A historic NCAA tournament will reach its peak this weekend, with two Final Four matches slated for Friday evening and the championship game set for Sunday afternoon. If you already have basketball fever, watching the Final Four and National Championship is the only cure. The women’s NCAA tournament has never been so 

 -the average price paid for a ticket on the resale market this week for the women’s Final Four was twice as high compared with that for the men’s, with the average resale ticket costing $2,323 and more than twice as high as the same period for the women’s Final Four in 2023.

So, what are people paying for, exactly? Two marquee games on Friday night. The first, a Final Four matchup between the Gamecocks of South Carolina and the Wolfpack of NC State, will kick off at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN. Most people - pundits and fans alike - would predict that South Carolina will win this game, but that prediction is far from absolute. Here are some things to watch for:

South Carolina is strong on defense - center Kamilla Cardoso is 6’7, but they’re not as dominant offensively as last year. Center Kamila Cardoso leads the Gamecocks as the top rebounding team in the Final Four with 46.2.

The Gamecocks also have a lot of momentum surrounding them right now as they make a second consecutive attempt at an undefeated season. Last year’s attempt was hampered by a Final Four match against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

NC State carries the one remaining Cinderella-ish story of this tournament and upset No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 Texas to get here. The Wolfpack are led by Saniya Rivers (a former Gamecock) and Aziaha James, who had seven 3-pointers in the Elite 8.

After South Carolina and NC State fight for a spot in the finals, Iowa and LSU will play the highly-anticipated matchup. After Iowa and LSU 

to a recording-setting 12.3 million on ESPN in the Elite Eight, fans will be tuning in to watch Caitlin Clark battle another household name in women’s college ball, Paige Bueckers. This game, on Friday night at 9:30 on ESPN, could go either way. Here are some things to watch for:

Iowa’s biggest strength is inarguably Caitlin Clark. Her 41 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds are just a few of her accomplishments from Monday night’s game against LSU. Defensively, though, the Hawkeyes can struggle. 

Yahoo Sports, Iowa is ranked 22nd in the country in defense. That can create opportunities for the UConn Huskies.

Paige Bueckers is looking for those opportunities. The UConn Guard scored 

 in the team’s Monday night win over USC. Plus, she is one of the most dynamic players in the game.

Though Clark averages more points per game than Bueckers, Bueckers could rise to the occasion on Friday night.

The UConn bench has been decimated by injuries for the second year in a row. UConn can’t risk foul trouble with only seven active players.

The finals will take place on April 7 on ESPN at 3:00 pm ET.

South Carolina, NC State, Iowa, and UConn battle for spot in finals

Final Four matchups bring the heat

The 2024 Women's March Madness tournament is gripping the nation. Massive crowds showed up both in person and as viewers for the tournament's first two rounds, "shattering records for the third consecutive season," as the NCAA 

. And that was just for the early stuff! The tournament only gets more competitive as teams approach the Sweet 16, set to kick off on Friday, March 29. Here's what you need to know to prepare for the four games on Friday and four games on Saturday.

#2 Notre Dame v. #3 Oregon State, Friday, March 29 at 2:30 pm ET (ESPN)

Notre Dame has a shortage of healthy players, so it's a good thing freshman phenom Hannah Hidalgo is one of them. She and teammates Maddy Westbed and Sonia Citron will have to lead the Fighting Irish in a tough fight against three-seed Oregon State, whose guard Talia von Oelhoffen has led the Beavers to their first Sweet 16 in five years.

#1 South Carolina v. #4. Indiana, Friday, March 29 at 5:00 pm ET (ESPN)

The undefeated South Carolina showed, once again, just how formidable they are in a 47-point defeat over North Carolina in the round of 32. The Gamecocks' best players, center Kamilla Cardoso and guard MiLaysia Fulwiley will be tasked with leading the team against Indiana. The Hoosiers' track record so far in this tournament is shaky — they make hard shots but miss easy ones — but expect them to put up a fight. The bright spot for the Hoosiers? The return of All American forward Mackenzie Holmes from a knee injury.

#2 Stanford v. #3 NC State, Friday, March 29 at 7:30 pm ET (ESPN)

The key to Stanford's entrance into the Sweet 16 was forward Kiki Iriafen, who had 41 points and 12 rebounds to avenge Stanford's second-round loss from last year. She and the rest of the team will have to face a tough NC State team that beat fellow Sweet 16 participants Colorado, UConn, Notre Dame, and Duke earlier this season.

