Excitement in the Women's NCAA Tournament

This year in college basketball is full of firsts, including this year is finally the first time the Women’s NCAA tournament was included in the brand of March Madness. That is one of the many reasons why this year has seen a record number of viewers of the Men’s and the Women’s NCAA tournaments. Just like the men’s this year, the women’s final four is a full blue-blood teams. Blue-blood doesn’t necessarily mean the team’s main color is blue, but that they are a powerhouse; something that UConn, Stanford, Louisville, and South Carolina know a lot about. UConn is a #2 seed and the other 3 being #1 seeds. The 4 combine for a grand total of 17 national championships (11 for UConn, 3 for Louisville, 2 for Stanford (including last year), and 1 for South Carolina).

Paths to the Final Four

South Carolina

First Round: Beat (16 seed) Howard 79-21

Second round: Beat (8) Miami (FL) 49-33

Sweet 16: Beat (5) North Carolina 69-61

Elite 8: Beat (10) Creighton 80-50

Louisville

First Round: Beat (16) Albany 83-51

Second Round: Beat (9) Gonzaga 68-59

Sweet 16: Beat (4) Tennessee 76-64

Elite 8: Beat (3) Michigan 62-50

Stanford

First Round: Beat (16) Montana State 78-37

Second Round: Beat (8) Kansas 91-65

Sweet 16: Beat (4) Maryland 72-66

Elite 8: Beat (2) Texas 59-50

Connecticut

First Round: Beat (15) Mercer 83-38

Second Round: Beat (7) UCF 52-47

Sweet 16: Beat (3) Indiana 75-58

Elite 8: Beat (1) NC State 91-87 (Double Overtime)

First Game: (1) South Carolina 72, (1) Louisville 59

In the earlier game, AP Women’s player of the year Aliyah Boston poured in 23 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 assists en route to a 72-59 South Carolina victory over Louisville. Emily Engstler provided 18 points and 9 rebounds for the Cardinals. The Gamecocks started the game out on an 11-2 run, led for the last 25 minutes and 25 seconds, and never trailed by more than 3 points. Coach Jeff Walz and the Cardinals finish the season with a record of 29 wins, 5 losses. The Gamecocks went on to the National Championship and were able to get past the Final Four woes they had the year before, where they missed two chances from point-blank range in the final seconds in a crushing 66-65 loss to the eventual champions Stanford. The Gamecocks shot 47.4% from the field and the Cardinals shot 42.9% and only 12.5% from 3.

Second Game: (2) Connecticut 63, (1) Stanford 58

The nightcap was back and forth for nearly the entire game. Stanford never led by more than a point and the Huskies were only ever up by as much as 8. Despite having 19 turnovers, Geno Auriemma’s team was able to come out on top. Paige Bueckers, one of the Huskies main ball-handlers, finished with 14 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. Bueckers missed 18 games this season with a knee injury suffered in the final minute of a win in December. The Huskies are 30-5 and lost 4 of those 5 in that 18 game span. Evina Westbrook provided 12 points and 6 rebounds off the bench for the Huskies. PAC-12 player of the year Haley Jones kept the game close for the Cardinal, pouring in 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists, leading the team in all 3 stats in the defeat. The Cardinal also got 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks from PAC-12 defensive player of the year Cameron Brink, but that wasn’t enough. The Huskies moved on to their 12th national championship.

National Championship: (1) South Carolina 64, (2) Connecticut 49

When you think of South Carolina, of course Aliyah Boston comes to mind. She had put up 23 and 18 in the first game of the final four. She was certainly the main focus of UConn. That might’ve been the reason South Carolina was able to win so handedly. While the Huskies were busy focusing on her, the Gamecocks backcourt, Destanni Hederson and Zia Cooke combined for 37 of the Gamecocks 64 points, 26 of them coming from Henderson. Henderson shot 9-20 from the field, 3-6 from 3, and added 5-6 from the free throw line. That was a very common occurrence in the game. South Carolina outshot UConn from the line 26-4, and made 17 of those 26 attempts. Besides Henderson’s 26, she also added 4 assists and 3 steals. Boston had 11 points and 16 rebounds, and Cooke added 5 rebounds of her own. The Huskies were led by guard Paige Bueckers who had 14, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, but didn’t have anyone else in double-figures. The Gamecocks had won their second national championship, and finished the season 35-2. The Huskies had lost for the first time in the championship, and finished the season 30-6.