Introducing The Women's Hoops Show | Final Four Fever: Brackets, Battles & Bold Predictions

Summary

Office Ladies Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Introducing The Women's Hoops Show | Final Four Fever: Brackets, Battles & Bold Predictions
Release Date: April 2, 2025
Hosts: Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
Guest: Jordan Robinson and Autumn Johnson from The Women's Hoop Show

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Introduction to The Women's Hoop Show

In this episode, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey introduce a special segment featuring The Women's Hoop Show, a new podcast dedicated to women's basketball. They express their excitement about the growing popularity of women's sports and highlight the importance of providing in-depth analysis and behind-the-scenes stories.

Notable Quote:

• Autumn Johnson: “I am a big sports fan. I love going to sports games. I just love them and I love women's sports.” [02:37]

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Final Four Preview and Bracket Insights

The conversation shifts to the excitement surrounding the NCAA Women's Final Four. Autumn Johnson and Jordan Robinson delve into their bracket predictions, sharing their confidence in teams like South Carolina, UCLA, UConn, and Texas. They discuss the unpredictability of the tournament and the tight matchups that make this year's Final Four particularly intriguing.

Notable Quotes:

• Jordan Robinson: “If you love women's basketball, this is your year-round home for the biggest stories in the game.” [02:56]
• Autumn Johnson: “My bracket, on the other hand, it's not too shabby. I have a majority of my teams in.” [08:11]

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Team Matchup Analyses

UCLA vs. LSU

The hosts provide a detailed analysis of the Elite Eight matchup between UCLA and LSU. They highlight UCLA's balanced team and key players like Lauren Betts and Gabriella Hawkes, emphasizing their ability to perform under pressure. LSU's standout performances, particularly from Blaje Johnson and Anissa Morrow, are also discussed.

Notable Quotes:

• Autumn Johnson: “What separates you from other teams is the grit and confidence.” [28:24]
• Jordan Robinson: “UCLA was able to win it 72 to 65 over an LSU team that was coming back.” [24:20]

South Carolina vs. Duke

The discussion moves to South Carolina's narrow victory over Duke in a low-scoring game. The hosts commend South Carolina's experience and resilience, noting the significant improvement from previous dominant performances to more tightly contested games. They also express concerns about South Carolina's occasional lapses in performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Jordan Robinson: “It was a very low-scoring affair. 54-50. South Carolina barely hangs on to win.” [29:28]
• Autumn Johnson: “They are coming in hungry, starving for this moment.” [35:38]

Texas vs. TCU

Highlighting Texas' victory over TCU, the hosts praise Texas' strong defense and the standout performances from Madison Booker and Rory Harmon. They also touch on TCU's remarkable turnaround under coach Vic Schaefer and the inspirational story of Haley Van Lith.

Notable Quotes:

• Autumn Johnson: “Haley Van Lith takes another team to the Elite Eight. This will be Texas' first Final Four since 2003.” [38:48]
• Jordan Robinson: “They are the dark horse here. They have been a problem game after game.” [40:25]

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Player Highlights and Storylines

The episode delves into individual player performances and their impact on the games. Key players like Paige Beckers from UConn and Sarah Strong, a freshman at UConn, receive special attention for their exceptional performances and potential future in the WNBA. The hosts also discuss Juju Watkins' injury and her significance to the USC team.

Notable Quotes:

• Jordan Robinson: “Sarah Strong was compared to Maya Moore. She's creating her own path.” [52:11]
• Autumn Johnson: “Juju sent a message on Instagram saying she wished she was in the building. She is so proud of her team.” [56:07]

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Power Rankings and Championship Predictions

In the final segment, Autumn and Jordan rank the Final Four teams based on their chances of winning the championship. They emphasize the strengths of UConn and UCLA while acknowledging South Carolina's potential to surprise. Texas is noted as having the toughest climb to the title due to their defensive style and competition faced.

Notable Quotes:

• Autumn Johnson: “UConn, obviously, the way they've been playing their big three is super efficient.” [65:27]
• Jordan Robinson: “Do they neutralize the superstars? That's what it comes down to.” [63:52]

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Closing Thoughts

The hosts wrap up the episode with a sense of anticipation for the upcoming Final Four games in Tampa. They express their excitement for witnessing high-level basketball and the culmination of the teams' hard work throughout the season. Jenna and Angela thank their contributors and guests, looking forward to sharing more sports insights in future episodes.

Notable Quotes:

• Jordan Robinson: “Thank you, Autumn. This is so fun and happy Final Four day.” [67:53]
• Autumn Johnson: “Happy Final Four to all. I can't wait to see you.” [68:14]

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Conclusion

This episode of Office Ladies offers an engaging and comprehensive preview of the NCAA Women's Final Four, enriched with expert analysis and personal anecdotes from hosts Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, and special guests from The Women's Hoop Show. Fans of women's basketball and those new to the sport alike will find valuable insights and enthusiasm that captures the essence of this pivotal moment in college sports.

Transcript

[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

Well, I am because listen, we have this one sort of like side of the house area.

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Yep.

[Autumn Johnson]

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[Autumn Johnson]

Which is nice. But I was like, Josh, I'd like to, you know, also know what's happening around there.

[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

Hi there everyone.

[Autumn Johnson]

Hi there. I feel a little spring in the air.

[Angela]

Well, you're on spring break, Angela.

[Autumn Johnson]

I know. My hydrangeas are starting to bloom. Don't even get me started.

[Angela]

My family is on what I really believe is a well deserved vacation. Lee has finished shooting New Year's Rev.

[Jordan Robinson]

Woop woop.

[Angela]

He is back from Oklahoma City. You know, I didn't make a big deal out of this, but I was solo parenting for like the last four months. It is so nice to have him back. So Anyway, everyone, we are on vacation this week, but we want to use this opportunity to highlight a pretty cool new podcast.

[Autumn Johnson]

You guys know I am a big sports fan. I love going to sports games. I just. Anyway, I just love them and I love women's sports. And that's why we are so excited to share a preview of the Women's Hoop Show, a new week podcast about all things women's basketball.

[Angela]

Cassie, I know you're very excited about this.

[Autumn Johnson]

That's right. Cassie, we're so excited to have you here in the studio with us to talk about this.

[Cassie]

Yeah, I listened to this show when it was Queens of the Court podcast last season. And, you know, I'm a huge women's basketball fan. I'm always watching the wnba, so, like, every Tuesday, I'm downloading this podcast and I'm listening to them talk about anything I might have missed or just having someone to talk about women's basketball, because that's all I want to do constantly.

[Autumn Johnson]

That's so great.