#1 Texas v. #4 Gonzaga, Friday, March 29 at 10:00pm ET (ESPN)

Freshman Madison Booker is pretty much all you need to know about the Longhorns' bid into the Sweet 16. Her transition from forward to point guard after a teammate's injury has been both remarkable and unnoticeable—her in-game IQ makes it pretty seamless. Gonzaga has slumped at various moments in this tournament, but the Zags are still ones to be contended with. Remember, they are the third-best 3-point shooting team in the country.

#2 UCLA v. #3 LSU, Saturday, March 30 at 1:00 pm ET (ABC)

Like other teams, UCLA had to battle to reach this round, surviving a tight game against Creighton. Center Lauren Betts continues to steal the show, buoying UCLA to wins. The Bruins will face off against the defending national champs, the LSU Tigers. Mikayla Williams, Flau'jae Johnson, and, of course, Angel Reese will lead the way.


#1 Iowa v. #5 Colorado, Saturday, March 30 at 3:30 pm ET (ABC)

Iowa's round-of-32-game victory over West Virginia can best be described as survival. Caitlin Clark's Hawkeye squad has to regroup as they prepare to take on the Colorado Buffaloes, who are competing in their second straight Sweet 16 after "not having made it this far in the tournament in 20 years." The Hawkeyes actually defeated Colorado handily in the round of 16 last year. Colorado is another great defensive team that will look to slow Iowa's high-octane offense.

#1 USC v. #5 Baylor, Saturday, March 30 at 5:30 pm ET (ESPN)

USC is synonymous with JuJu Watkins at this point. She helped lift the Trojans to victory over Kansas in the round of 32 with 28 points. The arrival of the Watkins, 

 and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, transformed the program into a national contender. The Trojans will make the program's first Sweet 16 appearance in 30 years. Baylor defeated a Liz Kittley-less Virginia Tech to reach this point and will rely on guard Jada Walker to pull off an upset.

#3 UConn v. #7 Duke, Saturday, March 30 at 8:00 pm ET (ESPN)

In the era of Caitlin Clark, many have forgotten just how impressive UConn's Paige Bueckers truly is. Coming off an ACL injury, Bueckers is having a better season than she did in 2021 when she was "the consensus national player of the year," 

 ESPN. Bueckers and her squad will take on seventh seed Duke, who have powered through two massive comebacks in this tournament so far to prove they're not to be underestimated and can defeat a #2 seed in Ohio State.

Women's basketball tournament Sweet 16 preview 

A Sweet Sixteen Preview

The tournament is officially one weekend down – with the entire first round and half of the second round in the book, and with a few exceptions, it's been a good weekend for the higher-seeded teams.

 Overall, No. 1 South Carolina looked elite, rolling through No. 16 Presbyterian, 91-39 in the first round, even without 6-7 Center Kamilla Cardoso, who was suspended for one game after an ejection during the SEC Championship. The next night, the Gamecocks beat No. 8 UNC, 88-41, officially booking a ticket to the round of 16. They will play the winner of No. 4 Indiana versus No. 5 Oklahoma. Also in the region, No. 3 Oregon State is officially moving to the round of 16 after defeating a talented No. 6 Nebraska team, 61-51.

 In the first round, No. 11 Middle Tennessee State upset No. 6 Louisville, 71-69, ending the chance for LSU's Haley Van Lith to face her old team. Then, after a close first half, No. 3 LSU defeated Middle Tennessee State, 83-56. The Tigers are officially back in the round of 16. In a more minor upset, No. 5 Colorado beat No. 4 Kansas State in the second round. Both teams have shown glimpses of brilliance during the season, peaking in the top 5 at one point. In a physical first-round game, No. 1 Iowa defeated No. 16 Holy Cross, 91-65.

 No. 7 Duke also booked its ticket to Portland by upsetting No. 2 Ohio State, 75-63. The Buckeyes entered the Big Ten tournament as the first seed and the No. 2 team in the country but also suffered an early second-round exit there. This time, Ohio State had a 16-point lead at the half, but Duke chipped away and solidified a lead by the end of the third quarter. Also in the region, No. 5 Baylor defeated No. 4 Virginia Tech, which was without ACC Player of the Year, Elizabeth Kitley. Kitley tore her ACL at the end of the regular season and watched her time as a Hokie come to an end on her home court.

 The bracket has gone chalk in this region, but it’s been hard fought. No. 7 Iowa State Freshman Audi Crooks had 40 points and 12 rebounds against No. 10 Maryland in the first round. The Cyclones erased a 20-point deficit to win, the second-largest comeback in tournament history. In Austin, No. 1 Texas beat No. 8 Alabama, 65-54, to also secure a spot in the round of 16. On Sunday night, No. 2 Stanford ground out a win over No. 7 Iowa State. The teams were tied 66 all at the end of regulation before an eventual 87-81 win. Kiki Iriafen, who had 41 points, and Brooke Demetre, who hit two clutch 3-pointers in overtime, stole the show and sent the Cardinal back to the round of 16 for the first time since 2022.

