teams in the sec. Woo. UCLA versus Ole Miss. Now this is gonna be interesting because I looked at the way that people reacted to that first half that UCLA had to Richmond and it's putting quite a damper on people's projections of UCLA in this tournament. They still have UCLA favored over Ole Miss. However, that Ole Miss defense is absolutely making people a little bit more hesitant to cleanly put UCLA into the next round in the Elite Eight. So what are your thoughts there in terms of how Ole Miss can handle particularly the inside presence of Lauren Betts?
- [11:40]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think people are re overreacting to one half. Like basketball is a 40 minute game and UCLA pretty comfortably won over the course of 40 minutes. Do you know they made their adjustments? Yeah, made their adjustments in halftime. Really countered what Richmond was trying to do offensively in that third quarter, you know, showed harder On Maggie Dugan defended the cuts better. I thought, honestly, like, being able to respond and still win that dominantly is much more impressive to me than like not even taking a punch and not knowing what you're made of in that case. But as far as Ole Miss goes, you know, we talk about their defense all the time. It's stifling, it's aggressive, they force a lot of turnovers, they do really well on the offensive glass. But I almost think that, like, you just need to be a better offensive team to really contend with ucla because their offense is going to figure you out. Nobody has the tools to counter Lauren Betts. And, you know, you think about the Ole Miss center rotation, a lot of it is Christina Wallow, who spent the first two years of her career at ucla. You know, so she was a teammate of Lauren for one season at ucla. And I mean, I don't, I don't know this for sure, but I feel like if she could have hung with Lauren in practice, she probably wouldn't have left ucla. So I think that's going to be an interesting matchup. And I really just think UCLA has too many offensive weapons, like they're going to be able to spread the floor. You know, Ole Miss does a very good job of protecting. I feel like a lot of their defensive reputation comes from that upset win that they had over Stanford a couple years ago. But that was a Stanford team that really couldn't shoot. And this UCLA team has a lot of good three point threats. Whether we're talking about Tamia Gardner or Gabrielle Hawkes, London Jones, you know, when Kiki Rice is hitting from distance, this team is basically unbeatable. So, yeah, I think this is a lot more about Ole Miss having enough offense to keep up with ucla and I just don't see that happening.
- [13:18]
Zena Caida
Yeah, and on that same note, UCLA locking in, right, like it's. I almost feel like it's UCLA's game to lose if Ole Miss is doing everything they can on defense, but they just don't have their offense. It's UCLA's game to lose if they don't have the offense necessary to combat that. Okay, let's keep it pushing then. Now here has, with Juju Watkins going out for USC, people feeling hesitant about UCLA's 1/2 against Richmond, a new favorite has started to emerge. And I'm talking about UConn that will be going up against Oklahoma, who, by the way, just got the number one 2025 recruit in Aaliyah Chavez. So huge, huge addition to their roster for next year. But that's next year. Let's talk about this year. So right now UConn will be dancing against Oklahoma. And the way that UConn moves in transition in the half court, if Paige Beckers is like, you know, I do feel as if Paige Becker is like people hitting their shots. All right, cool. I'm a chill. I'm a set people up. I'm going to do my thing. People aren't hitting their shots. All right, cool. Let me take the game over, right? Like the versatility they have in the tools that they have in Sarah Strong and Paige Beckers to take over games. Like, I don't know what that's going to look like against Oklahoma. I'd love to ask you, Sabrina, what are your thoughts on that matchup?
- [14:38]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, my first thought is that when Aaliyah Chavez said, I can't wait to bring a championship to the city of Norman, I like literally gaped at my television. I was just like, Norman. Did I hear that right? First of all, I just, I don't hear people talk about the city of Norman all the time.
- [14:52]
Zena Caida
Norman ever.
- [14:53]
Sabrina Merchant
Anyway. Yeah, she said Doran. I was like that. That's Oklahoma, right? Anyway, great week for the Sooners. First time in this way, 16 since 2013, bringing in the number one recruit in the country. This is a very senior heavy team.
- [15:04]
Zena Caida
So winning for Oklahoma, right? They're winning right now.
- [15:09]
Sabrina Merchant
I think for me, this game really comes down to what Oklahoma is going to do in terms of their ball control. Like they can score really well against even good defenses, but they have a tendency to just get a little loose, a little careless. Part of it is just a silo play. They like to get up and down, they like to play fast. But you cannot turn the ball over against UConn. You just cannot do that at a high rate because they are already so efficient in the half court. So to give them transition opportunities, that's really where those game breaking runs start to happen. So to me, turnovers, big thing to look at. And then how dominant can Reagan Beers be in this matchup? Because Sarah Strong, one of the finer defensive players in the country. Already as a freshman, she is a little bit smaller than Regan Beers, but, you know, has been really effective this season. I think she's kind of been more of like the power forward on defense. You see her a lot on the perimeter creating turnovers. But I wonder what they're going to do in this matchup. Like, is Janelle Alfie going to get the main assignment on Beers inside? Are they going to, you know, send some help at her. I think, you know, just being able to control the tempo is going to be so important and sometimes like you just don't want to let UConn get out and run either. So the problem is like Oklahoma is also a fast paced team. I really don't know. UConn is just so good. Yeah, it's so good.