[Cassie]

And this is the perfect show. Jordan is so fun. She's such a great host and is on the ground for a lot of the games.

[Autumn Johnson]

Oh, that's so exciting.

[Angela]

So is she able to give insights that you didn't maybe necessarily pick up on?

[Cassie]

Yeah, and sometimes there's, like, online, there's shade being thrown at by the different players. It's all in good fun, but sometimes I just don't see it.

[Autumn Johnson]

So she catches you up on all of that?

[Cassie]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Autumn Johnson]

Well, what I really love about it is there's a rotating cast of other women's basketball experts. There's gonna be players, coaches, commentators, and even retired legends.

[Cassie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yes.

[Angela]

Who are some of the guests that.

[Cassie]

You'Ve really liked in the past? They had Courtney Williams on, who's, like, one of my favorite basketball players. She plays on the Minnesota Lynx right now, and she's so funny. But she was talking about how, like, she never envisioned herself becoming a professional basketball player. She thought she was going to join the military, and she was just playing basketball, like, street basketball. And then from there got into college, and now it's like, one of the best players right now in the wnba. And I didn't know that about her.

[Autumn Johnson]

I love that, you know, Cassie, my best friend in high school, was six foot three, which is hilarious because I'm five one, and she was the basketball star. She got a full ride for college on basketball, and I just love the support and camaraderie of that group of women and how they lift each other up. But then they also, like, give you a hard time.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Angela]

Well, we're gonna take a break and when we come back, we're gonna give you an opportunity to listen to the Women's Hoops show hosted by Jordan Robinson as she dives deep into the wnba, college hoops and the rise of new leagues like unrivaled. If you love women's basketball, this is your year round home for the biggest stories in the game. Enjoy.

[Autumn Johnson]

Yay.

[Jordan Robinson]

Thanks, Jenna and Angela for such a great intro. Hi, Office ladies listeners. I'm Jordan Robinson, the host of the Women's Hoop show and a women's basketball journalist. I am so excited to share what a typical episode of ours sounds like. We're in the full swing of March Madness. So this is our NCAA Women's Final Four preview. If you're already a hardcore women's basketball fan, you'll love it, I promise. But if you're new, I hope you learn something and become a fan by the end. And by the way, I just rewatched my favorite episode of the Office, which was the Basketball one, of course. I'm a huge fan of the show. I love, love the Office. We know Stanley wouldn't be able to hold a candle to these ladies that we're about to talk about, but Phyllis, she was a baller. Throw her in the post against Lauren Betts and see what happens. I would put some money on Phyllis. Okay, that's enough of me. Enjoy the show and thank you for listening. Welcome to the Women's Hoop Show. Last week, I sat down with a Texas and WNBA legend, Fran Harris to talk about her undefeated season at ut, winning the very first WNBA championship and her takes on March Madness and more. She DM'd me as soon as Texas won and said, how about the Longhorns? So make sure to go back and listen to that episode. It was so fun. But on today's show, I'm joined again by my amazing co host, Autumn Johnson, to preview the Final Four. I can't believe we're here already. We'll break down the matchups, share our predictions, and we'll start by giving a big picture overall of the season and what it all means as we head into the final weekend of college basketball. Let's get into it. I can't wait. All right, Autumn, you are already in Tampa. You are already getting your mind right for the Final Four. How are you? How's your bracket doing? But mostly, how are you?

[Lee]

I'm great. I'm in Tampa. The sun is out. I mean, it's beautiful. Warm, great weather. The beach is near and Final four teams are coming in. I'm here already to catch up with them tomorrow, but super excited to finally be here. This is what all teams work for. My bracket, on the other hand, it's not too shabby. I have a majority of my teams in. I predicted South Carolina, UCLA, A, UConn as well. Just that one team, Texas defeating, you know, just able to come into the Final Four. Yeah, I had Notre Dame, as we know. I said that on. On here. But I'm very excited of the four final teams we have.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah, we're going to talk about that. Notre Dame. We're going to talk about that a little bit later. A little bit later. I also joined your bracket challenge, and I am in eighth right now because we all know I went hard for the upsets in Spokane one and Harvard. You let me down. You let me down. You are going to make me look like the smartest person in the world.

[Lee]

Everyone picked Harvard, though. Everyone was riding for Harvard. You're not alone.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah, that didn't work out. That didn't work out for me. Florida State, also. I looked so great in that first half against lsu. And then I have no idea what happened in that second half, but it's okay. I'm sitting eighth out of 16.

[Lee]

I haven't even checked, honestly.

[Jordan Robinson]

Out of eight.

[Lee]

No, that's all that matters. I haven't checked. Like, you're. How am I doing?

[Jordan Robinson]

You're a boy. You're doing pretty good. You're third right now. Tied for third.

[Lee]

See, I was nervous because I picked a lot of upsets as well. I had Harvard. I also selected Norfolk State defeating Maryland.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah.

[Lee]

And fans, fans let me know. Even Cheyenne Sellers. Before I pressed record on the interview, she was like, autumn, your bracket is busted. I was like, heard you. I will be a part of the villain story. It's cool. It's fine. And they almost defeated South Carolina. That was a great game. But hats off to them. Brenda Freeze. She knows what to do on March. Every single time. Like, she's one of the greatest for a reason.

[Jordan Robinson]

Oh, I didn't even think about this idea of you making your bracket, telling us all your bracket and then having to go and sit across from the person that you said was going to get upset.

[Lee]

It's fine, though.

[Jordan Robinson]

Has to be, you know, probably the hardest part of the job.

[Lee]

You literally put out your pics and you're vulnerable for these reasons. And it just makes a great story at the end of it, you know, I live for it. It's fine. I'll take it.

[Jordan Robinson]

I love that for you. I love it. I love it. Okay, so let's talk big picture because we're going to go matchup by matchup. But just overall, we kind of Talked about these four teams heading into the Final Four. UCLA, UConn, South Carolina and Texas. If this was November and it was preseason, beginning of the season, you are already starting your bracketology. Were these four teams in the mix that you thought would be here at this moment?

[Lee]

100%. I mean, these Final Four teams, it's not shocking that they're here because in the preseason rankings we saw South Carolina sitting at number one, UConn at two, USC was at three, four, Texas and five, UCLA. So my final Four predictions, if you would have asked me my first bracketology overall, it would have been South Carolina, USC, UConn, Notre Dame in the Final Four. But what's still shocking to me is that we still don't have a clear cut champion. And that's just due to all the parody that we've seen. But we've definitely got the best four in the country duking it out, Titans versus Titans. So we could have saw multiple combinations. Honestly, like LSU had a great run. Notre Dame, as I mentioned, was my Final four team. They were right there. And then usc, unfortunately, without juju Watkins, that's easily a Final four team, possibly a championship team. But these are definitely our Final Four that we got. And kudos to them because they deserve it.