Stay tuned for a deep dive into the round of 16 matchups later this week. All games are on Monday, March 25, and all times listed in ET.

No. 2 Notre Dame vs No. 7 Ole Miss: 2:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 4 Indiana vs No. 5 Oklahoma: 6:30 p.m on ESPN2

No. 1 Iowa vs No. 8 West Virginia: 8:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 2 UCLA vs No. 7 Creighton: 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2

No. 3 UConn vs No. 6 Syracuse: 6:00 p.mn on ESPN

No. 1 Southern California vs No. 8 Kansas: 10 p.m. on ESPN

No. 3 NC State vs No. 6 Tennessee: 4:00 p.m. on ESPN

No. 4 Gonzaga vs No. 5 Utah: 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2

women's basketball tournament weekend one recap

Tournament weekend one is in the books 

There is nothing wicked going on here; it is only a list of teams that could star in their own Cinderella Story.

 Defense, defense, defense is the name of the game. Can nine-seed Princeton, who has come so close to the Sweet Sixteen the last two years, defeat eight-seed West Virginia and one-seed, the People’s Princess, Iowa, to be one of the sixteen?

 Experience says team experience matters in the big moments. The UNLV team comprises seniors who have played in three tournaments and developed deep team chemistry. The Rebels beat Arizona and Oklahoma this year, both tournament teams. UNLV plays Creighton in the first round.

 This team already beat Creighton and Washington State this season in the non-conference season before winning the Horizon League. Tennessee is a tough draw for the Phoenix, but that is the magic of March.

 Shooters are going to shoot. That is how FGCU

returns to the tournament after winning the Atlantic Sun conference. The Eagles are third in the country in 3-point shooting attempts and play Oklahoma first.

 The program enters the tournament a perfect 16-0 in tournament play and, as an eleven-seed, will play six-seed Louisville. The Blue Raiders are a veteran crew that can score the ball with 45% of their shots coming in 3-point range and know what it takes to grind out a win.

Five teams that could pull of upsets in the opening round 

A Cinderella Story: Teams that could bust your bracket 

Fasten your seatbelt; the Albany 2 region of the bracket is about to take us on a wild ride. Caitlin Clark and Iowa headline the show, securing the one-seed in the region as the No. 2 team in the country. Iowa’s stock has been rising over the last four years, and with Clark becoming the all-time NCAA leading scorer, she has appeared in national advertising campaigns and secured her status as a celebrity and household name. We know what Iowa is looking to do – return to the National Championship game and win it all. Iowa lost to LSU in the National Championship, and all eyes are on the Hawkeyes as they attempt to return to the national championship and win it all.

But it isn’t going to be easy for Iowa, or any team, to leave that quadrant and make it to Cleveland. Albany is the land of rematches. Assuming Iowa wins its first game, the Hawkeyes would face either Princeton or West Virginia. Princeton only lost four teams this season and are led by experienced players - holding opponents to 56 points a game. The Tigers have beat five-seed Oklahoma and pushed then No. 3 and current two-seed to the edge. With West Virginia, Head Coach Mark Kellogg called out Clark, saying to his team, “Let’s win one, and let’s send Caitlin Clark packing.”

If Iowa wins, the Hawkeyes could face a potential rematch with four-seed Kansas State or Colorado. Earlier this season, Iowa split the series with Kansas State in November. Playing five-seed Colorado would result in a rematch with the Buffs, too. Iowa defeated Colorado in the Sweet Sixteen last year.

In the bottom half of the region, two-seed UCLA, three-seed LSU, six-seed Louisville, and seven-seed Creighton will be fighting for the next game. This means there is a potential for Iowa to play LSU in the Elite Eight. It’s a National Championship rematch that people are begging for. Don’t forget that LSU won it all as a three-seed last year.

But for the rematch of all rematches to happen. LSU will likely need to defeat Louisville. LSU versus Louisville could provide fans with the storyline of LSU player Haley Van Lith facing off her old team. Van Lith transferred to the Tigers after Louisville lost to, you guessed it, Iowa in the Elite Eight last year.

If things get really funky, LSU could face Colorado. LSU entered the season ranked No. 1 and lost on opening day to…Colorado. Plus, twelve-seeded Drake was once coached by now-Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder. If Creighton pulls off a few upsets, then, well, they are the team that knocked Iowa out two years ago.

None of these potentials feature teams in the same conference, which makes the familiarties even more exciting. Regardless, the team that emerges from the Albany 2 region will be battle-tested heading to the Final Four.