- [16:19]
Zena Caida
They really are. They really are. I mean, I picked them to go ahead to the final Four even with, you know, before the absence of Juju Watkins. But with UConn, I absolutely. I love you bringing up the Reagan Beers matchup because I see Jenna Al Afi be on her with Dig Downs coming from UConn and having Sarah Strong kind of play that rover. You saw her at the top of the key playing defense, being able to get blocks and then steals and then finishing in transition. I feel as if they'll want to capitalize on against Oklahoma and having someone with that size of Sarah Strong on their guards on the perimeter. All right, let's close it out. Just overall thoughts on the Sweet 16 in Spokane, like things that you're going to be looking out for maybe that we haven't touched on, things that you're most excited about because I know you have a long week and weekend ahead of you. Just want to close out before we go.
- [17:08]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, for what I'm happy we're on like the non rematch side of the bracket. I think there are three matches, three rematches on the Birmingham side. So we only have the NC State, LSU one. And again we talked about why I would expect that matchup to look a little bit different just with the rotation shake up at NC State. So just nice to see like teams that haven't played one another and what are they going to do? Like you get hit and you just, you only have 40 minutes to respond. Right. So what's that gonna look like? The Reg and Beers bowl, you know, having originally like considered UConn when she came out of the portal from Oregon State and then eventually, wow, chose Oklahoma. That's always fun. And then with ucla, like I think just the pressure of being the overall number one seed, like it's one thing when you're at home and you've hosted tournament games before, you're expected to win those games, but it's not an unfamiliar environment. But like with USC going through its struggles now, South Carolina, you know, had a tough half against Indiana. There's a certain expectation for UCLA to get to the Final Four. That's something the program has never done. Right. So I think I'm just interested to see how they respond to the. The burden of like being the favorites. Right. You know, this is a team that has played so loose when there is no expectations on them. I think about like when this junior class was a bunch of freshmen and they played South Carolina really well in the tournament this week 16 because they had nobody who was picking them to win. But now everybody is picking them to at least advance to the final four. I just wonder how they're going to look when things get tight because I would imagine at some point things are going to get tight. And so how do we respond from that? That to me is one of the most interesting questions in this Spokane part of the tournament.
- [18:43]
Zena Caida
There you go. I'm also. I a part of me. Sabrina really wants USC to be a darling. I just want USC to kind of like just rally behind juju. Seeing all of the posts that her teammates made, you know, love you 12, we got your back. Whatever. I think it would be a. It'd be. It'd make for such a cool story. If not like a love and basketball like trilogy, like not, you know, not trilogy, but like the next part of a love and basketball story follow up. Right. It would be a really cool thing for them to like go all the way. But we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. Well, thank you, Sabrina, as always. I know you've got a full day ahead of you. Checking out some volleyball games maybe. If only, if only. So I'm sure we'll be on the.
- [19:27]
Sabrina Merchant
Same flight back to la.
- [19:29]
Zena Caida
There you go. There you go. You got to get to the arena. So rest of you guys stick around. Ben Pickman is joining me next to take a trip over to Birmingham. Birmingham, folks, we're going to talk about that side of the tournament in just a second. 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 flaujay, this reality strengthen her resolve to take control of her financial future. Just as Flaje 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 Flauj can confidently plan and protect their financial futures, all with the goal of of creating better financial outcomes for women everywhere. Visit massmutual.com stayready to learn more.
- [20:46]
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.
- [21:08]
Sabrina Merchant
Of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.
- [21:14]
Zena Caida
See Full terms@mintmobile.com Roll Baller Lonzo Ball.
- [21:17]
Ben Pickman
For Buzzballs ready to go.
- [21:18]
Zena Caida
Cocktails take 12 buzzballs just dropped their biggest blue balls.
- [21:23]
Sabrina Merchant
The script says Biggie's blue balls.
- [21:24]
Zena Caida
Lonzo take 13 blue balls just dropped their biggest buzz balls.
- [21:29]
Ben Pickman
Let's try a vocal exercise.
- [21:31]
Zena Caida
Buzz balls Biggies Blue balls, Buzz balls.
- [21:34]
Ben Pickman
Big balls just dropped. Get blue balls this season with Buzzball please.
- [21:41]
Sabrina Merchant
You're responsibly Buzz Balls available in spirit.
- [21:43]
Ben Pickman
Wine and malt, 15% alcohol by volume.
- [21:44]
Sabrina Merchant
Buzzballs LLC Carrollton, Texas.