[Jordan Robinson]

They sure do. And yeah, don't make me pick a champion. Maybe by the end of this episode we will have to pick one. But my gosh, I love that we don't know. I love that. Going into Tampa, we're flying in and we're like, ooh, I can't wait to see who plays big. Because it's really going to come down to those little things. I think they're all great teams. They're all teams that could win it all. Which makes it super fun. We'll talk matchup by matchup, but just storylines. What are some of your favorite storylines from these teams heading into the final?

[Lee]

There's so many, like, where do I start? South Carolina. Obviously they're looking to run it back and defend their title. That's huge right now because of the parody. Like I said, there's not a clear cut champion. It would be the first time that a team went back to back since UConn did it four straight, with the last one being 2016. Speaking of UConn, Paige Becker's last ride Obviously they want to restore that, that success, that legacy that you know, Huskies are known to have. Like you expect them to win a national championship. But there's been a drought for quite some time. But with Paige Beckers leading our team to a Final four again, you want to be in the building for this one for Paige, last possible, you know she has possibly two ahead of her. You want to be there for those games for sure. And tune in if you aren't here in Tampa. UCLA first Final Four and you know, this is in the Corey Close era. I think they have the potential of getting it done. They have the balance outside of Lauren Betts. So they can definitely make a run for their first ever and bring a championship back to LA, which that's been quite some time too since the 80s. And then for Texas we have Vic Schaefer who has done it again, I mean doing what he does best, leading multiple programs to a final four. And this will be Texas first Final Four since 2003. So a lot of storylines. We'll find out Naismith Player of the Year, Coach of the Year DPOI on Wednesday. And I want to talk feel good stories too because I think so many players have great stories as well. Like Rory harmon, she tore ACL 10 months later, here she is in the final Four. Gabriella Haquez, she grew up wanting to go to UCLA and here she is helping her team to that. And you got the hometown kids and Mylesha Fu Wiley and Joyce Edwards putting on for their city. So it's storylines galore. You want to tune in and just see people win, you know.

[Jordan Robinson]

Absolutely. And I mean we're totally biased because we are in the storytelling business. But it also just makes for a great TV product. It makes for a great sitcom, great dramedy. Like I feel like that's what all of this is heading into the final four besides the basketball being really, really good, the stories and it makes any team really easy to root for as well because I think there's not this. When I look at these teams, I don't see a villain origin story or necessarily a underdog mentality. Like these are teams that have the best players, have worked hard and have the feel good stories mixed in with the program history as well to carry it on. All of these are big time programs with big time names when you think about it. But it's still been so long between UConn, UCLA and Texas. And then South Carolina's like hey, don't forget about us. We the new kids on the block in this in this dynasty type of thing. But we want to be here, and we also have some things to talk about. So when we think back, when we think back to the 2024, 25 season, what do you think will be that defining factor that would have defined this college basketball season?

[Lee]

Ooh, that's a really great question, right? No, that's deep.

[Jordan Robinson]

Shout out to our.

[Lee]

That's deep.

[Jordan Robinson]

That's deep.

[Lee]

Honestly, you know, we think about the viewership in that 2024 WNBA draft class with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Rekia Jackson, Cameron Brink, Camila Cardoso, Kate Martin. I can go on and on and on, and it didn't stop. So if I would put into a couple of words or maybe define it in one word, it's like continuation, like a season of continuation. And no signs still of slowing down because there's more. We're still talking about Paige Beckers, Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, Madison Booker, juju Watkins. Like, the talent is endless in women's basketball. Is here. It is here to stay. And it's exciting. Like, people are so excited. I have, you know, my friends texting me, calling me, telling me about the games. I'm like, okay, y'all are locked in, and these are casual fans. You don't have to be locked in. You don't have to be a die hard. It's people who are truly invested in what's going on, and it's so exciting. It's so refreshing, and they deserve that. Like, we talked all season long about unrivaled. We talked about the W. We talked about these professional athletes who are performing at the highest level, and thank God people are finally waking up, you know, so it's been really fun.

[Jordan Robinson]

About time, Autumn, you can say it.

[Lee]

Bouts out time. I'll say it.

[Jordan Robinson]

But also for the newness. I love. I was gonna say the exact same thing. I love everything that you said, and especially because you can follow this path of this new fan. You can maybe Caitlin Clark was that name that brought you in, and you came in during the end of her college season last year, and then you watched her Final Four. But then you got to watch South Carolina, you got to watch lsu, you got to watch NC State. So you were introduced to all of those programs, and you're like, oh, dang, okay, who are these? They balling out. Then you watch the championship game and you're hooked, and you're like, oh, my gosh, I can't wait. Wait. I don't have to wait. I just wait a couple weeks, and then the WNBA season starts. Like, you can see see this through line of the fandom and how maybe it started last year but you are definitely coming back and maybe you bought tickets to Tampa because you're so excited from last season. So that has been my favorite part. And I definitely think that people maybe were maybe the doubters were expecting a huge drop off but there was nothing a drop off. And that is so exciting to me that it's continuing to build that. We have been seeing all the commercials.

[Lee]

Yes.

[Jordan Robinson]

All the opportunities, all the investment. Like I loved. We were watching the ESPN halftime report. Some rounds it was sponsored by degree and then it turns into a new sponsor. It's sponsored by Shea Moisture. Me and my husband were like, okay, we doing, you know, ads by rounds. Like before, there was no sponsors for the women's event. I love that women's march. So there is this overwhelming sense of investment and it has not slowed down. If anything, it's picking up more steam. And when we get to the final four and the biggest stage again, I'll say it. The basketball is super good and exciting and the stars are starring and then we have the eyeballs to go with it. So that's just what gets me super excited heading into this final four. But enough of the big picture. We're going to get down to the teams. Let's pay some bills real quick. But we'll be right back.

[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

Lady.

[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

Yes, I was in a Macy's recently and I saw this really cool Levi's denim jacket. I'm going to confess, I didn't buy it. I'm waiting. I might. But it's lovely.

[Autumn Johnson]

Now is the time to get it, lady, because from March 28th to April 6th, you will get 30% off all the best brands and an extra 15% off of beauty during their spring VIP sale.

[Angela]

Well, I'll have you know I did get some Peter Thomas Roth moisturizer.

