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Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
South Carolina makes emphatic statement about its identity in return to national championship
South Carolina makes emphatic statement about its identity in return to national championship TAMPA, Fla. — MiLaysia Fulwiley had trouble sleeping in the lead-up to South Carolina's national semifinal meeting with Texas. The weight of the moment felt heavy. Fulwiley, the Gamecocks' uber-athletic sophomore guard, craved victory. She was fixated on propelling the top-seeded Gamecocks back to the national championship for the second consecutive year. Advertisement A text from teammate Bree Hall on Thursday night helped quell some of Fulwiley's nerves. Hall, one of South Carolina's senior leaders, wrote to Fulwiley that she believed in the sophomore guard, that she had Fulwiley's back. Hall told her: 'Go out there and play as hard as you can, and we're gonna get it done.' The message sounds simple, but there's no need to overcomplicate things in the Final Four. Fulwiley felt calm Friday night against the Longhorns. After South Carolina topped the Longhorns 74-57, she can now rest easy. 'I'm gonna finally be able to sleep,' Fulwiley said. With the win, the Gamecocks are back on the precipice of history. A victory over UConn on Sunday would make the Gamecocks the first repeat champions since the Huskies in 2016. It would make South Carolina a champion for the third time in four years. It would move coach Dawn Staley into a tie for third for most titles ever for a coach, and further cement Staley's Gamecocks as the preeminent program in the sport. But before any more history comes to fruition, Staley had to first figure out how to beat Texas for the third time in four meetings this season. To do so, she cycled through her roster, with nine players getting at least 15 minutes, finding Gamecock after Gamecock playing with freedom. Advertisement South Carolina eked out victories in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, but it looked more like itself while beating Texas. The Gamecocks played like a dominant power in the sport, with a well-coached roster composed of five-star talent. There was balance and ball movement. South Carolina had 17 assists on 29 field goals. There were spirited bench celebrations and joyous hugs, especially after Fulwiley dribbled out the final seconds of the victory. South Carolina had contributions from its young players — freshman Joyce Edwards led the way with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Its upperclassmen were reliable, too. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao scored a game-high 14 points. Hall contributed 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. 'I felt like there was a lot of pressure on us to get back to where we are, and I just told my team that we gotta relax, believe and remind people who we are,' Hall said. Advertisement South Carolina's victory was less a subtle reminder of the identity they've forged in winning two of the last three championships and more of an emphatic statement. One victory doesn't fully scrub memories of their struggles at the Birmingham Regional, but it does put the Gamecocks 40 minutes away from making difficult victories just blips on a path to a historic title. Though the result was convincing, the Gamecocks' opening three minutes left much to be desired. They trailed 10-2 with Texas star Madison Booker sinking both of her opening shots. But South Carolina didn't rattle. Players trusted each other, and Staley trusted them. Advertisement 'Coach, don't call a timeout, that means we're good,' senior center Sania Feagin said. It's not surprising Staley let her experienced group figure itself out. A year ago, against Iowa in the national championship, the Gamecocks trailed 10-0 at the start. South Carolina won anyway. 'As a coach, you're just evaluating what's happening out there,' Staley said. 'Are we getting good looks? Are we defending at a really high clip and they're making good shots?' She felt they were. She knew that if South Carolina could be patient, its depth would carry it to victory. Staley had other premonitions as well. The day before the Final Four, she said: 'We've had a bigger offensive spurt throughout those games (with a) higher stake, and I do think it's going to take that.' Sure enough, South Carolina blitzed Texas coming out of the halftime locker room. A 3-point lead ballooned to 14 heading into the game's final quarter. Advertisement Another prophetic prediction? Staley said in the lead-up to the national semifinal: 'We need to stay more organized in broken plays, because they do a really good job of making you go a little bit deeper into your offense.' Explaining how the Gamecocks pulled away, Raven Johnson said: 'Executing through broken plays.' She also praised the shot-making and disruptive defense from South Carolina's bigs. Her backcourt partner, Paopao, was similarly effusive discussing Edwards, Feigan and junior Chloe Kitts. But the 5-foot-9 senior never wavered in her confidence in anyone on her roster. In the lead-up to Friday's matchup with Texas, she routinely spoke about the importance of belief. Advertisement 'Believe that we're gonna win,' Paopao said. 