- [21:49]
Zena Caida
Welcome back to no Off Season and hello to you, Ben Pickman. You're joining us from the other regional site in the NCAA tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. As Sabrina has helped me enunciate the proper enunciation and pronunciation of Birmingham. But what you doing in Birmingham? Out Birmingham. I just want to keep saying that Birmingham outside of watching women's basketball, honestly, not a lot.
- [22:17]
Ben Pickman
I've been going out on some runs which is pretty true to my daily routine. So exploring the city a little bit that way. I saw the There's a minor league baseball stadium here. Michael Jordan famously played for the Birmingham barons in the 90s during his time away. And so hanging in some of the windows of the baseball ballparks gift shop are some 45 Birmingham Barons jersey. So seeing those in the flesh was really the highlight of my Wednesday evening. If we're talking about little things that I have enjoyed outside of the basketball arena so far.
- [22:51]
Zena Caida
There you go. There's a few other things in Birmingham that I just recently looked up, but there's a really cool motorcycle museum there that actually has like a Beatles Royal Rolls Royce. Like it's got like historic motorcycles. You should check it out. I forget what the name of it.
- [23:08]
Ben Pickman
Is that's on my list for that's the if I have Time, though. Unlikely list.
- [23:13]
Zena Caida
Okay, Fair.
- [23:14]
Ben Pickman
That is on the top of it.
- [23:15]
Zena Caida
That makes sense, because there are some games happening, and you'll be covering it all. And I want to dive into it because we are here to give Everybody the Sweet 16 preview, make sure they know what players to watch, what teams to watch out for, all the above. So let's go ahead and dive in. And I love it, because. Where are we starting with? North Kakalaki. Raise up. Take you. Okay, sorry. Let me put Petey Pablo to the side for a second. North Carolina, raise up. It's UNC versus Duke, and I am so excited for this matchup because it's everything that is pure about basketball. And this is not just women's side. This isn't just. This is everything. Okay. Because the blue bloods, like, if you're talking true blue bloods, you're talking UNC versus Duke rivalry. It's gonna be fun. I. I'm excited to see what happens. These teams have played many times against each other. Their first matchup was actually back in 1976. Did you know that, Ben?
- [24:12]
Ben Pickman
I did not know that, Xena.
- [24:13]
Zena Caida
I'm shocked, because you know everything. But that's all right now I'm letting you know that this tradition of UNC versus Duke is going to continue. And this year, it's been split. You know, you think about their last matchup in February. Duke got it before that in January, UNC got it in overtime. Like, this has been a fun matchup this year. So what. What are some of your thoughts going into this one?
- [24:37]
Ben Pickman
Well, one of the things that was interesting on Thursday that we learned was Carol Austin said she was not aware that this is actually the first time that Duke and UNC have matched up in an NCAA tournament game. And so she said she didn't know about that fact. She obviously downplayed it as a result. But I think for fans of this rivalry and, you know, who live in the triangle and just cover, you know, care about college basketball, men's and women's, it's pretty cool that, you know, this is not only the third time that these teams have played this year, but it's the. You know, the first time they've played in an NCAA tournament game was both of these programs really do look to take the next step in advance to the elite. So that's top line, I think, because we're thinking rivalries and broad appeal, like Stuke North Carolina Part 3, with a lot of stakes. Exactly.
- [25:20]
Zena Caida
There you go. I love that. Okay, that's. I also did not Know that. And I wonder, is that men and women's side, too?
- [25:26]
Ben Pickman
No, no. They have played in the men's side. If you remember a couple years ago. Yeah, if you remember a couple years ago, it was, I think it was Coach K's last game. It was a Final Four game against North Carolina.
- [25:36]
Zena Caida
Yes, I do remember that. Yes. Okay. So I was just like, wait, really? Okay. Women's side making some history. And of course, on the UNC side of that, Alyssa Utsby is the name to think about. I mean, she's been playing out of this world for unc. Talk a little bit about her impact in this particular game and how she can give UNC a leg up on Duke.
- [26:01]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, she was one of the players who was inactive in that last game between these two teams. A game that, as you mentioned, Xena Duke 1. And she's pivotal to so much of UNC's success. And we certainly saw, you know, in the, I guess the last meeting in February, like, fatigue did set in. And so not only are you getting, like, this incredible contributor in Alyssa Ospy in this tournament run, but you're just, you know, adding depth back to your lineup. And that is so, so, so, so important. Renai Kelly, also, we should mention another key factor on this UNC Tar Hills team also did not play in that matchup between the two teams back in February. And there's a fun little storyline with her as well, because I believe she's from the state of Alabama, and so this is a little bit of a homecoming for her, you know, just being so close to home. She was talking about, like, she played here, you know, 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, and lost just once. And so I think she's just excited to be around family, friends, being 20 minutes from her home. Like, there's not just the added motivation of the UNC Duke rivalry, but, you know, someone who's having a little bit of a homecoming. You're getting the opportunity to show out in front of, you know, more supporters, more fans.