[Autumn Johnson]

Oh, that's always nice. Well, you can shop all of the spring trends right now. Lightweight knits, matching sets, woven skirts, midi and maxi dresses, timeless jewelry. They just have everything. Not only can you shop for clothes, but Macy's is also having their spring sale on shoes, beauty, and home decor.

[Angela]

All right, Macy's spring VIP sale is happening March 28 through April 6. Shop now at Macy's.com or in store.

[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Angela]

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[Autumn Johnson]

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[Jordan Robinson]

Welcome back to the Women's Hoop show. And before we get to our final four preview, let's let's how did we get here for each of these teams? How did they earn this spot? Let's give a little recap of how they got here. And let's Start with UCLA against lsu. That was their Elite Eight matchup. This was a rematch from last season, UCLA loss to lsu and it was a winnable game last year. So I know they had been thinking about this all year long. There was also some drama around this last year. Maybe you remember about the LA Times article that came out and really pitted the two teams against each other, essentially saying that one team was better than the other because of, I don't know, overall vibe, I guess you could say. Autumn. It was a poorly written opinion article that the writer has since apologized for. But that's all to say there's some extra animosity heading into this game and Flaje Johnson wanted all the smoke and she wanted it. But UCLA was able to win it 72 to 65 over an LSU team that was coming back. But what did you kind of see in this game to get UCLA over the hump of lsu?

[Lee]

Yeah, well, just looking at UCLA like in the region they played in, you looked at it and said, okay, no one can match up Lauren Betts at 67 and the skill that she possesses. But LSU truly challenged them. I mean Blaje Johnson coming out with 28 points, Anissa Morrow having that main challenge down low, it didn't matter. Like she pulled the ball out, was knocking threes down, was knocking 10 footers. No matter what, getting in transition, banging down low. Nissa Morrow is going to go down as one of the greatest we have seen in this game. And she said it herself like, no one has done what I've done in my college career. Miss double double with 104 double doubles overall. That's insane to say. Like what? Crazy 104 is crazy and she's consistently leading the nations in double double. So I had no questions or concerns going ahead going up against Lauren Betts or just anyone in the paint, how she alters shots at 6 7. It didn't fluster or bother Anissa whatsoever. But the thing about it, when we look at ucla, we always talk about Lauren Bets, but here's the Bruins saying hello, there's more. And I think this tournament alone is showcasing the balance that UCLA has. This has been all season long. This is, this isn't just a coming out party for Gabriela Hawkes. She is the unsung hero of this team. And if you have been watching them closely, she's had games like this, she's had timely moments like this. 18 points to lead her team 4 for 5 from deep. Those were game changing threes and she also did it on both ends she had to guard Lajay Johnson, Michaela Williams, like two of the best guards we have seen in this game as well. That's not an easy feat whatsoever. And she does it on both ends. She still has the energy to knock down those big shots. But you also had Tamia Gartner coming off the bench. 15 points, you're talking about pieces you got into the transfer portal that are now coming into play. And she's been able to break out as well throughout the course of the season, but in a timely manner. Fifteen points, including five threes, that was difference made her. I think the balance has been that all season long and it's definitely going to help as they try to pursue a championship.

[Jordan Robinson]

Absolutely 41% from the three point line for UCLA. And when they're knocking those down and having Lauren Betts inside you, good luck. What do you choose? I don't know. Good luck. Kim Mulkey, the head coach of lsu said that that game was won or lost in the second quarter. And to put it in perspective, Lauren Betts gets two fouls early, which by the way, she has never done before. This was her first DNP in a quarter of her career. She did not play the entire second quarter. And you know, for the this other show that I'm doing on Locked on women's basketball, we talked about kind of the difference between her and Cameron Brink as a post player and how Cameron Brink at Stanford, that was her detriment, she would get in foul trouble and Stanford had to like really know how to play without her because it happens so often. Lauren Betts does not foul. She is so smart and has body control and as a shot blocker at 6, 7, that is really hard to do. But she sits out the entire second quarter and everyone's like, oh, this is where LSU is going to turn up. No, that's where Tamiya Gardner makes three threes. That's where Gabrielle Haquez has five points, Kiki has two points. And it's like, oh, they have other people that can show up. And LSU did not take advantage of those minutes when bets were not on the floor. And, and that's what the coach said. It didn't even matter what happened in the third quarter, didn't matter what happened in the fourth quarter. They did not take advantage and go on a run and force Corey close to put Lauren Betts back in. And that was a huge difference maker. Would you agree?

[Lee]

I would agree. I mean, 22 and 6 in that second quarter, would you have pictured that without Lauren Betts? Jordan, like, to me, no, that's. To me, that's. That says a lot about the Bruins and they are not peaking at the right time, but they're just playing their best basketball at the right time and their teammates are stepping up in the moments that are needed the most. And even before that, Lauren Betts had a 30 and 10 game. Like she's coming in and she's not being denied at this moment. We saw that in the Big Ten championship game too. Willing her team to a win that want to. And you have all the pieces. I think this year compared to last year. They have the experience, they have the pieces, they have the depth, they have the balance. Now it's like that. That extra grit to them, that extra like confidence, that swag that, that just want to overall, that I will not be denied. And I think that is what separates you from other teams.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah, for sure. Well, lsu, they're going to try to figure it out. The one stat that really stuck out to me was coming into this elite eight game against UCLA. LSU was 16. 0 when Flaje scored over 20 points and she dropped 28. She played amazing. She's only a sophomore. She is eligible to go into the WNBA draft, but my guess is that she's going to come back because I think there's other parts of her game that she can continue to grow. I also, I think a part of these guesses are I think she's coming back to lsu, but we'll see. We'll see. I don't know anything. Who knows? But Blaje, she balled out. We know what she's gonna do with lsu. Let's move on to the next number one team who's in the Final Four. South Carolina versus Duke in that Elite A game. Oh, my goodness, this was such a good game. It was a very low scoring affair. 54 50. South Carolina barely hangs on to win that game, which we talked about the last game being in the second quarter. This game was won or lost in like the last two minutes. I would say Duke had all the momentum, kind of fell apart with a few decision makings towards the end there. And to me, Autumn, this was experience. This was experience. Over. Don't panic. Don't panic. Oh, we panicked. That's how I felt. Duke kind of looked at the end there. But South Carolina did not play their best against Maryland. Barely won that one. Then they come in and they barely went against Duke. I don't think we expected this type of performance this late, especially when we see other teams. Who are you Know, blowing out by 20 or more points. That's what South Carolina used to do. But now these. These are a little close. And I was. I was a little nervous. Were you a little nervous?