'Believe that our shots are going in. Believe in each other. And just believe that good basketball is gonna reward us, and believe in our style of play.' That style of physical defense and inside-out offense proved too much for Texas. Not only because of Edwards, Fulwiley or Paopao. But because Staley could turn to almost anyone on her bench and see a tangible boost. 'Over a 40-minute period with our depth, I think we just wear teams down,' she said. Fulwiley said that with around seven minutes to play and the Gamecocks up 14, she turned to Feigan and assistant coach Khadijah Sessions beside her on the bench and told them, 'We got this.' Both told the Gamecocks' confident sophomore that the game wasn't over quite yet. Advertisement But when fellow sophomore Tessa Johnson hit a 3-pointer with just under five minutes to play — one of only seven 3s for the Gamecocks — multiple South Carolina players said they knew then that they would be returning to the championship just as they expected. A rematch with UConn awaits. The teams met in February when the Huskies snapped the Gamecocks' 71-game home winning streak in an 87-58 drubbing. Looking back, South Carolina players said the team didn't look like itself. It's a good thing, then, the Gamecocks have snapped back to reality ahead of the rematch. 'We were way more free. We played loose,' Paopao said of the Texas win. 'We played South Carolina basketball, and we were having so much fun out there.' Advertisement A repeat performance on Sunday will lead to the most enjoyable celebration of all. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. South Carolina Gamecocks, Women's College Basketball, Women's NCAA Tournament 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
South Carolina makes emphatic statement about its identity in return to national championship
TAMPA, Fla. — MiLaysia Fulwiley had trouble sleeping in the lead-up to South Carolina's national semifinal meeting with Texas. The weight of the moment felt heavy. Fulwiley, the Gamecocks' uber-athletic sophomore guard, craved victory. She was fixated on propelling the top-seeded Gamecocks back to the national championship for the second consecutive year. Advertisement A text from teammate Bree Hall on Thursday night helped quell some of Fulwiley's nerves. Hall, one of South Carolina's senior leaders, wrote to Fulwiley that she believed in the sophomore guard, that she had Fulwiley's back. Hall told her: 'Go out there and play as hard as you can, and we're gonna get it done.' The message sounds simple, but there's no need to overcomplicate things in the Final Four. Fulwiley felt calm Friday night against the Longhorns. After South Carolina topped the Longhorns 74-57, she can now rest easy. 'I'm gonna finally be able to sleep,' Fulwiley said. With the win, the Gamecocks are back on the precipice of history. A victory over UConn on Sunday would make the Gamecocks the first repeat champions since the Huskies in 2016. It would make South Carolina a champion for the third time in four years. It would move coach Dawn Staley into a tie for third for most titles ever for a coach, and further cement Staley's Gamecocks as the preeminent program in the sport. Vibes ➡️ HIGH — South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 5, 2025 But before any more history comes to fruition, Staley had to first figure out how to beat Texas for the third time in four meetings this season. To do so, she cycled through her roster — nine players got at least 15 minutes — finding Gamecock after Gamecock playing with freedom. South Carolina eked out victories in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, but it looked more like themselves while beating Texas. The Gamecocks played like a dominant power in the sport, with a well-coached roster composed of five-star talent. There was balance and ball movement. South Carolina had 17 assists on 29 field goals. There were spirited bench celebrations and joyous hugs, especially after Fulwiley dribbled out the final seconds of the victory. Advertisement South Carolina had contributions from its young players — freshman Joyce Edwards led the way with 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Its upperclassmen were reliable, too. Senior guard Te-Hina Paopao scored a game-high 14 points. Hall contributed 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. 