- [27:14]
Zena Caida
Absolutely. Load up the buses. Kelly family. Make sure you go into that arena and get, you know, the voices and the. You just want the energy in there because it's going to be a crazy matchup. You think about the Duke side of things, of course, Reagan, Richardson. But I'm also thinking Ashland, you know, Ashton Jackson, just like I am very much a fan of the way that they've shown up, particularly towards the end of the regular season and then also in their first two showings in the tournament. Carol Lawson has got her team together on defense. Now the question is, will there be enough offense to be able to overtake unc, Right.
- [27:54]
Ben Pickman
And one of the big boosts that they're going to get back is Toby Fournier, the star freshman for Duke. Carol Austin confirmed on Thursday, Thursday that the 6 for 2 forward who did not play in their second round win over Oregon will return when these two teams meet on Friday. Fournier leads Duke in scoring. She's second in rebounding, all despite playing fewer than 20 minutes a game. She's someone who really does like supercharged. So much of what Duke does, she's just so active and so key to so much of their productivity. So that's a huge boost, you know, both from a depth perspective, but also just, just getting one of their most talented players back in the lineup. She talked about like she's now well hydrated and ready to go and just spoke with a lot of energy on the podium. So she certainly seemed ready and engaged. So, you know, that's a big change from their round of 32 win into the Sweet 16. The kind of player who certainly could be the difference. So as we mentioned, UNC is also getting some, you know, of their key players back in this, I guess this third round of this, you know, triangle fight, so to speak.
- [28:55]
Zena Caida
Well, I could keep going on and on about Duke and UNC because I just love this matchup. ALUCIO conanwa like, there's so many aspects of the defense, especially on the def. The Duke side that I'm just like very excited to see in action. But we got other teams to talk about. South Carolina is trying to make their way back to the big dance, trying to get back to back titles here. Maryland is standing in their way in the Sweet 16 round. Maryland that fought off a tenacious Alabama and Sarah Ashley Barker but man, Cheyenne Sellers and Sarah Tibiasu has ice in her veins and of course Kayleen Smichel as well. What do you make of this matchup especially considering that Maryland is small in comparison to what South Carolina is going to bring in their Chloe Kits and Joyce Edwards tonight. Fagan Inside yeah, I mean the thing.
- [29:49]
Ben Pickman
That kind of stuck out to me from talking to some of the Maryland players on Thursday was, you know, they are an experienced group too, right. With a ton of, you know, juniors and seniors really leading the way in terms of being their key players. And they have a number of them who, you know, coach Brandon Freeze just throws out and have produced throughout this season. And so for an experienced group like they don't seem rattled or phased by the environment that they're going into. Instead, I think they recognize that, you know, this is the last opportunity that they're really going to have to play with each other. You know, they felt so many emotions after that win over Alabama and talking to some of the players, they felt, you know, relief, exhaustion, excitement. Obviously, you know, excitement not just about winning the game, but also continuing their season. And one of their guards told me that in some ways they see this a little bit like iron chirp and iron in going up against South Carolina insofar as, like, they're also. Maryland is a really deep team, and there isn't one player alone who can produce. Right. You mentioned to be ASU or Smichel or Sellers. You know, they're just some of the key players on Maryland. South Carolina is a lot like that, too. Right? You have sniping and you have Tahina powpow. You have my leisure full Wiley, you know, you have Joyce Edwards. You could keep rattling off names. It's what makes them so dangerous. And so I do think, you know, maybe there's a little bit of an advantage that Maryland might have compared to some other opponents because they're really deep, too. You know, we'll see. South Carolina is the 1 seed. They've been dominant all year for a reason. But, you know, it's just one interesting thing about this matchup in particular and how they. They fare against each other.
- [31:23]
Zena Caida
I love you mentioning that, because it's true. These two teams do have deep benches. They do have some veteran players. The difference, though, in the veteranship on the South Carolina side is that they've been here, right? They've been at the big dance and they've been successful, whereas Maryland has just been through programs in which, you know, there's. There's so many transfers. How many transfers are on Maryland's team right now? Is it like 10, nine?
- [31:46]
Ben Pickman
Honestly, a lot. You know, like the 1967 you throw out. I don't have that number offhand.
- [31:51]
Zena Caida
Okay, 1976, 1976, 1976. But yes, right. But no. Brenda Freese, the head coach at Maryland, brought in a lot of talent from outside the program. And that. That's one of the things that everyone was so excited about. This Maryland team is like, how quickly they gelled this season and how quickly, to your point of this being their last time, that they get to play together. So you do feel this kind of like, I don't want to call it desperation, but this. This aspect of, like, let's fight and Give it all we got. Every time that they touch the floor for you on the South Carolina versus the, the Maryland side because of the depth, who do you think are your X factors for each either team?