The Albany 2 region offers several key rematches

Sometimes, we want something cute and fluffy to look at. While we cannot promise that all of the animals on this list fit that description, they each bring their own unique status to their respective schools.


Baylor - Lady, Indy and Belle, The Bears LSU - Mike VII the Tiger

South Carolina - Sir Big Spur the Gamecock

A guide to live mascots for tournament teams

If you want to cheer for programs coached by women

Dawn Staley, Lisa Bluder, Kim Mulkey, and Tara VanDerveer are all big names at the top of the sport. They have all contributed to growing the game and shining a spotlight on some of the best players the sport has seen.

Women coaches take center stage as women’s basketball finally steps into the spotlight. Below is a list of the 40 teams in the tournament coached by women.

Tournament teams coached by women

It feels impossible to pick the top five games we are looking forward to in round one, but if we have to, we’d choose the following:

Saturday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN2

Don’t sleep on the Tigers. This Princeton team knows how to win, with senior guard Kaitlyn Chen leading the team to victory. She helped her team upset SEC Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament two seasons ago and again pulled off an upset in last year’s tournament against NC State. The Tigers have come within inches of the Sweet Sixteen in the previous year. Is this the year they make it happen? Like Princeton, West Virginia is also an incredible defensive team, averaging nearly 24 turnovers a game. JJ Quinerly leads the Mountaineers. She is the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Saturday, March 23 at 1:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN2

Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. That is precisely what the Fairfield Stags did. After a stunning 30-1 season, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champions submitted their 

 to the AP and USA today to pitch a top-25 ranking. Fairfield secured No.25 – the program’s first top 25 ranking. It is an excellent time to hop on the 

. The Stags play Indiana in Bloomington. The Hoosiers lost in the semifinals to Nebraska after leading in the first half. Indiana All American and fifth-year forward Mackenzie Holmes has been battling a knee injury that has left her largley sidelined over the last few weeks. Holme's playing time in the tournament is to be determined.

Saturday, March 23 at 3:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN2

Arizona already defeated Auburn 69-59 in a play-in game to secure a spot in the round of 64. The reward? A date with Syracuse, a team that has caused problems in the ACC all season. Arizona is a team on the rise and one that could pull off an upset. Syracuse is led by fifth-year Daiysha Fair, who passed Brittany Griner for fifth place on the all-time scoring list. She averages 22 points per game, which is good enough for the top-10 in the NCAA.

Saturday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m. E.T. on ESPNews

In the Albany 2 Region, the most difficult, both of these teams face an uphill battle for a win. UNLV enters the weekend on the 30-win season. The Rebels did it with a solid group of experienced players and a spunky freshman guard Amarachi Kimpson. It is UNLV’s third consecutive NCAA tournament trip. Creighton finished second in the Big East and is also attending the tournament for the third time in a row – reaching the Elite Eight in 2022. The Bluejays also rely on an experienced group of seniors.

Friday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. E.T. on ESPN2

Two teams stand before us, and both are on the rise. Iowa State hasn’t lost to a team other than Texas (Big 12 champion and No. 1 in Portland 2 region) since February 14. The Cyclones struggled early in the season as new players and transfers built chemistry. It appears the team is peaking at the right time. Maryland has played in the NCAA tournament every year since 2011, similarly finding its groove later in the season. The Terps pushed one-seed Iowa in a home game, eventually falling 85-93. Maryland also defeated NCAA tournament two-seed and Big Ten tournament one-seed Ohio State before falling to Nebraska. To add to the stakes, Maryland head coach Brenda Frese was an Iowa State assistant coach in the late 1990s.

top matchups in women's college basketball tournament

5wins' top round-one matchups

It had been six years since I’d last worn my Princeton track jersey when I entered the Armory, one of the greatest indoor track facilities in the world, on a grey day in February. It had also been years since I competed in this building alongside the same group of women I was now attending the Millrose games with as fans. We came to watch some of the greatest athletes alive compete alongside college and high school students in the 116th Annual Millrose Games.

The Armory is a unique space – a former military installation turned world-class indoor track facility – and the relics of its historic architecture make it a beautiful, if quirky, place to compete and spectate. The 200-meter banked track is the focal point of the central cavern of the building, with a balcony of seats pressing down on it from above and a ceiling-high cage for throwing events in the corner. This central space is large and intimate at once, placing fans nearly on top of the track while still allowing hundreds to pack into the rows of seats that frame the track. As a college athlete, it was an intimidating place to compete, but it created a charged atmosphere where everyone could throw big, run fast, or jump far.

