Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 130 - The "no-pitch" Episode includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA Women's College Basketball Final Four & National Championship Review: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer review and recap the 2026 NCAAW College Basketball Tournament's Final Four as well as the National Championship game - - and discuss a few of the most noteworthy storylines across the sport - - The following NCAAW college basketball game(s) are discussed in greater detail in this segment: NCAA Women's Basketball Championship - Final Four: No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. No.1 UConn Huskies - - Ta'Niya Latson scored 16 points and Agot Makeer added 14 points as South Carolina played stifling defense to stun UConn 62-48 last Friday night, ending the Huskies' 54-game winning streak, and advancing to the women's NCAA Tournament national championship game - - South Carolina (36-3) would be looking for its fourth national championship, as their other three (3) have come in the last decade under HC Dawn Staley, whereas UConn (38-1) entered the Women's Final Four undefeated for the ninth time in school history, and for the third straight time left without a national title - as the Huskies also lost in the 2017 and 2018 national semifinals - - **NOTE: The Huskies' 48 points were the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 in a national championship game loss to Staley's Gamecocks in 2022 - - The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season (2025) for the national title and UConn came away with the 82-59 rout for the program's 12^th national championship - and they also beat South Carolina handily during the 2024-25 regular season - - "Handshake Wars?:" In the final seconds of South Carolina's upset win over UConn, Huskies HC Geno Auriemma & Gamecocks HC Dawn Staley had a heated exchange, and traded words at midcourt and had to be separated, in what was not a very good look for Auriemma - - When asked by ESPN reporter Holly Rowe what instigated the exchange, Staley responded: "I have no idea. But I'll let you know this: I'm of integrity. I'm of integrity. So, if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn't shake his hand at the beginning of the game." - - ESPN's broadcast actually showed footage of Staley appearing to shake Auriemma's hand prior to tipoff, albeit brief - - When asked about the exchange postgame, Auriemma said it was customary for coaches to meet at half court prior to the game - as a separate clip from earlier in the broadcast showed Auriemma waiting for Staley at a different point before the game: "The protocol is, before the game, you meet at half court," Auriemma said. "The two coaches meet at half court and they shake hands. They announce it on the loudspeaker. I waited there for like three (3) minutes. I said what I said, and obviously she didn't like it. I just told the truth." - - Auriemma was not only fired up after the game, as during an interview with Holly Rowe on the sideline prior to the start of the 4^th QTR, he ripped the game's officiating, declaring the free-throw disparity between the two sides as "ridiculous," and openly criticized the play of the Gamecocks after a UConn player's jersey was ripped - he also implied that Staley had used inappropriate language that was aimed at the officials, but was not punished for it - - On the following Saturday, UConn HC Geno Auriemma released a brief statement apologizing for the heated exchange: "There's no excuse for how I handled the end of the game versus South Carolina. It's unlike what I do and what our standard is here in Connecticut. I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I don't want my actions to detract from that. I've had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them." - - While his apology seemed sincere, you can't help but notice that there is one particular name that is missing from Auriemma's statement: Dawn Staley! - - South Carolina HC Dawn Staley said Tuesday that she had spoken to Auriemma and suggested that everyone "turn the page" after their midcourt argument at the Final Four fueled a firestorm of controversy and could've shed a negative light on Auriemma's legacy. . .Q: What are your thoughts on South Carolina's dominant victory over UConn in the NCAA Women's Final Four last Friday night to end the Huskies' 54-game winning streak dating back to last season? Following his explanation at the postgame conference, what were your thoughts on Geno Auriemma's actions/outburst at midcourt? How much of it do you think was really related to Staley not following what he referred to as 'the protocol?' . . .NCAA Women's Basketball Championship - Final Four: No.1 Texas Longhorns vs. No.1 UCLA Bruins - - Center Lauren Betts finished the game with 16 points and made a huge block late, as UCLA withstood a last-ditch effort by Texas on Friday night for a 51-44 win to reach the NCAA Women's College Basketball National Championship Game for the first time in program history - - Manhandled by the eventual national champion, UConn, in their first Final Four appearance a year ago, the Bruins (36-1) dominated their way to another national semifinal with the best season in school history - - A chance at a first national title game appearance had to go through the only team to apply a blemish to their imperfect record this season: Overpowered in their first meeting, the Bruins turned the tables on Texas (35-4) in the national semifinal, shutting down All-American guard Madison Booker while building a 13-point lead midway through the 4^th QTR - - Meanwhile, the Longhorns, who are one of the nation's best defensive teams this season, flexed their defensive prowess during a 12-2 run that cut UCLA's lead to 47-44, but Lauren Betts came in clutch, swatting the Texas' run to halt, as she blocked Booker's shot with 20 seconds left, as well as Kiki Rice's two clutch FTs, which sent HC Cori Close's crew into the title game - - The grinding win earned the Bruins a spot in the following Sunday's national title game against fellow No.1 seed South Carolina, the three-time champs, who ended reigning champion UConn's undefeated season and left Huskies' coach Geno Auriemma fuming - as so was Texas guard Madison Booker after a brutal finish to what was otherwise a stellar season, as she hit her first shot of the game, but missed her next 17 & finished with six (6) points on 3-of-23 (13%) shooting. . .Q: What are your thoughts on UCLA's impressive win over the SEC Conference champions, Texas Longhorns, on Friday night to advance to the NCAA Women's national title game? Thoughts on guard Madison Booker's poor shooting performance?. . .NCAA Women's Basketball Championship - National Championship Game: No.1 South Carolina Gamecocks vs. No.1 UCLA Bruins - - This one was for Cori Close and Lauren Betts and all the current players wearing UCLA on their jerseys, but it was also for Ann Meyers Drysdale & Denise Curry and John Wooden, and every Bruin who poured effort into what would become the first NCAA championship in UCLA women's basketball history: The senior-laden Bruins beat South Carolina 79-51 on Sunday in the national title game, and they did it the same way they had won all season - with a dominating inside presence, an unselfish offensive approach & a suffocating defense - that handed Dawn Staley & the Gamecocks their second-worst loss in NCAA tournament history - - **NOTE: The 28-point margin of victory was the third largest in a Division I women's championship final game - - UCLA never trailed, opening a double-digit lead at the end of the 1^st QTR en route to its 31^st straight win to make program history, as star center Lauren Betts was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player after the game - - In her 15^th season at the helm, Bruins HC Cori Close pulled off what many didn't believe was possible at one of most storied basketball programs in the country, as UCLA last won a national title in women's college basketball in 1978 in the AIAW, when Meyers Drysdale & Denise Curry led the way - whereas John Wooden won 10 titles as the HC of the men's college basketball program, and set a standard that other coaches on the Los Angeles campus wanted to follow - - In this one-sided affair, five (5) UCLA players finished the game in double figures, as Betts finished with 14 points & 11 rebounds, but UCLA senior Gabriela Jaquez - the younger sister of former Bruin and now Miami Heat basketball player Jamie Jaquez - who was perhaps the most impactful player in this game, as she not only found open shots but also fed her teammates & got inside the paint to grab one rebound after another - finished with a fantastic stat line of 21 points, 10 rebounds and five (5) assists in a performance that will not soon be forgotten - - South Carolina, meanwhile in the first half, shot 9-of-35, as forward Joyce Edwards was 1-of-6 from the field with two points - as it was the Gamecocks' worst FG percentage in any half of any game since December 2022, when they shot 26% in the first half against South Dakota State - - The Gamecocks ended this game shooting 29% from the field, as their three (3) best players - Edwards, Ta'Niya Latson & Raven Johnson - finished the game with a combin...