- [32:29]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, I mean, I still think so much of it comes down to South Carolina's front court. Like, what are you getting from Joyce Edwards? What are you getting from Sinai Fagan? You know, the thing in general that I'm looking at is Maryland. You know, offense is seldom a problem for Maryland. Like, they, you know, are really one of the best offenses in the country and they attack the basket and routinely get to the free throw line. They average 22 and a half free throws per game. That's normally such an advantage for them. And when you think about, you know, playing in a game of stakes and attacking the basket, going to the free throw line, obviously a way to slow the game down, control the crowd a little bit and get players in foul trouble. The problem is South Carolina has one of the deepest rotations in the country. Eight players average 19 or more minutes per game. And so, you know, Sellers just attack in a basket and drawing fouls like that might be less effective against a team like South Carolina who can just throw body after body after body at you.
- [33:22]
Zena Caida
Right, right, right, right.
- [33:24]
Ben Pickman
So look, I don't think Maryland is going to be phased or rattled here. To me, it's can they get stops on one end of the floor and again, can they try and get to the line the way they want to do it and can they get the bigs of South Carolina in some foul trouble? Because, you know, I still think the strength of the depth of this roster is still their guards. And so, you know, Edwards and Fagan have been, have been great. And there are some other bigs that Don Cially has trotted out, but like, those two really are, are the core right now with Watkins going out with an ACL injury earlier this season. So, you know, it's still hard to bet against South Carolina here, but certainly I think Maryland has the talent to, to make this a real game. And we've seen, you know, Iowa, Indiana, last round certainly pushed South Carolina and we've seen it in past tournaments too, for a quarter, half or three quarters and get pushed. So it wouldn't be surprising to see this game be closer than some people think.
- [34:16]
Zena Caida
When the Sweet 16 stakes are high, people show up and, you know, I think meet the moment. So this will definitely be a great matchup. Let's keep it rolling to Notre Dame. TCU this. Ben, I'm excited about this Game I'm excited about this game.
- [34:34]
Ben Pickman
Might be the game, might be the game of the weekend.
- [34:36]
Zena Caida
Xena might be the game of the weekend. There is a lot of energy around this game and particularly with the back courts going up against each other. I'm just thinking about a Hannah Hidalgo with sure offense, obviously there, the way that she creates offense for herself and also the transition bucket she gets. Boom. Put that to the side real quick. The defense, though, and I'm imagining Hannah Hidalgo's assignment will be Hayley Van Lith. And if you remember, earlier in the season, it's one of the very few losses that Notre Dame suffered was at the hands of tcu. And I can imagine that the Fighting Iris want to fight back and get their lick back against ccu. And of course Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince, that pick and roll duo. But there's tons of talent around them as well. And then Notre Dame, they've been rocking teams. I mean, just like Deccan teams on the way to the sweet 16. The statement is being made. Count us out. Just because of how we close the season. No, no. Notre Dame is here. So now, looking at this matchup, what are your thoughts going into this game?
- [35:46]
Ben Pickman
Yeah, you mentioned, I mean, this is another rematch of two teams that played earlier this year. That was a game that TCU beat Notre Dame 80 to 76 back in November. And it was really one of these games that helped establish the legitimacy of TCU as one of the best teams in the country this year. Haley van this scored 19 of her 21 points in the second half of that game as TCU rallied back from 14 points down. But you know, for me, this game might be decided not in the back court, but in the front court. Because if you remember that game when these two teams met back in November, TCU center Sedona Prince, she had 20 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks. A 2020. I remember that in one of the most impressive games that anyone played this this season, Koval on the other side for Notre Dame, she went scoreless and fouled out. Right. So what are you kind of getting in from Notre Dame's front court to try and slow down Prince? That's one of the big questions that I have entering this game. The next things that stick out to me. The Irish average nearly 14 bench points per game, but they had merely three against TCU. So that's another thing. And to keep an eye out on what are you getting from players not name Miles, Citron and Hidalgon. I guess it goes along with the front Court question. The other thing is going to your comment about the guards is Donovan Hunter. If you remember, she was one of these key fixtures in Oregon State's run to the Elite Eight last year when she was a freshman. She's now a sophomore, having transferred in. She's now part of TCU starting lineup, and she's coming off one of her best games of the season against Louisville. She had 18, six four assists and a steel. Looked really good, like the Diamond Hunter of last year's tournament. So TCU has a pretty good backcourt, you know, itself. They've led it halftime in 26 consecutive games, too. It's one of my favorite stats of the season. So there's a lot to like about TCU as they enter this game. As you mentioned, Notre Dame's playing really, really well, but this is obviously a big jump up in competition and, you know, a bad quarter, a bad half, a bad game. All the, like the Mojo changing that they might have felt in that first weekend. Well, you lose to TCU in the sweet 16, like, maybe things didn't change as much as people thought.