The best non-pro event we saw, the Nike High School Girls’ Invitational Mile, was a race that provided a preview of what college track fans might expect soon. 

University of Oregon-bound Texan Samantha Humphries

 of Flower Mound, Texas, won it in 4:41.43 as 

, the silver medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, was warming up for the invitational pole vault contest he’d go on to win. Humphries’ time was exceptional, and she won it by zipping by an Olympian. The Armory can create magic. New York Junior Dylan McElhinney also put up an impressive time of 4:44.19, and Katherine Bohlke of Connecticut, the 2023-24 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, rounded out the top three with a time of 4:45.49.

Later in the day, Harvard’s Maia Ramsden competed in the New York Road Runners Women’s Wanamaker Mile, the pro heat that saw New Balance’s Elle St. Pierre set a national indoor record of 4:16.41. Ramsden, the 1500m title winner 

at last June’s 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships

, ran an indoor personal best of 4:24.83 at the Armory. Oklahoma State’s Gabija Galvydyte also competed alongside the pros in the Women’s 800 meter and ran a then-personal best of 2:02.24, which she improved to 

 for a second-place finish at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships. As the second-place finisher at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last year, she’ll be one to watch heading into the Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 9th.

However, the day’s highlight was the professional Women’s 60-meter hurdles. In longer races, you know if an athlete is on pace to challenge a record based on how fast they run each lap. In a 60, the entire race happens in a blink. Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas crossed the finish line first, completing the race in 7.67 seconds; Charlton had run the fastest indoor 60-meter hurdle time in recorded history.

At the Millrose Games, the future of track—the high school and college athletes—compete alongside the pros. In a way, this type of competition is always happening—in track, you directly compete against every athlete who has come before you and every athlete who will come after you all at once. One day, Humphries may return as a collegiate or pro athlete to break a world record herself, or perhaps it will be Ramsden or Galvydyte. Future efforts aside, these Millrose Games were a thrill to watch and a final chance for a handful of the highest caliber collegiate track athletes to cut their times a bit more before conference meets and nationals.

Millrose Games bring out the best in athletes

Millrose Games brings out the best in athletes

As the regular season of NCAA Women’s Basketball winds down and teams make their final pushes towards the March Madness tournament, 5wins is taking a look at the three freshmen who have arguably made the biggest impacts on women’s college hoops this season and ask the question: how far can their teams go?

The Southern California freshman can’t stop breaking records. Watkin’s record-setting 51 points in a win at Stanford remains the most points scored by any Division I player in a game this season. She also set the USC single-season 30-point game record with 12, surpassing Trojan great Cheryl Miller. The freshman guard has spent all season sneaking past defenders and putting her teammates in positions to score. USC has hovered around No. 11 in the AP poll with big wins against Ohio State, Stanford, UCLA, Oregon State, and Colorado but also has losses to UCLA, Stanford, Colorado, and two to Utah. If USC is hot, there is a real chance they will make a run toward the Elite Eight.

Hannah Hidalgo has tremendously impacted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this season. Hidalgo’s efforts have buoyed a team that lost so much talent to injury this season. She ranks second nationwide in total steals, adding 23.7 points per game and 5.5 assists per game. These numbers are good enough to make her first in the ACC in scoring and steals. The Fighting Irish have wins over Tennessee and UConn and losses to Syracuse, UNC, Louisville, and NC State. Barring injuries, Notre Dame could cause some trouble and look to make a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

LSU’s Mikaylah Williams has been making a splash in SEC hoops since the start of the season. In her first conference game, Williams scored just 11 points but scored a season-high 42 points in a win against Kent State on November 14. She currently averages 15 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. LSU is a team with lots of talent and large aspirations, but it struggled with team chemistry with the addition of Hailey Van Lith and a highly-rated group of freshmen. As the season progresses, the team is gelling more. Of course, the hope for the Tigers is to peak at the right time and defend last year’s National Championship.

women's basketball freshman will their teams to victories 

Top teams rely on freshmen stars 

Blue Blood programs No. 1 South Carolina and No. 11 UConn faced off in Columbia, South Carolina, on Sunday. The Gamecocks had a statement win, defeating the Huskies 83-65. South Carolina was without 6-7 Center Kamilla Cardoso, who is currently playing with the Brazilian National Team.

Until 2020, UConn had always beaten South Carolina by at least 12 points. Now, South Carolina has won five of the last six matchups. The Gamecocks were locked in defensively and remain the best team in the country.