[Lee]

I was definitely nervous. I was screaming at the tv. And honestly, Jordan, I think we're all spoiled at this point because.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah, we are.

[Lee]

We are used to seeing South Carolina dominate. And I want to read you something, because I thought this was very interesting. During last year's run to the Final Four, South Carolina trailed for a total of 1 minute and 10 seconds. 1 minute and 10 seconds. This year, the Gamecocks were behind for a total of 36 minutes and 27 seconds, which was still really good, a still low number. But one minute, like, South Carolina was flowing through teams flying colors throughout this whole championship pursuit. And now we're so used to that, so accustomed to it. It's like, whoa, hold on now. Like, these are some tight games, and we haven't had to hold our breath like this for a minute for South Carolina. So when I looked at that game, Duke had plenty of opportunity to make it happen and shake the world. But like you said, that experience really played through. Like, they've been here. We talked about this last episode. They've been here before. A lot of these players, I think it's like eight players overall on this current roster were here last year, and then they bring on some new pieces. They have that bench. For me, it. It has been the bench in these close stretches. In the first round, we saw a record breaking 66 points. Indiana, it was 19 points. That was a really close nail biter. Maryland was 40 points. Then that Duke game. Guess how many bench points?

[Jordan Robinson]

How many?

[Lee]

Nine.

[Jordan Robinson]

Oh, my God.

[Lee]

This is a team that leads the nation in bench points. It's about 40 on the regular season, 33 coming off the bench during this NCAA tournament run, around that average, but nine points coming off the bench versus Duke.

[Jordan Robinson]

Whoa, that is such a good stat. Malaysia F. Wylie is that main person that is coming off the bench.

[Lee]

Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson. All single digits.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah. Wow. And they still managed to get the win. And so I think it says a lot about that. I will say, and this may come off a little harsh, but I'm. I'm okay. I could take it. We talk a lot about how you don't want to bet against Dawn Staley, and you can't. You can't bet against Dawn Staley, but at the end of the day, Dawn Staley can't go on out on the floor and play for her team. She can't be the point guard. She can't put on a jersey and run the show. And I questioned effort in an Elite Eight game. Duke was getting every 50, 50 ball, every loose ball, every offensive rebound flying in. Toby Fournier played amazing 18 points. Ashlyn Jackson had 13 points. It was. You know, we talk about the half halftime speeches being goaded. It can't take a halftime speech at this point to light that fire again. And this game specifically, I didn't see that third quarter South Carolina team like, it wasn't this miraculous turnaround that we were kind of all expecting because they have slow starts. So I don't know, I want this little break before this next game that they really, really realize that they are a great team, that they can beat teams, but it starts with themselves and it has to start the game that way. I think as we are getting to the Final Four, they have played really good teams and they barely inched it out. Now they are going to play a great team in Texas and they are going to play a great team in either UCLA or UConn. And those little mistakes or those, those second effort plays, it is going to come down to that. So South Carolina, I plead you to be the team that we know that you are. And that starts from within. It can't always come from your head coach.

[Lee]

Great point. That's, that's an amazing point. And to your point, teams are coming in hungry. We talked about, oh, since 2003. This is the last time, first time in program history, these teams are coming in here. And South Carolina has been here for fifth year straight. Teams are coming in hungry, starving for this moment. And when you look at Texas, they've already battled them three times. We're going to get this a fourth time. They've cracked the code once. It is hard playing a team multiple times because they have you figured it out. And then on the other side, either UCLA and UConn, they both have wins over South Carolina. Everyone in this Final Four has a win over South Carolina. And now you're facing them possibly again. If you get past Texas and then have to face either or you have that scouting report, you know what needs to be done. It. It could get sticky.

[Jordan Robinson]

That is a great point. I didn't even realize that. That's probably their worst.

[Lee]

They only have three losses right on the season. Is that correct? It's tall and it's all these teams. Yes. Yeah. I mean, talk about a storyline that makes it interesting. Give me all of it. I need it.

[Jordan Robinson]

Oh, let's go. Okay. Well, Moving on from, from Duke had a great season. The Kara era is live and well, they have a lot to be proud of. Again, it really came down to just those final minutes. They were almost there to upsetting South Carolina, but they'll clean those up. I do think coming into next season there's a couple names in the portal that are offensive threats. They need to get an offensive threat who loves to play defense as well. And that player is out there and I think that is that one piece that Duke is missing to put them over the edge. But to be able to win An Elite Eight game for South Carolina at 54 points is absolutely insane. And that was their lowest point scored all season. So that's what Duke defense does to you. All right. Texas tcu. Holy crap. The battle of Texas, that was so much fun. I knew that this was going to be fun. We talk about defense, Texas all defense, TCU all offense led by Haley Van Lith and then Texas led by Madison Booker and Rory Harmon. But Texas came out on top. They said it's all about the burnt orange hook em 58 to 47 in their elite eight matchup. This is the first time like you mentioned, Autumn Texas is going to the final four since 2003. Maddie Booker balled out 18 points, 14 of them were in the second half. Rory Harmon to me was the star because she doesn't typically score as heavy, but she was like I'm calling my number today. And 13 points, 11 of those were in the first half. So what stood out to you from this Texas team saying we are the inferior Texas?

[Lee]

Well, you knew coming in Texas was going to hang its hat on defense and TCU is a great offensive team and not just great, they're super efficient. When I think of, you know, in terms of scoring inside and out, they got three ball. They can work off ball screen actions like they are constantly moving and you have to, you have to be on your p's and q's when you're facing them. And that's exactly what Texas did. They look how they looked sped up. They looked in times where like in discomfort for a full course of 40 minutes that they really couldn't get anything going. You know, Madison Booker shining as she always does, Rory Harmon as well. These two together are a nightmare. But honestly I thought the unsung hero too was Kyla Ode for too like she came in and did what needed to be done inside. She had some impressive game changing moments, some energy plays as well. Just, just hang like just really holding down the paint. So I Love the effort on all ends, both ends for this Texas team. And. And it took them a minute to get going for tcu. And in an elite eight game, like, you can't have that. But they were like, they should be proud of what they were able to do and stay close with them. With Sedona Prince obviously with foul trouble. She ended with like four points. That hurts you because that's the main piece of your big three. But credit to the Longhorns defense, like, that was true. Texas fight. And it was really cool to see how, you know, a lot of people, including myself, was saying, like, I'm gonna put that out there because it's on the record. Like, I was saying it too. Like, it's on the record.

[Jordan Robinson]

Hold on.

[Lee]

Let's be real. Like a lot of people, you weren't thinking it.