- [38:00]
Zena Caida
Right, Exactly. No, I remember vividly that game. I mean, Sedona Prince was out there looking like Jonquil Jones mixed with Elena Deldon. Okay. She was turning around, fading, jumping, and it was, it was so tough because you, you know, you see Kate Koval, she's a freshman. This is one of the early games in the season as well. She's still acclimating. And Madi west belt serving fits, but was sitting on the bench and it was like, I wonder what that's gonna look like when she's back into the mix. Um, and now she will be. She'll be a part of this conversation. Uh, one player on tcu, I think, you know, that's included in that conversation. Agnes Amenopou, she killed the other night as well, 23 points. I would just remember the big four threes. And she's definitely going to put up some more against Notre Dame. So this is going to be a really great matchup, not only because it's a rematch, but because this team is both teams flooding with talent, both interior and exterior.
- [38:54]
Ben Pickman
And you mentioned it, like, as we think about kind of fan interest and bracketing, like, these are two teams that, you know, I think a lot of people do have going to the Final Four. Some might have them going to the championship game. I think our colleague Chantelle Jennings is one of those people who has Notre Dame going to the title game. Like, you know, when you kind of circle some of These games, as a fan at this point in the tournament, like, no offense to Duke of North Carolina, I don't think a lot of people have them getting out of the regional against South Carolina. Right. But if you look at this game like this game is the opposite, where, you know, there is a balance certainly between Texas and Notre Dame and tcu. I think fewer people have Tennessee, the four teams still left in this regional in Birmingham. So, you know, this game is highlighted, circled, underlined, whatever, for that reason, too, because a lot of brackets might get made or busted based on how TCU and Notre Dame plays out on Saturday.
- [39:51]
Zena Caida
Right. This is a very similar situation as to why, like, I think of all of the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 matchups, when you think about the potential of that USC UConn game before Juju Watkins goes down, and then also the potential of this game, Notre Dame versus tcu. These are two bracket busting type of games, and this was actually happening. We don't know yet about the UConn USC one. All right, let's close this out now. You just mentioned Texas. They're going up against Tennessee and they've played before, too. It's funny because earlier when I spoke to Sabrina, she mentioned, like, she's happy that Spokane. I'm saying it, with the long A's, Spokane has less rematches. I don't know. How do you feel about that, Ben? Rematch? Yes. Okay.
- [40:39]
Ben Pickman
I mean, I'm. I'm seeing the games for the first time in person, and it's fancy a tournament. How can you not be excited, even if. Even if we have seen some of these matchups before?
- [40:47]
Zena Caida
Sure. Okay. All right. Well, thinking about the University of Texas versus the University of Tennessee, they matched up in January. Texas got that win by four points. I don't know if you guys remember that game. It was close. The platoons were doing their thing against Texas. It really took a lot of poise, particularly I think, in the front court of Texas because they struggled with fouls. I remember Taylor Jones was consistently getting a little bit of trouble in that regard. I got on my bracket, I got Texas coming out, but I don't think people should be so quick to write off Tennessee. What are your thoughts?
- [41:23]
Ben Pickman
No, I think that's right. I mean, I also have Texas advancing in this one. I have Texas going to the Final Four. But you certainly have to think that Tennessee is not going to be rattled. They're not going to be. You know, they know what they're getting. They know the size, they know the physicality, they know the Speed. They've seen this team before in person and played them really, really tight into the final minute. You know, Texas pulled away at the very end of that game. You mentioned the foul story. The thing that sticks out to me is three point shooting and it's the thing we've talked about with Texas this whole time. And like I'll have a story that is actually up on the site right now when you're listening to this all about can Texas win despite being last in three point rate in the country. And it is something, as I mentioned in last week's episode, like they're great at everything else. That really is the strength. They just don't shoot a lot of threes. And frankly, like there is some historical precedent for low three point attempt shooting teams winning the championship. LSU in recent years, not a high volume three point shooting team. South Carolina, not a high volume one per se. But the examples are few and far between. And I actually think going back, you'd have to go back to some of Pat Summit's teams to find another team that shot as low a percentage that won the national championship in terms of 3 point percentage as Texas does this year. Wow. All of which is to say, Xena, that when these teams met the first time, Tennessee made nine of its 17 threes and Texas made just 1 3.
- [42:54]
Zena Caida
And I'm not a math major, I'm.
- [42:56]
Ben Pickman
Not a math major, but that's plus 24 right there, correct? That's really partly the, I mean that's basically the difference, right? Like in, in Texas only winning by four and Tennessee losing by, you know, what they did. So maybe just on maybe the math, maths for, for the lady balls in this one. I don't know, maybe it doesn't. I mean they're a 33% three point shooting team normally, but maybe the math does come together for them.
- [43:23]
Zena Caida
Right. And the thing about too is that Tennessee had their scoring. I mean outside of Ruby Whitehorn, their scoring was pretty spread. And Z Spearman as well, she, she showed up in that game 14 points. Whereas you know, a lot of the scoring had to come down to in that matchup. Jordan Lee put up 10 points. You know, that was huge for her to be able to play and contribute. Taylor Jones was consistently showing up inside the paint like they, it was like a struggle for Tennessee to be able to stop her. And then of course Madison Booker had to drop 26 points. And so if you get those girls in foul trouble like you kind of can, can find struggles and holes within the Texas offense. And so Definitely will be interesting to see how all of that spreads out. Now before I get to, you know, closing everything out. Anything we haven't mentioned that you are excited to look at or, or see or you know, storylines or anything that we're like maybe didn't come up in our conversation but you're absolutely going to keep an eye out for in Birmingham?
