As a former college basketball player, it’s been special to watch the evolvement of the women’s game, specifically the past seven years.
With the exception of a loss to Stanford during the 2014-15 season, from March 23, 2013 to March 31, 2017, the UCONN Huskies had their way, winning four straight national championships and pulling off a 111-game win streak en route to two of those titles. The Huskies’ dominance was a display of greatness and, apart from a few challenges here and there from programs like Stanford and Notre Dame, it was UCONN and everybody else.
Then, on March 31, 2017, one of the most memorable moments in sports happened. Morgan William’s buzzer-beater during the Final Four matchup between Mississippi State and UCONN ended the Huskies’ win streak. It was a great day to be a Bulldog. And that shot was the beginning of a shift to more parity in women’s college basketball. No longer were teams afraid of the big bad wolf.
UCONN competed for another title in 2022 but hasn’t won a chip since 2016. The last six NCAA tournaments have concluded with five different national champs. With teams adding new recruits and the power of the transfer portal, tested and true by LSU last season, an unexpected title contender could be cutting down the nets come April. Early upsets are proof of this, with both No.1 LSU and No.2 UCONN falling to No.20 Colorado and unranked NC State, respectively, in the opening week of the 2023-24 season.
But, for me, the upsets weren’t the most unanticipated results from the first week. It was the offensive showcases of the South Carolina Gamecocks who lost six major players from last season, five of whom were starters. So I expected this time around to be a progressive season – one where it would take the team some time to find its new identity – but even with the addition of five new players, the Gamecocks showed they haven’t missed a beat.
They were clicking on all cylinders, putting up 100 points on No.10 Notre Dame and 114 points on No.14 Maryland. The Fighting Irish and Terrapins are good teams but the Gamecocks utilizing their size advantage in the post, making plays in transition and shooting efficiently from three-point range (an area where they struggled last season) were ways they ran up the score in these matchups. And as dominant as the Gamecocks have looked, they still aren’t a sure pick to regain the throne. Because there are other unnoticed teams, like an Iowa, and unranked teams, like an NC State, who are waiting on their moment to make their marks in history.
Women hoopers are doing numbers on and off the court – on the heels of playing in a national championship that was the most-viewed women’s college basketball game on record and the most-viewed college basketball game ever on ESPN platforms and cashing out on some of the most high-profile NIL deals – and those numbers are going to continue to grow this season and in future seasons, especially with a star-studded freshman class featuring McDonald’s All-Americans like USC’s Judea “JuJu” Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, NC State’s Zoe Brooks and South Carolina’s Milaysia Fulwiley who all had standout performances during opening week.
Although it has been debated whether college athletes getting paid from NIL deals has been a distraction and affected their performance, women hoopers have elevated their games more since the policy changes were implemented, not only setting records for TV ratings but also attracting sellout crowds. Iowa played an exhibition game against DePaul at Kinnick Stadium in front of 55,646 fans, which was the first ever women’s basketball game played in a football stadium and set an NCAA single-game record for most attended in women’s basketball history. The matchup between South Carolina and Notre Dame was played in Paris in front of a sold-out crowd and marked the first time an NCAA regular-season basketball game was held in France.
Players are perfecting their craft, growing in their competitiveness, and playing with a high level of confidence and it’s evident from the excitement surrounding the game. I’m glad I get to witness the evolution from the perspective of a former player and fan, but I’m more grateful I get to use my gift to write about it in my own words.
References
https://hawkeyesports.com/news/2023/10/15/hawkeyes-defeat-depaul-in-crossover-at-kinnick/
https://www.si.com/college/2023/04/12/south-carolina-notre-dame-historic-game-paris-2023-24-season
https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/08/15/nil-deals-cameron-brink-new-balance-olivia-dunne-leaf-trading-cards.aspx#:~:text=and%20Dejounte%20Murray.,than%20308%2C000%20Instagram%20followers%22%20(S.F.
https://www.si.com/fannation/sneakers/news/new-balance-cameron-brink-make-history-with-nil-deal
https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/womens-basketball/schedule
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/15/that-nike-bronny-james-nil-deal-was-a-big-deal-for-women-too.html
Brittany Young 