'I felt like there was a lot of pressure on us to get back to where we are, and I just told my team that we gotta relax, believe and remind people who we are,' Hall said. South Carolina's victory was less a subtle reminder of the identity they've forged in winning two of the last three championships and more of an emphatic statement. One victory doesn't fully scrub memories of their struggles at the Birmingham Regional, but it does put the Gamecocks 40 minutes away from making difficult victories just blips on a path to a historic title. Though the end result was convincing, the Gamecocks' opening three minutes left much to be desired. They trailed 10-2 with Texas star Madison Booker sinking both of her opening shots. But South Carolina didn't rattle. Players trusted each other, and Staley trusted them. 'Coach don't call a timeout, that means we're good,' senior center Sania Feagin said. It's not surprising Staley let her experienced group figure itself out. A year ago against Iowa in the national championship, the Gamecocks trailed 10-0 at the start. South Carolina won anyway. 'As a coach, you're just evaluating what's happening out there,' Staley said. 'Are we getting good looks? Are we defending at a really high clip and they're making good shots?' She felt they were. She knew that if South Carolina could be patient, its depth would carry it to victory. Staley had other premonitions as well. The day before the Final Four, she said: 'We've had a bigger offensive spurt throughout those games (with a) higher stake, and I do think it's going to take that.' Sure enough, South Carolina blitzed Texas coming out of the halftime locker room. A three-point lead ballooned to 14 heading into the game's final quarter. Advertisement Another prophetic prediction? Staley said in the lead-up to the national semifinal: 'We need to stay more organized in broken plays, because they do a really good job of making you go a little bit deeper into your offense.' Explaining how the Gamecocks pulled away, Raven Johnson said: 'Executing through broken plays.' She also praised the shot-making and disruptive defense from South Carolina's bigs. Her backcourt partner, Paopao, was similarly effusive discussing Edwards, Feigan and junior Chloe Kitts. But the 5-foot-9 senior never wavered in her confidence of anyone on her roster. In the lead-up to Friday's matchup with Texas, she routinely spoke about the importance of belief. 'Believe that we're gonna win,' Paopao said. 'Believe that our shots are going in. Believe in each other. And just believe that good basketball is gonna reward us, and believe in our style of play.' That style of physical defense and inside-out offense proved too much for Texas. Not only because of Edwards, Fulwiley or Paopao. But because Staley could turn to almost anyone on her bench and see a tangible boost. 'Over a 40-minute period with our depth, I think we just wear teams down,' she said. Fulwiley said that with around seven minutes to play and the Gamecocks up 14, she turned to Feigan and assistant coach Khadijah Sessions beside her on the bench and told them, 'We got this.' Both told the Gamecocks' confident sophomore that the game wasn't over quite yet. But when fellow sophomore Tessa Johnson hit a 3-point with just under five minutes to play — one of only Gamecocks' seven 3s— multiple South Carolina players said they knew then that they would be returning to the championship just as they expected. A rematch with UConn awaits. The teams met in February when the Huskies snapped the Gamecocks' 71-game home winning streak in an 87-58 drubbing. Looking back, South Carolina players said the team didn't look like itself. Advertisement It's a good thing, then, the Gamecocks have snapped back to reality ahead of the rematch. 'We were way more free. We played loose,' Paopao said of the Texas win. 'We played South Carolina basketball, and we were having so much fun out there.' A repeat performance on Sunday will lead to the most enjoyable celebration of all. (Photos: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Transfer Portal Buzzing: Olivia Miles & Avery Howell Stun Fans With Shocking Moves
On Sunday night minutes before the start of the Spokane Regional championship match between UConn and USC the stadium was not only buzzing with anticipation of the game but the news that hit social media: graduate guard Olivia Miles had entered the transfer portal. Miles, projected to be the number two pick in the 2025 WNBA draft had not only decided to forgo the draft but had also decided to leave Notre Dame who had recently lost to TCU in the Sweet 16 in the Birmingham Regional. However, Notre Dame has continued to make headlines over the last several days as Kate Koval, Kylee Watson, and Emma Risch have all announced they have entered the portal. Koval a 6'5' freshman center averaged 5.3 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.7 blocks this season in her 10 starts. Watson, a 6'4' senior forward sat out this season due to injury/rehab, but in the 2023-2024 season she averaged 6.2 points per game, five rebounds, , 1.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks. Risch rounds out the list, the sophomore guard averaged 5.7 points per game, 1.