- [44:25]
Ben Pickman
Well, I'm certainly just excited to see like what the energy has been is like in these arenas on a regional site. I mean, you know, I think there's a lot of conversation generally about the two site versus four site system for Sweet 16 and elite elite games that, you know, we still see on the men's side that used to be the case on the women's side. You know, last year I was in Albany, New York when Iowa was playing in lsu. A bunch of teams like that, like South Carolina, like people flooded to Albany and those crowds, you know, there was no shortage of interest in those games. I'm curious as a viewer just to see what is the fan support, what is the fan interest like this year with, you know, South Carolina is close and some of the, you know, UNC Duke, not so far. But like just what is it like in a different environment that that's one thing that I'm super curious just to.
- [45:13]
Zena Caida
Yeah.
- [45:14]
Ben Pickman
I don't know, see the atmosphere.
- [45:15]
Zena Caida
Absolutely.
- [45:16]
Ben Pickman
Again at one of these two sites.
- [45:18]
Zena Caida
Absolutely. And you know, a lot of people have thoughts on, you know, some people were only tuning in for juju Watkins and of course that's no longer a storyline that you could follow within this tournament. But there are so many other great matchups and obviously star players throughout, littered throughout this tournament. And so it, I think Birmingham particularly is filled with them. And so there's going to be a lot of spiciness, lots of fun, lots of back and forth, lots of where does someone's story end? Particularly thinking players like Haley Van Lith, Sedona Prince before the draft. Like just thinking about tcu, of course, South Carolina, will they back up the title? There's a lot there. There's a lot of good things to be on the lookout for and a.
- [45:58]
Ben Pickman
Lot of players, as you said, who might be going to the WNBA very soon or will be going to the WNBA very soon. Right. Citron Miles, likely, you know, here in Birmingham, you know, Fagan Powpow, they're expected to be pros like Haley Van L. Sedona Prince. I'm just racking the names as I cycle through. Like those are just some of them who are headed to the pros. And so this is their last shot. Cyan sellers for Maryland, like this is their last shot to, to try and make an impact and, and you know, with their teammates before they head on to what's next. So it's always interesting in these moments too to see like are you thinking about it? How aware are you of it, you know, what WNBA personnel is here to watch you for, you know, another time. Those are some of the other questions that I have kind of as an observer of these games.
- [46:47]
Zena Caida
Spring Fest and Ego days are here at Lowe's right now. Get a free selection 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 Lowe's. We help you save Offer valid through 42 Selection Varies by location while supplies last. Make your next move with American Express Business Platinum. Enjoy complimentary access to the American American Express Global Lounge collection 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 all right, Ben, I'm going to close this out with one more thing. Of course, if you've been following along with our no off season bracket challenge, you may have noticed that we're not quite there at the top. And when I say they, I mean myself, Ben, Shantelle, Sabrina, you know, we let the winning come up to you guys and we appreciate all of you listening to us and taking our advice to allow yourselves to be so much higher in this bracket challenge than we are. But Ben, I wanted to ask, you know, now that we've seen what we've seen, we've seen some teams completely blow out others. We've seen some teams step up to the plate and really put up a fight. And we've seen some teams play below par right now. We can't go backwards, but we're going to try just a little and we're also going to look ahead, knowing what we know now at the games that are coming up. What are two or three games you would have marked differently on your bracket?
- [48:51]
Ben Pickman
Oh, my God. The I mean the place I would start is first of all, I appreciate everyone who has listened to our advice and maybe faded our picks because that clearly Was the approach that you should have taken and not listening to us about upset picks or teams that made a deep run. I mean Vanderbilt, that one didn't work for me. I thought West Virginia could have made, made some noise. You know, they look good for a game. But then, you know, bowed out against North Carolina. I mean the one that I look back and I'm like, what was I thinking though? I'll lean back on the injury excuse is Kansas State against Fairfield. I think I got a little too cute with that prediction. Fairfield having a great year, you know, one of the best, you know, non Power 5 teams yet again. But Kansas State, when Aoka Lee plays like they've lost once all season. So you know, that is one that like, you know, I'm going to fall back on. Not sure what her role was going to be, not 100% sure she was going to play. So I'm going to use that as the excuse here, Xena. But boom, boom, that is definitely one game. If I'm doing some self reflection, I would like that one back for sure.