South Carolina routs UConn

On Thursday, Feb. 15, Iowa guard and NCAA phenom Caitlin Clark became the highest-scoring NCAA women’s basketball player of all time, and it only took her 2 minutes and 12 seconds to make it happen. As she sank a three-pointer early in the first quarter, she beat the mark previously set by the Washington Huskies’ Kelsey Plum (3,527). Clark holds the record, with 3,569 points after scoring an astounding 49 points in Thursday night’s game. In the leadup to Thursday’s game, attention was focused on Clark’s imminent defeat of Plum’s record; however, Clark broke a handful of other records that night or recently, and she’s on track to claim a few more.

On Thursday, Clark scored her career-high points in a game, with 49. She also broke the Iowa women’s basketball record for points-per-game, previously held by 

Clark scored the most points in any first quarter in her Iowa career on Thursday (23). It was also the second-most points she’s scored in any quarter in her Iowa career.

Clark also recently became the first Division I women's player to reach 

. She secured the former earlier this season in December and the latter just last week.

And just two weeks ago, Clark made history by surpassing Kelsey Mitchell to secure the 

The record that Clark broke on Thursday - Kelsey Plum’s overall points - is the NCAA record, which incorporated women’s basketball 1982. Before the NCAA, women’s sports were represented by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), which was dissolved when the NCAA took over. However, a larger number still looms. From 1977 to 1981, Lynette Woodard of Kansas scored 3,649 career points and 

holds the record for points scored by any women’s basketball player

 in history at a large school. Clark is 80 points shy of beating Woodard’s record.

And there’s more! The AIAW overall record - not just large schools - is held by Pearl Moore, who scored 4,061 points for Francis Marion by 1979.

And, of course, there’s Pistol Pete. LSU’s Pete Maravich holds the 

, scoring 3,667 by 1970. Clark is currently 98 points shy of this record.

Caitlin Clark Sets NCAA Women's Scoring Record

Caitlin Clark sets NCAA women's scoring record

The first weekend of softball season came and went with a bang. Two of the top five teams lost, including No. 3 Stanford, which lost twice to Kentucky. The Wildcats defeated the Cardinal by one run each time, winning 2-1 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. On Friday, Charlotte did enough to beat No. 4 Florida State in a back-and-forth matchup. The game was tied 5-5 in the seventh inning, with Charlotte getting the 6-5 edge in the bottom of the tenth. It was the first time in 49ers history beating a top-five team. It was the first opening-day loss for the Seminoles since 2014, but they responded by beating Charlotte 11-0 the following day. 

No. 5 Texas put on an offensive clinic opening weekend. After beating No. 8 UCLA 3-2 on Friday, the Longhorns had 32 runs on Saturday. Against San Diego, Texas won 16-1, and against UCLA, the team had two grand slams to win 16-0. On the day, the Longhorns hit .534 with eight home runs.

With four wins over opening weekend, No. 1 Oklahoma continued the longest winning streak in NCAA Division I softball history with 57 games. The Sooners last lost to Baylor in February 2023. Naturally, Oklahoma also holds four of the five longest winning streaks, with the 1996-1997 Arizona team having won 47 games in a row for second place. 

Softball top teams struggle opening weekend

Softball's top five struggle during opening weekend

Over 15,000 fans gathered at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, hoping to watch either Nebraska upset No. 2 Iowa or Iowa's Caitlin Clark set the all-time Women's NCAA Division I scoring record. Clark entered Sunday's game needing 39 points to take the lead.

Clark entered the fourth quarter needing only eight points, but Nebraska managed to play spoiler to the day, holding Clark scoreless the rest of the game and completing a come-from-behind, 82-79 win to take down Iowa in the process.

Nebraska upsets No. 2 Iowa in front of sold out crowd

Where Caitlin Clark and Iowa basketball go, palpable energy and excitement follow. When Iowa played Maryland on Saturday, February 3rd, 17,950 people attended the Xfinity Center in College Park, MD. It was clear that even among Maryland fans, there was a sense of urgency and enthrallment to get a glimpse of Caitlin Clark in action. Those fans included Frances Tiafoe, the 14th ranked men's player on the Associate for Tennis Professionals Tour, and Hyattsville, MD native, who sat courtside and met Caitlin Clark after the game.

Clark, the most prolific shooter in the women's game, is only 66 points away from the NCAA women's all-time scoring record set in 2017 by Kelsey Plum while at Washington. She is a bonafide star, a fiery presence on the court accustomed to playing in front of large, hostile crowds and crowds who are there to see her. When Clark came out early and alone to shoot threes, the crowd cheered – a rare warm welcome for an opposing player.