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists in 13 games this season but a hip injury cut her season short. Irish head coach Niele Ivey is currently left with four players as she also graduated five players, with four of them declaring for the 2025 WNBA draft in Sonia Cintron, Liatu King, Liza Karlen, and Maddy Westbeld. Out of those four players remaining on the team, only Hannah Hidalgo has had substantial minutes and experience, as the team's point leader and the 2024-2025 ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year. With this mass exodus, is there concern for Ivey's recruiting class? The Irish have the #19 recruit in the country coming in next season in five star forward Leah Macy. According to EJ Arocho, a national and international women's basketball scout, evaluator, and women's hoops writer, the biggest players in the portal right now are LSU's Sa'Myah Smith, Georgia Tech's Kara Dunn, Indiana's Yarden Garzon, Notre Dame's Koval (mentioned above), Bethune Cookman's Asianae Nicholson and the late addition of USC's Avery Howell. Losing sophomore forward Sa'Myah Smith is a large blow for LSU. Smith had a breakout NCAA tournament. In LSU's second round game against No. 14 San Diego State, Smith scored 10 points and had eight rebounds. In the Sweet 16 game against No. 6 Florida State, Smith had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds shooting an impressive 100% from the floor. In the Elite Eight game against No. 2 NC State, Smith again, had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. However, what makes Smith's loss more significant is LSU is graduating their other post player in Aneesah Morrow who led the nation in double-doubles. Plus, LSU's 2026 recruiting class is made up of top 100 recruits but mainly guards. Junior guard Kara Dunn is looking to the portal for a new opportunity. Dunn was an impact player for head coach Nell Fortner's squad as she averaged 15.5 points and 5.8 rebounds this season, shooting 49% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. In the post season, Dunn was a key component in the Yellow Jackets defeat of Virginia Tech in the second round of the Ally ACC tournament where she had 21 points. Even in the loss to NC State in the ACC quarterfinals, Dunn had 21 points on 50% shooting. Georgia Tech was a quiet but mighty contender throughout the year this season as they were undefeated until January 9 and ranked within the top 25. For Tech, losing Dunn and her consistent production will leave a gap that Tech will need to replace with their incoming recruiting class or portal transfers. Dunn was awarded First Team All-ACC honors for her performance in the regular season. International guard Yarden Garzon is looking at exploring her options outside of Indiana after three seasons with the Hoosiers. The junior from Ra'anana, Israel averaged 14.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, on 43.1% shooting this season. In the Hoosiers game against the No. 1 seeded South Carolina Gamecocks that saw the contest come down the last minutes of play, Garzon had 10 points and eight rebounds. However, for coaches looking at guards in the portal, Garzon's play in the Big 10 and NCAA tournaments demonstrates her ability to score. In the Big 10 second round, Garzon scored 15 points and had seven rebounds against Purdue in their 77-57 win, as well as 18 points in their 78-62 win against Oregon. Although the Hoosiers lost to USC in the Big 10 quarterfinals, Garzon put up 23 points in the loss, and in their second round win against No. 8 Utah, she scored 17 points, contributed seven rebounds, and shot 50% from the floor. Garzon was awarded Big 10 Second Team honors for the regular season. After a breakout year for Asianae Nicholson who saw her stat lines drastically improve at Bethune Cookman, she has entered the portal. Nicholson averaged 12.7 points, 11.8 rebounds while shooting 44.5% from the field this year which was a huge increase from 2.4 points and 3.6 rebounds the year prior. Nicholson also saw her time on the floor this season double. As a HBCU player, Nicholson has largely flown under the radar, but in her last five games of the season she had five straight double-doubles. Nicholson was named to the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Second Team and to the HBCU Women's Basketball Division I All-American Team. However, late on April 2, USC's freshman guard Avery Howell entered the portal. This one shocked basketball writers and fans alike on Wednesday night. Howell played in 35 games for the Trojans, averaged 20.8 minutes, 7.