- [49:53]
Zena Caida
I'm happy you mentioned that because I feel the same way about, you know, Kansas State. I give myself grace because that Kansas State Kentucky game was legendary. The fight in that game from both teams was unbelievable. But now Kansas State being a team that is still very much in contention in the conversation to move on to the Elite Eight, going up against USC without a Juju Watkins. Yeah, that, that Kansas State, I did not pick them over Kentucky and I think I wish I would have another game for me that I wish I would have gotten back being too cute. Yeah, my Ivy League and HBCU picks me picking Norfolk State over Maryland. What was I thinking? Yeah, they handled that one pretty, pretty dominantly. And then Harvard, Harvard did not show up against Michigan State. But I will say this. Harmony Turner did. So I'm not so mad about that one. I'm not so mad about that one.
- [50:47]
Ben Pickman
But Xena, did you, did you also, did you also have Columbia advancing or where did you have.
- [50:52]
Zena Caida
No, no, no. I only, I only chose Harvard, which is crazy as a Yalie, but I only chose Harvard advance and I chose Norfolk State to advance. And I'm like, ugh. Okay, now looking at this actually leads into my next question. Teams that are looking stronger than I anticipated and may go further than originally thought. Kansas State. I think Kansas State had an unbelievable showing against Alabama that kind of showed us what they're capable of. I mean, excuse me, against Kentucky. And I also think Maryland against Alabama showed us what they're made of. I think the two overtime games really solidified the strength and the resilience in both of those squads in Maryland and Kansas State. So those are my two that might go further than I anticipated. I don't know if Maryland's going to beat South Carolina, but they'll definitely put up a fight.
- [51:43]
Ben Pickman
I think that's a good call. And as we said, Kansas State looks like one of the best teams, you know, so far. Certainly, you know, I think just set up well to push usc. I'll stick with a team in that region too, and that's UConn for me. They are one of the teams that I feel better about now entering the Sweet 16 than I did heading into the tournament. Now part of that unfortunately is because of the JuJu Watkins injury. Like the path for Yukon to now get to the Final Four is definitely easier because they, you know, in theory would be playing a Watkins less Trojans team. But I think even independent of that, I mean UConn beat Arkansas State by 69 points. They beats out Dakota State by 35 points, 34 points. I mean it wasn't really close after the first five minutes. We've seen Easy Fudd play two really, really good games. She had 27 in the opener, 17 in their second round win. We've seen strong look really good still and we saw Paige Becker's play like a vintage Paige Becker's game tying her career high as well in the round of 32. Like things definitely seem like they are clicking for Yukon and I get that the competition is going to continue to ramp up and Oklahoma is going to be, you know, certainly a test with someone like Reagan Beers and some of their kind of shooting around her. But like UConn looks really, really, really good and you can throw the seed number out. You can throw the seed number out for sure. Like it doesn't matter that they're a two seat here. Like they have one seed talent too beat South Carolina early year. We don't need to rehash all their history. Like I picked them to win the title. If there's one thing that I might have gotten right, you know, I think we'll obviously have to see but I like my chances with the Huskies right now.
- [53:28]
Zena Caida
That UConn pick is very real. If I had one, probably be lsu, probably be lsu. LSU is looking a lot better than anyone had anticipated, mainly because of the injuries. I said this with Sabrina earlier, but I can't reiterate that enough. They look like they're back and they're ready for Action. And NC State better be ready. All right, that's all we've got for you guys today. Thank you so much, Ben, and also to Sabrina. Thanks to all of you for tuning in. Come back on Sunday. Yes, Sunday, we have a very special episode. We will be debriefing on this Week 16 and looking ahead to the Elite Eight games as they start that same day. We're not going to make you wait. We're not going to be behind the times. We are keeping up with you as these games are going on. So make sure you come back and check us out. This will be only audio, folks, so find us wherever you listen. Apple, Spotify, all the above. Go listen to us and we'll be back on all platforms Tuesday morning as we look ahead to the final four. Now, if you're new here, hit that follow button because wherever you're listening, we're going to keep giving you all these this intel so that you can keep beating us in the bracket challenge and making all your friends like, you know, super impressed. And come Find us on YouTube also, we want to hear from you guys. Keep commenting. We're seeing the comments on Spotify. We're seeing the tweets and all the above on blue sky and X. Like we appreciate you. Definitely keep reaching out to us. And while you're at it, if you don't mind, give the show a rating, you know, trying to do work. We got Ben in Birmingham and Sabrina in Spokane. We didn't even plan that like that, y'all for the alliteration but we got them working. So give us a rating. Give us a little bit of a boost. It really helps find, you know, help new people find us as a show. And don't forget, there's more to read and hear about at our partner Yahoo. Sports Hub. It is sports.yahoo.comwomen-sports and on behalf of the Athletic, on behalf of Ben and Sabrina, I'm Zena Caida. Thanks for listening today. We'll see you next time. No off season is hosted by Zena Keda with Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant and Ben Pickman. It's produced by Tanika Perot. Our executive producers are Andrea B. Scott and Cassius Fleming. Our theme music is by Marcus Bagala. Brenna Haupt is our video editor. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of women's basketball at the Athletic. Jesse Burton is our head of audio and Tim McMaster is our director of audio oper. 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 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.