As players like Clark gain popularity in the mainstream by appearing in highlight reels and major brand deals, new audiences appear. The days of seeing women's games as only a way for families and dedicated retirees to have a nice, affordable outing are over. The marketability of a star like Clark, whose big personality shines and whose athleticism allows her to dominate opponents, drives change and additional coverage, bringing new fans into the fold, including young men. In the case of the game at Maryland, her star power attracted new and old basketball fans. A man from Maryland returned to campus for the first time since the 80s to see Clark. Families drove hundreds of miles and stayed in local hotels. Men in their 20s and 30s game in groups and bought pints of beer and chicken tenders. Even loyal Maryland fans acknowledged how that game felt different with Clark on the court.

Clark represents something larger. The coverage she receives is inspirational for the potential of women's sports and players and helps change the narrative of what women's sports can be. She's an ambassador for a women's game bursting at the seams with talent and profitability. However, coverage and attendance for men's sports do not hinge on a generational talent coming to town as they do for women's sports. For example, the Maryland women's basketball team averaged 7,379 fans per game last season – the highest since 2009. That puts them fifth nationally. The men's team that won around 18% fewer games had an average of 14,046. If it takes a record-breaking talent to draw the numbers the men's teams usually receive, women's sports still have a way to go before true equality.

That does not mean we should not celebrate how Clark has contributed to the game's growth. What she has accomplished on and off the court is an unbelievable feat. Clark is a big deal and holds more power than many college athletes imagine. Fortunately for fans and basketball, she is certainly not the last great player, and when she likely goes to the WNBA this summer, younger players will step up and become big names in the way Clark has and continue to grow the game.

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Basketball play University of Maryland

The Caitlin Clark effect in action

The NCAA Softball Rules Committee approved several changes for this season.

 Both pitcher's feet can be off the ground with one push from the pitcher's plate. This change allows for further exploration of pitching styles.

This rule will simplify obstruction calls from umpires. Obstruction is when a defensive player impedes the progress of a runner. It is now always considered obstruction if the defensive player, not in possession of the ball, blocks any part of the leading edge of any base/plate or blocks a runner from advancing or returning to a base. This is a simplification of the previous rule.

 The Rules Committee increased the number of use cases for video review. This includes runners leaving a base too soon on tag-up plays, a runner missing a base, runners leaving a base too early before a pitch, all home runs, catch/no catch in any situation, and whether a pitch hit a batter

Each pitch must be thrown in 20 seconds, shortening the clock from 25 seconds. The batter must be ready to hit within 10 seconds, and teams can have a visible clock.

Allowing the use of a double first base on the field.

Requiring the fence distance in left and right fields to be 200 feet for new construction.

Removing the quarter-inch bat knob protrusion requirement to allow for a tapered/flared/cone bat handles.

Prohibiting assistant coaches from leaving the dugout or bullpen area to appeal, question, or argue any play on the field.

Allowing one-way communication devices to be used during play.

Allowing the pitcher to throw to any base one time during warmups.

Allowing a postgame review of ejections that include a suspension.

NCAA Softball Rules Committee approves changes for 2024 season

Softball rules committee approves changes for 2024 season

Before Title IX's enactment in 1972, around 15,000 girls nationwide played college sports. More than fifty years later, that number has skyrocketed to approximately 

. While opportunities for female athletes have expanded extensively in the Title IX era, openings for women coaches stagnated. According to the AP, in 2022, women held just 

 of head coaching positions for women's teams. The continued lack of women coaches demonstrates a gaping hole the NCAA has not adequately addressed.

So, why aren't there more women coaching women? Before Title IX, the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) governed women's college athletics. 

 to Dvora Myers from FiveThirtyEight, before the adoption of Title IX, 90% of teams in the AIAW were coached by women; by 1978, after Title IX forced the NCAA to adopt women's teams, that number went down to 58%. NCAA leaders used the expansion to find more opportunities for men. As Myers 

, when the NCAA took over former AIAW teams, ”male athletic directions favored male coaches,” and women's coaches were "put in subservient positions to men.” By 1982, 95% of women's teams in the NCAA were under male control, the AIAW dissolved, and a legislative attempt to correct gender inequality had unintentionally created a new iteration of it. As sports researcher Nicole LaVoi 

 to NPR Kansas City, "Men are afforded the opportunity to coach women." There are fewer women "that are afforded the opportunity" to coach at all.

Basketball fared much better than other sports. 

 Jenn Hatfield from High Post Hoops, the number of women coaching women's basketball teams in the NCAA has steadily risen since the 2015-2016 season, and today, around 63% of all NCAA women's hoops coaches are women. "No one is exactly sure why," reported Hatfield, but one reason could be the efforts of "prominent female coaches like Muffet McGraw" of Notre Dame, who assert that colleges hire too many men. Another possibility is the effects of NCAA leadership programs for female coaches, like the 

, which have historically attracted and elevated women coaches.