[Jordan Robinson]

You weren't thinking they were gonna make it this far. And they said, we're winning this for Autumn Johnson.

[Lee]

Doubt it at all. No, I'll take it. Because the only reason I said that is because I'm like, hey, you know, I want to see if they can get some threes to go to, like, you know, that outside shot a little bit more. They get to the rim constantly. They get in the mid range, but will that be enough? They say, yeah, because teams still have to score on us. Like, heard you, Big Schaefer a legend. And truthfully, honestly, if they can hang their hat on defensive, make teams, like, just search for offense like that, they're a problem. They've been a problem and they've constantly shown us that game after game.

[Jordan Robinson]

So funny. I. I love how you mentioned the threes because they went 2 for 3 from the 3.0. They don't shoot threes.

[Lee]

Meanwhile, off.

[Jordan Robinson]

They don't shoot threes. They only make three a game as a team, which is just unheard of, especially in this day and age of basketball. Also a stat that jumps out to me from this box score 21 to 8, and that is turnovers. TCU turned the ball over 21 times. A lot of that was in that first quarter to first half where they were getting five second violations, half court shot clock violations, throwing the ball out of bounds. It was. I'm uncomfy with this pressure. Like, please back away. And Texas was like, no, we're not. We're going to keep coming. That was a fun matchup to watch and talk about stories. TCU is such an incredible story. For those who don't know, TCU was. They needed tryouts, open tryouts last year and the year before that, they were 1 in 17 in conference. Just an incredible story for them to be at this level and Haley Van Lift to take another team to the Elite Eight. We wanted that. I did come around to it, like, okay, this would be kind of cool if they went to the Final Four because this is an unexpected group to get this far. But Texas was like, no, no, no, no. It's our time to go to the Final Four, so we're going to take that. I did want to go back one game real quick. And how TCU even got to this point is that they beat Notre Dame. And when I say beat, they beat them. Notre Dame played terrible. I think we all watched that. They did not shoot the ball well, around 31% from the field. If I believe the only other team that held Notre dame to under 37% prior to that was TCU. So I thought, because I also picked Notre Dame to win that game, I thought it was going to be this rah, rah, they beat us earlier in the season, but we're better now. And then they proved that they were not better actually in this moment. And TCU just won that game. Haley Vanliff went off for 26 points. But we gotta say bye bye to Notre Dame and we didn't expect to so soon.

[Lee]

We all picked it. We did. I mean, it was that back to back loss they experienced in the beginning of the season. We're like, oh, Cayman Islands, like it's behind them. And they went on, I think it was like a 19 game winning streak. So I was like, okay, cool. Like this is a different, different team that stumbled down the end. They're going to get it together with this break. Coming into the NCAA tournament. TCU said, no, this is our year. We're going to ride it. We're the dark horse here. And just shout out to that program, like you said, just turning things around. It was a historic season. You know, you look at all the starters, they had like what? It was like 21 seasons at 12 different schools combined. It was their first season together. It was the greatest turnaround that we have seen. They were 26 wins better than, you know, when Mark Campbell took it over two years ago. And you're here at the Elite 8, like, you can't ask for anything better. And just shout out to Haley Vanlith for being so vulnerable throughout this entire journey, sharing her story because the Internet and social media was not nice to her. Like, let's be so for real. And at the end of the day, she is a human at the end of the day, yes, this is basketball, but like these are 18 to 22 year old women, young women. And I'm just so proud of her, of how she's been able to just rewrite her story. It is not done yet. It's been so cool to see, like, you know, who she is as a person and how she leans on her faith and how TCU just poured into her like she was the perfect piece at the right time. And I'm so glad that she got to experience that for sure.

[Jordan Robinson]

Such a great story for Haley Van Lith. And on the other side of that coin though, for Notre Dame, whew. Rough, rough shooting night for their superstars. Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron, Olivia Miles, I would say is their big three. They go 10 for 44 from the field. You're not going to win a lot of games like that. I think it was shot selection. I think it was lack of ball movement. It just didn't. It wasn't the Notre Dame that at one point was the best team in the country. So it was disappointing. I do think that season as a whole for them not being in the Final Four, not being in the championship game is an underperformance for that whole team. And Olivia Miles had a decision to make. You know, she was number two projected pick in the WNBA draft. Seattle Storm could be heard crying if you really listen because they were, they traded. They were like, yes, this is our player. And Olivia Miles said, no, I'm not only not coming to the wnba, but I am entering the transfer portal. Autumn, where were you when this news broke? Because I know that I screenshotted this so fast and send it to my husband with red sirens. Like 20 red sirens. Like, did you see this? I can't even send this as a dm. I am texting this to you because.

[Lee]

What? I was shook.

[Jordan Robinson]

Shook.

[Lee]

I was on the plane so I couldn't scream. Thankfully I had my WI fi turned on because I wouldn't have gotten it until I got off the plane. So I was locked in. You know, when it dropped down, it was like, oh, she foregoed her WNBA draft. That part. And I'm like, okay, cool. Like, like she's going to come back for another year. And I saw a transfer portal. I wanted to scream. I was like, what? I think that's the part that's so shocking. Like, okay, cool. Like she wants to come back. Didn't end off on the note that she wanted to has the perfect pieces around her for a championship run. Neil Ivey is Like an iconic coach that has turned, just kept the, the ball rolling. After the Muffin McCraw era. This team has everything. Ennis Notre Dame, like, she has started there. You look at players and it's like, okay, they're, they're going to start and finish there. They are Notre Dame through and through. But this one shook me because of that reason. Like, I thought she was going to start and finish there and just with everything around her, she was going to end her final chapter there. So that's why it shook me. Crazy wild. Woo.

[Jordan Robinson]

Last thing I'll say on this before we move on is, you know, we were all excited coming into this season on how Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles were going to play with each other. And I think a lot of people forget that it was Olivia Miles team by herself before and then she got injured and then it was Hannah Hidalgo's team by herself for a season and then it was like, yay, we're coming together. We're gonna see this. And they're so young, so we could possibly see this for multiple years. I don't know. I don't want to speculate. I have no idea. I don't have any reports of what's going on behind the scenes. It could be personal. It could not be. It could be that there's not enough basketballs. It could not be. I just know that both of those players are really, really good and we got to see it shake out together. But now what excites me is that this is going to continue this parody conversation and that now it's not this front loaded, you know, backcourt on one team, but now Olivia Miles is going to go to another team and immediately make them better or she's going to go to another team and she is going to be the superstar all on her own. But we know what she can do. So it's not like she's going somewhere else to prove anything. We already know that she's a baller. She just maybe has one other year and wants to see what's out there.