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 39.9% from beyond the arc. Howell was crucial in the success of the Trojans without superstar JuJu Watkins who tore her ACL in the second round of the tournament. In the Sweet 16 matchup against No. 9 Mississippi State that would see Watkins carried off the floor, Howell had 18 points in the team win. Howell would have 18 points again in the Elite Eight game against no. 5 Kansas State to elevate USC to their matchup against UConn for a spot in the Final Four. This is a particularly tough blow for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her staff as the freshman was shooting 44.4 and 50% beyond the arc in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. Arocho stated and ranked that some programs have already scored big commits out of the portal. First, and foremost, Jada Williams, the highly sought after guard from Arizona has decided to transfer to Iowa State. In the past couple weeks, it seemed to come down to Iowa or Iowa State, with the Cyclones winning the contest. Williams is a savvy guard able to score (12.7 points per game) and distribute the ball (2.9 assists). University of South Florida picked up IU Indianapolis' senior guard Katie Davidson. Davidson averaged 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and was shooting 50.2% from the floor this season. Davidson played her first two years of college in the Mid-American conference before transferring to IU Indy. Cincinnati picked up Florida Atlantic University's junior guard Mya Perry. Perry averaged 15.5 points per game, 3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Before playing at FAU, Perry played one season at Ohio State, however, Perry had very few minutes for the Buckeyes, in comparison to the Owls, where she was a consistent starter. For her play this season, Perry was named to the American Athletic All-Conference Second Team. Baylor might be losing seniors that helped carry them far in the Big 12 tournament and March Madness but found a key element in Auburn's Taliah Scott. Scott, a sophomore guard averaged 20.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and two assists this year. Scott has proven she can compete at the highest level as she played at Arkansas during 2023-2024 season averaging 22.1 points per game and 3.3 rebounds. Oklahoma State acquired Haleigh Timmer from South Dakota State. Timmer as a sophomore led her team to a 2023 Summit League Tournament title and was the MVP but missed the next season due to injury. This season, Timmer, a junior averaged 12.8 points per game, with four rebounds, shooting 48.4%, and was named to the All-Summit League Honorable Mention team. South Dakota State won their 12th Summit League tournament title this season taking them to the NCAA tournament where they shocked No. 7 Oklahoma State winning as a 10 seed. Clearly, Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt had the opportunity to watch Timmer play up close in their match up as Timmer had 11 points and five rebounds in their matchup. Although TCU is losing their height and inside the paint game with center Sedona Prince graduating and exhausting her eligibility, they have gained an asset out of the portal in 6-foot-7 center Clara Silva from Kentucky. Silva appeared in 31 games averaging four points and 2.6 rebounds for Kenny Brooks Wildcat program and still has three years of eligibility remaining. After losing recently in the tournament to No. 1 overall seed and Final Four bound UCLA in the Sweet 16, it seems Coach Yolett 'Yo' McPhee-McCuin and her staff at Ole Miss have been extremely busy as they picked up Virginia's Latasha Lattimore, University of Central Florida's Kaitlin Peterson, and Wichita State's Jayla Murray. Lattimore a 6'4' senior forward averaged 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds this year for the Wahoos. Lattimore had previously played at Texas her freshman season where she played in 32 games but only saw an average of 10 minutes. She transferred and played at the University of Miami for two season seeing her minutes increase. However, Lattimore still transferred and had her most productive season yet at Virginia this year. Needless to say with Coach Yo losing size with her graduating class she is most likely hoping Lattimore will help replace that front court presence. Ole Miss also secured UCF's senior guard Kaitlin Peterson who averaged 21.4 points per game this season. Peterson's last two years at UCF she has averaged more than 20 points per game. Before coming to UCF, Peterson played her first two seasons at Indiana but did not see an enormous amount of playing time. In addition to Peterson's scoring ability, Coach Yo added Jayla Murray, a junior forward from Wichita State to her roster. Murray averaged 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, shooting 49% from the floor, nearly doubling her production from the previous year. Murray's improvement was noticed this season as she was named to the American All-Second Conference Team. As of April 2, (which has a live tracker run by women's basketball report Talia Goodman), reports that there are 1,162 active Division I basketball players in the women's basketball transfer portal with only 57 committed to new teams. You can find more of Arocho and Goodman's breaking news related to the transfer portal and women's basketball on X: @EJayArrow & @TaliaGoodmanWBB.