Additionally, women's college basketball benefits from the game's grip on American culture, and college games are surging in popularity. 

 to Sports Illustrated, the 2023 Women's March Madness finals was the "most watched NCAA women's basketball game on record with 9.9 million viewers, a 103% jump" from the previous season. Record-breaking accomplishments by women coaches, like Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer becoming the 

winningest NCAA Division I coach of all time

, also bring (deserved) legitimacy to women's college hoops. These accomplishments, especially compared to

, establish women as competent leaders who can hold their own in the sport and make their own decisions.

Increasing the number of women coaches in college sports is crucial for achieving gender equality, but hiring more women coaches is good for the game. 

 Myers, women coaches are role models, crucial for "increased self-esteem, self-perceptions, and body image," Women coaches "help pave the way for more female athletes to move into the coaching profession." And, 

 a Harvard study cited by the New York Times, "gender-balanced teams" - meaning teams whose coach and players are of the same gender - "perform better than male-dominated teams." VanDerveer and other prominent NCAA women's hoops coaches like Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey help draw eyes to the game. But Title IX was intended to level the playing field - women shouldn't need to smash records to prove they are qualified and capable as athletes and leaders. Women deserve the opportunity to lead, just like their male counterparts. Other NCAA sports should take a page from women's basketball books, but the story still needs to be finished.

The case for more women's coaches

80 routines received a perfect ten score.

 While elite gymnastics rewards difficulty, college gymnastics rewards perfection, making many routines shorter and less technically challenging. The sport is also seeing an increase in former Olympians competing at the NCAA level, and athletes from all schools are competing more difficult skills and executing at a higher level than ever before. College gymnastics is having a moment and is the perfect appetizer for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but could all the tens be too much of a good thing for the sport?

Are perfect 10s in gymnastics out of control?

Stanford's Tara VanDerveer is officially the all-time winningest Division I college basketball coach with her 1,203th win. She beat Mike Krzyzewski's record with a win against Oregon State on Sunday. It's a lifetime dedication and a level of success few can imagine. Winning is hard, and building team after winning team is an immense challenge.

"It means I've coached a lot of great players, have a great staff, worked at great universities," VanDerveer said after the win. "I'm just so blessed and so thankful."

Over a 45-year head-coaching career, she spent two years at Idaho, five at Ohio State, and the rest at Stanford. Only six women head coaches have reached the 1,000 career win mark. VanDerveer was already the winningest Division I women's basketball coach after passing Pat Summit's record of 1,098 wins in 2020.

Stanford's Tara VanDerveer becomes winningest basketball coach

Tara VanDerveer becomes winningest NCAA basketball head coach

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) drafted 56 players from the NCAA over four rounds on Friday night. Expansion teams, the Utah Royals and Bay FC, had the first two picks with midfielder Ally Sentnor and defender Savy King, respectively. Both are teenagers from UNC. The number of teenagers in the NWSL is increasing thanks to better club development and additional USWNT experience.

Seven Universities were represented in the first round, with North Carolina leading the way with three players. The others are Stanford (2), UCLA (2), Penn State (2), Clemson (2), BYU (1), Georgia (1), and Florida State (1).

Top programs have players drafted to NWSL

Several universities feature prominently at NWSL draft

The NCAA women's volleyball rules committee met and approved several changes, some of which could impact gameplay.

Double Contacts: The most significant change is that players can "contact the ball more than once with any part of the body in a single attempt on the team's second contact." A teammate must then play the ball. If it crosses the net, the other team will win the point. 

TLDR: fans won't be able to call for a double contact on the other team when an ugly set happens.

 Teams can dress and use two liberos in one set. The purpose is to create flexibility and change how many substitutions teams use.

 Players may wear snug-fitting nose rings and ear cuffs. This decision stops referees from having to make judgment calls on jewelry.

NCAA Volleyball Rules Committee Approves Changes

NCAA volleyball rules committee approves changes

Hook 'em! Texas was down in the fourth set in the regional semifinals against Tennessee before forcing a fifth set and coming out on top. Since then, the Longhorns have defeated the top three teams in the country to defend their national title. 2023 is their fourth NCAA Championship.

In the regional finals, Texas knocked off overall No. 2 Stanford, 3-1, in Palo Alto. In the National Semifinals, Texas defeated No. 3 Wisconsin, 3-1, behind stellar serving and defense. Texas's serving pressure also guided them to a 3-0 win against No. 1 Nebraska, recording 12 aces and holding the Cornhuskers to .013 hitting. Texas also swept Louisville in 2022 to win it all.

Texas volleyball defeats Nebraska in national title game 

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