[Lee]

And she'll still, she'll still be a top pick for the WNBA next year.

[Jordan Robinson]

Absolutely. Absolutely. Can't wait to. When we get on with these microphones and when she announces where she goes, which by the way, is happening very quickly, these, they are entering the portal and they're making decisions and I have.

[Lee]

No idea where she's going either. Like, I'm trying to think, okay, where, where would she go? And I don't know. I'm like, who needs a point? Card nil. There's so much I have no idea.

[Jordan Robinson]

Okay, last one of the. The roundups real quick because it was pretty quickly and obvious. UConn as a number two seed playing against a USC team who was a number one seed. But like we mentioned before, Juju Watkins, their superstar, goes down with an ACL injury in the round of 32. So this was a USC team that had to kind of make the impossible happen and go up against not just any team, but a UConn team that is playing really, really well. Firing on all cylinders with a Paige Beckers who's playing out of her brain right now. UConn ends up winning 78 to 64 over USC, and they advance to their 24th Final Four. So we're talking about other teams where, oh, it's been so long. UConn is like, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is the standard, actually. Standard. This. This is just one step to go to the championship, which is the standard for us. But Paige Beckers, whoo. You are a baller. 31 points, 9 of 18 shooting for this time. She had a 40 piece. The game before that and another 30 piece. The last player to have three games in a row with 30 points. Do you know who it was?

[Lee]

Paige Beckers herself. Yes, she's her.

[Jordan Robinson]

Her freshman season. Like, come on. So we know what Paige can do. She is so, so good. But, Autumn, I also want you to talk about Sarah Strong and how the freshman came into this game knowing that she did not have great outings the games before, but this is her first tournament. She was in high school last year. People forget she's only a freshman. How does she just turn the gas all the way up in this?

[Lee]

Not only that, but to have that mind shift and confidence knowing that you're going up against a lottery pick and Kiki Area Finn, too. To battle against her and still have that same dominant performance is unheard of for a freshman. And Sarah Strong continuously, night in and night out, provide such consistent effort that just has you in awe. Like, we're like, wait a minute, in another life, is she a freshman? Like, what? This girl is special. And you see, you know, her parents and everything where she came from, like, obviously that's been built in her. It's in her DNA. But she's going to be something special. Yes. Paige Beckers is about to leave, but you have Sarah Strong who is coming in, knocking in, knocking down threes. She's so versatile. Like, the spin move she had, just the composure, the body, the body control. Like, she is one of one and she does everything, like, just like the little things that sometimes don't even show up in the box score as well. Her efficiency, her consistency, her ability to, like, work off the. The dribble or footwork. It's unmatched and it's just going to be really exciting to see that. Okay, this was your freshman year. How do you keep growing from here? Because that's scary.

[Jordan Robinson]

That is scary. She finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds, plus four assists. For those that don't know, that's really good. Those are. Those are really good stats.

[Lee]

And people, especially as a right people have been comparing her to Maya Moore, and I see it and that's a great comparison. That's a lot to love up to. But she's. She's creating her own path. She's playing her own game. She can do so many different things at 6. One, like as an undersized post. Again, anise tomorrow. It doesn't matter. Like, that's just built in you.

[Jordan Robinson]

Man, to just be in the same sentence as Maya Moore. Like, I'm. I'm trying to think what sentence I. As Maya Moore. I think only if we were in the same room. Like, okay, yeah, who's all in this room? Oh, Jordan Robinson and Maya Moore.

[Lee]

Literally, that's it.

[Jordan Robinson]

And they probably wouldn't even be next to each other in our. Then our names wouldn't even be next to each other in a sentence like that. So for Sara Strong to be compared, I think it's because of her versatility and her efficiency. Maya Moore was a player who could get a bucket at any single spot on the floor and is a forward, but also has guard skills. You see her bringing the ball up, but then she could also post you up and it doesn't matter. She can score at any level. So UConn, you are always spoiled and have a plethora of riches. And now I am so jealous that you get Sarah strong in a UConn uniform for three more seasons. Regardless of what happens this weekend, she is still going to be able to fall out for you real quick. On usc, they tried their hardest. It was going to be a huge load on freshmen like we talked about. Maybe in UConn's case, that was okay because the freshmen turned up. But freshmen who were used to playing the backseat to a Juju Watkins and a Kiki Area fan all season long were asked to do a lot. And it was a very, very heavy task. But it was actually the senior, it was Raya Marshall, who had such a great game for the Trojans 23 points, 14 rebounds, 7 for 12 shooting. One of her best games of her career comes in her last game of her career. So super proud for Raya Marshall and this USC team has to be very, very proud. Juju sent a message on Instagram saying she wished she was in the building. She is so proud of her team. Just heartbreaking. But I know that this is not the end of their story. Like, they have really solid pieces to get them back here.

[Lee]

Yes, they had the number one freshman class come in. This is now the place to be that Juju has kind of like, not even kind of. She has just rejuvenized this program. And you know what she was able to do in her freshman year? Carry it over to her sophomore year? Just praying that she comes back stronger and healthier than ever, which she will. Just the human element of it. Again, like, she is a human. She loves basketball. Basketball is her everything. So you just, you just pray for her during this time, hoping that she's well and just taking time for herself because it is a long process. But it was really cool to see, like, her teammates step up for her every single way. Like the shirts, the Funko Pop, like everything about it was just incredible teammates. But again, they're not done. They're still writing their story. Juju is so young. This freshman class will have a year of experience under their belt. And the transfer portal is alive and well, so who knows what pieces they'll grab.

[Jordan Robinson]

Sure is Woo alive and well. And I think people are going to want to come and play with Juju. I think that's also what's on full display. Shout out to Funko Pop. Getting all this free promotion. Maybe it wasn't free, maybe they paid for it. But man, that we know what a Juju Funko Pop looks like. And the bun, maybe it's a bobblehead. Bun still did not move.

[Lee]

Never does.

[Jordan Robinson]

I love it so much.

[Lee]

It's just an awe.

[Jordan Robinson]

Never does. I love it. Okay, we're going to take a break and we'll be right back to talk our predictions for the final four on the way back.

[Angela]

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[Jordan Robinson]

Welcome back to the women's Hoop show. Final Four. Final Four. I can't believe that it is here. March was a very long month, but it is now over and it is April. And if you make it through the trenches of March, then you get to get to Tampa in April and that is where we are headed. Games are Friday and the championship game is on Sunday coming up. But let's go through these and give our one thing that we would look out for. If you are watching these games as you should, you better here's the thing that you should be watching. So let's start with South Carolina and Texas, both number one seeds. They're going up against each other for another time. This is going to be number four right of the season.