NBC Sports
01-04-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Betting favorite UConn joins 3 top seeds in South Carolina, UCLA and Texas in women's Final Four
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The women's Final Four is full of star players, top seeds and historic programs. There will be no Cinderellas in Tampa, Florida, with No. 1 seeds South Carolina, UCLA and Texas in the national semifinals. They are joined by the betting favorite to win it all, second-seeded UConn, which has been playing the best of any team over the past month and knocked off a top-seeded Southern California team that was missing its best player. Coach Dawn Staley and the defending champion Gamecocks are making their fifth straight trip to the Final Four and are two victories away from becoming the first to repeat since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. South Carolina will face Southeastern Conference foe Texas for the fourth time this season in one semifinal. UConn will play UCLA in the other. The Huskies are back in the Final Four for the second straight year and and a record 24th time overall, and star Paige Bueckers is looking to bring coach Geno Auriemma his 12th title and first since that four-peat. Top overall seed UCLA is playing in the Final Four of the women's NCAA Tournament for the first time. The Bruins won a national title in 1978 in the pre-NCAA era of women's basketball, led by Ann Meyers Drysdale, and returned to the Final Four the next year. That success hadn't carried over to the NCAA before this season. No program has been to the Final Four more than Auriemma's Huskies, who had a record run of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances snapped in 2023. Their 11 national titles are the most of any team. Here's a look at the matchups: South Carolina vs. Texas The teams split two regular-season meetings, winning on their home courts. The Gamecocks took the rubber match, winning the SEC Tournament title by 17 points. The Gamecocks have won three titles in the past eight years, but this year's squad has been tested in the postseason. They won both games in the Birmingham Regional by four points, topping Maryland and Duke. In their victories over Texas this season, the Gamecocks held the Longhorns under 30% shooting. In South Carolina's loss, Texas shot 44%. 'Ton of experiences to draw from and learn from,' Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. 'Got to learn and be different. That's the thing about their team, Dawn's teams. You know you'll get the same from them that you try to impart on others too. They are going to be tough, aggressive, physical. If you don't bring an edge with you at the fight it won't be much fun.' There's plenty of star power on both teams with Rori Harmon and Madison Booker leading Texas while Joyce Edwards, Chloe Kitts and MiLaysia Fulwiley are the top players for the Gamecocks. Texas is in the Final Four for the first time since 2003. Schaefer became the fifth coach to take at least two teams to the Final Four, joining Marianne Stanley, Gary Blair and Kim Mulkey. C. Vivian Stringer took three schools to the national semifinals. Schaefer led Mississippi State to the championship games in 2017 and 2018. UConn vs. UCLA The Bruins have a dominant post player in 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts who has been unstoppable in the tournament. She had consecutive 30-point, 10-rebound games in the second round and the Sweet 16. She played through foul trouble in the Elite Eight and finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and six blocks. UConn will have to figure out a way to slow her down. While Betts has been dominant, no player has been better than Bueckers, who's clearly driven to conclude her incredible college career with a national championship. She's had a bit of help with the stellar play of Azzi Fudd and freshman Sarah Strong, who has put together one of the best seasons for a first-year player in school history.
USA Today
30-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas coach Vic Schaefer echoes Kim Mulkey, Geno Auriemma on NCAA super regional format
Texas coach Vic Schaefer echoes Kim Mulkey, Geno Auriemma on NCAA super regional format Show Caption Hide Caption South Carolina's Dawn Staley and Duke's Kara Lawson have swag South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley has swag. So does Duke's Kara Lawson. We asked USC and Duke players who has the most. What they said USA TODAY BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UConn head coach Geno Auriemma and LSU's Kim Mulkey have been outspoken in their displeasure with the 'super regional' format of the women's NCAA Tournament. With just two regional sites, UConn and LSU had to travel across the country, to Spokane, Wash., for their Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups. Texas head coach Vic Schaefer, whose No. 1 Longhorns are here at the Birmingham Regional, was in the same position last year. The Longhorns traveled to Portland, Oregon to take on Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 and NC State in the Elite Eight. 'I was the lone ranger,' Schaefer said. 'I experienced what they're complaining about now.' For Auriemma, it's about the quick turnaround and lack of time to practice for the players. For Mulkey, it's about the lack of ability to get fans to Spokane from Baton Rouge. For Schaefer, it's about the early wakeups and set up of the media room. At Legacy Arena, where the Birmingham Regional games are being held, the press conference room and media workroom are separated by a thin black curtain. When media members are interviewing coaches and players in the press conference, the workroom chatter can be heard. 'We're trying to have a press conference and it sounds like there's a dadgum party next door,' Schaefer said Sunday, ahead of his team's Elite Eight game against No. 2 TCU on Monday. 'Last year I had a press conference and they had some machine backing up with a (reverse alert) going.' What Birmingham Regional NCAA tournament players know about Alabama What do NCAA Women's Tournament basketball players at Birmingham Regional know about state of Alabama? Not much. That's what we found out. USA TODAY Sports Network With eight teams at one site, dividing up time for each one to have full practices can be tricky. Running hard in practice can be difficult too, Schaefer said, especially when players have to be up before the sunrise to get there. 'You gotta get them up at 7 in the morning for a 30-minute shootaround at the most important time of the year,' he said. 'There's eight teams here. It's problematic.' While the regional sites for the next three NCAA Tournaments are already set, Schaefer, like Auriemma and Mulkey, hope that there are changes made. 'There seems to me that there can be better organization,' he said. 'This is not it.' Abby Halpin is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