[Lee]

Four that they played each other. Fourth time.

[Jordan Robinson]

Fourth time they played each other.

[Lee]

Whoo.

[Jordan Robinson]

And South Carolina is winning that three wins or two wins to one for Texas. Got them one time. What is Autumn Johnson, your one thing that you will be looking in this matchup?

[Lee]

Defense for both teams. Both teams play sound defense. And when you look at South Carolina in particular trying to run it back, it's going to have to be, you know, coming down to trying to clog the paint with Texas. I mean they have A lot of size, their guards try to attack the rim or get in the mid range. It's all going to be about neutralizing the size and side and clogging the paint. So for me it comes down to that. And if you compare that with some offense, both teams, like we just mentioned it, Texas not really being big on the three ball, but South Carolina as well, struggling beyond the arc. So I think that's going to be the difference maker.

[Jordan Robinson]

That's so good. I love when teams know each other so well and they're just going to be like, okay, we can scheme, we can scheme, we can scheme, we can watch game film of ourselves playing against them and what went wrong, what went right. But at the end of the day, to me, it's going to come down. Who wants it more? I know that's a little generic, but based off of what I said about South Carolina earlier. Who wants it? I want people diving on the floor. I want box outs every possession. Like, I think this is going to come down to a possession, maybe a few possessions, but that's also both of these teams. This is going to be another low scoring game. If you want offense, maybe this isn't a matchup for you because this is going to be a low, grind it out game, which is really fun, especially at the Final Four level. Okay. Love it, Love it. Next one is UCLA, a number one seed. The number one overall team going up against a number two seed in UConn. This is the first NCAA Final Four appearance for UCLA. They did win a championship in the NIAW with Anne Myers Drysdale. Just have to throw that in there. But for UConn, we mentioned it, they're 24th. So you have this program if you have the whole program on your back for both of these teams. One key as you are watching this game, UCLA versus uc.

[Lee]

Yes. I spoke to Paige Beckers and I asked her what separates teams from the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 to break into the Final Four. And she said, you have to be connected. And I trust her with everything because she has got her team to a Final Four every single year she has played. And UConn's one of the most connected, efficient teams. They go in with the one and oh mentality. UCLA has been preaching the same thing. Not getting ahead and making the moment too big. But if I can add in a bonus key. You gotta neutralize both stars. Like Lauren Betts has been going off. Paige Beckers has been on a tangent. You have to neutralize the stars. If you're looking at both respective Teams.

[Jordan Robinson]

That'S what it comes down to. Do they. Are they going to be able to cancel each other out? They might cancel each other out at 30, but are they going to be able to cancel, call each other out? Lauren Betts, Vers, Paige Beckers, they don't guard each other, they don't play the same position. So it's going to still be a team effort. But I'm very curious if Gino watched that last game, sees Lauren Betts on the bench for a whole quarter and he says let's see if the rest of UCLA can do it again. We know that Lauren Betts is consistent. Let's try to get her in foul trouble early, see if she has to sit again. And if Gabriela Hawke scores 18 points again, if Tamia Gardner, like we, we are going to make that bet to see if the others show up again. I would be curious to see if that is a game plan that he rides with. But either way, I love what you said. Neutralize the superstars. Good luck with that. Glad I'm out.

[Lee]

That's why I said neutralize. You can't stop them. Just neutralize them. You can't stop them.

[Jordan Robinson]

Just try to slow them down. Just try to slow em down. I love it. Okay, before we leave, this is a little bit of a tricky one. Let's power rank these final four teams based off of number one. You would be least surprised if they win the title to number four. That would be super, super surprising if they win it. I feel like this is hard because we just said there's any of these teams could win it. But what is your ranking as I think about mine?

[Lee]

Okay, I see what you're doing here. Let me go quick. No. Okay, so one UConn, obviously, the way they've been playing their big three is super efficient. Az Fudge. She did have a rough game last time, but like I don't expect that going back to, back to. I'm gonna say ucla. Oh, oh, gosh. But all right.

[Jordan Robinson]

I like. Hold on.

[Lee]

Actually, no, no, no, no, no, no. Okay, see that's the middle of the pack is hard because. Do you do South Carolina? Do you do South Carolina or ucla? Because honestly, I feel like the only reason I put South Carolina at 3 is because they've been scaring me. I'm just gonna be honest.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yes, that's fair. That's fair. We are the same so far.

[Lee]

That's the only reason. There's too many close calls. Maryland, Indiana and now Duke. Like at some point. Yeah, where, where does it break and that's what scares me.

[Jordan Robinson]

Yeah.

[Lee]

And then for Texas, they don't hurt you offensively as much. And if South Carolina figures it out, they can on both ends. But again, other teams have to score, like we said versus tcu. They flustered them. Their defense has always been their solid foundation, and that can help you win championships. They're a great rebounding team as well, so that can give them the edge. But they're going to have to go up against South Carolina, who has seen them for the fourth time.

[Jordan Robinson]

All right, I agree with you. I agree. I was. I was going through that with you. We have UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas. I agree. I think Texas would have to have an incredible shooting night to be able to. Two shooting nights to be able to win it all at the end. Not saying that they can't, but I think they have the hardest climb so far. But we said that about Texas getting out of this hard bracket and they. They did it. They are here and they made it to the Final Four. It doesn't matter. These are going to be really, really great games. It is only Tuesday. I wish it was Friday immediately because then they would be on my TV screen, but this was so much fun. Autumn, I can't wait for you. You to be on vacation after all of this because you deserve it. You've been working.

[Lee]

So have you. Booked and busy. Booked, busy and blessed.

[Jordan Robinson]

Booked and busy. We are both in hotel rooms right now. I'm in Dallas, you're in Tampa. But I'll be joining you in Tampa in a few days because that's where the party's gonna be at and that's where the good basketball is. Thank you, Autumn. This is so fun and happy Final Four day.

[Lee]

Happy Final Four to all. I can't wait to see you. Safe travels here. And this is fun. It's always fun. It's always a vibe. Yay.

[Jordan Robinson]

The women's hoop show is an Odyssey original podcast hosted by me, Jordan Robinson. Today our co host was Autumn Johnson. Our producer is Phil Sweetek. Our video team is led by Kirk Courtney and includes Tim Meikle, Evan Cox, Allison Jeffrey and Lauren Vieira. Our executive producers are Greg Holtzman, Pasha Saluja, Danny Freisinger, Maddie Sprunkheiser and Leah Reese Dennis. And special special thanks to Moira Koran and Josefina Francis.