Latest news with #Cinderellas
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Women's College World Series: Oklahoma's five-peat chances, which teams can challenge and how to watch the tournament
One of the most fun weekends of the collegiate sports calendar starts on Thursday: the Women's College World Series. Taking place in Oklahoma City, this year's tournament will feature longstanding softball powers, outstanding pitchers, and a few hitters who can change the course of the game with one swing. Here's what you need to know as the race to crown NCAA softball's best reaches its conclusion. Who is playing? After Texas A&M, the No. 1 seed, was knocked out in the regional round, the final eight is led by Oklahoma, the defending champions. The other seven teams are Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Oregon and UCLA. With this field, the SEC has five teams, the Big Ten two, and one for the Big 12. How does the tournament work? The tournament starts with a classic double-elimination bracket. ( Find the full bracket here .) The double-elimination means that a team can still win the title after a loss, but their road is much tougher. Then, when there are two teams left standing, they will play in a best-of-three series starting on June 4 to decide the national champion. It's an incredibly tough gauntlet, and it makes Cinderellas a little less likely. But it also ensures good teams aren't knocked out for one bad game. NiJaree Canady has starred for Texas Tech, leading the Raiders to their first Women's College World Series appearance. (AP Photo/Colin E Braley) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Who is the favorite to win? With Texas A&M out, it's Oklahoma. Even if Texas A&M had made it to the WCWS, it still might have been Oklahoma. The Sooners won the last four championships, and they have the ability to hit and hit and hit again. Playing Alabama in the super regional, Oklahoma shut out the Crimson Tide on Friday 3-0, then run-ruled them on Saturday, 13-2. The Sooners rank second in the NCAA in home runs per game, averaging 2.02 in the regular season. With hitters like Gabbie Garcia leading the way, if Oklahoma plays in Oklahoma City as well as they played in their regionals and super regionals, the Sooners will be celebrating their fifth consecutive title. Can anyone knock Oklahoma off the throne? The tough thing for the Sooners is that they will be challenged from the second they step on the field. Tennessee, led by Karlyn Pickens, has the lowest earned run average in the country. Their lights-out pitching knocked out Nebraska in the super regional and could cause problems for Oklahoma. A second-round match-up for the Sooners could be a game with Florida. The Gators can hit the long ball, and won the series when the two matched up in the regular season. Players to watch Nijaree Canady, Texas Tech: When you tune in to watch Texas Tech play Ole Miss on Thursday night, you'll likely see Canady in the circle as she leads the NCAA with an ERA of 0.89, or you'll see her hitting reliably and driving runs in. What you won't see is how consequential Canady is off the field. After two seasons at Stanford, Canady accepted a million-dollar NIL deal from Texas Tech and transferred. After just one season, she's led the Red Raiders to the WCWS for the first time in the school's history. Advertisement Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee: During Tennessee's super regional games against Nebraska, Pickens was asked again and again to pitch her way out of jams, or strike out hitters like Jordy Bahl. Pickens did it with a steely determination and a fastball that broke records. Seriously — her 79.4 mph pitch against Nebraska in Game 2 of the super regional is the fastest clocked pitch in NCAA softball history. Savannah Pola, UCLA: The Bruins had a thrilling run to the WCWS, and Pola is a big reason they're heading to Oklahoma City instead of cleaning out their lockers. They lost their first game to South Carolina in the Super Regional, then won by walk-off in the second game. That momentum carried through as UCLA shut out the Gamecocks for a 5-0 win. The Bruins knew they could count on Pola's three hits in that last game, as she's hitting .440 over the season. How do I watch the Women's College World Series?
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Final Four featuring all No. 1 seeds produces big ratings, despite complaints about lack of Cinderella
Final Four featuring all No. 1 seeds produces big ratings, despite complaints about lack of Cinderella An NCAA tournament absent Cinderellas produces a lot of bellyaching from the viewing public. But when it delivers a Final Four with No. 1 seeds playing competitive, compelling basketball, those viewers tune right back in. Don't listen if they tell you otherwise. The numbers don't lie. Advertisement The ratings have dropped from the weekend's Final Four that consisted solely of No. 1 seeds Duke, Auburn, Houston and eventual champion Florida. It was the most-watched Final Four since 2017. The numbers That's according to March Madness Men's Basketball TV, which shared the numbers on Tuesday. Per the account, Monday's championship game between Houston and Florida delivered an average of 18.1 million viewers. That's a 22% bump from last season's title game between Purdue and UConn, which was playing for a second-straight championship and may have been responsible for some viewer fatigue. The Final Four as a whole produced an average of 16.4 million viewers across its three games, representing a 21% increase from 2024 and the most since 2017's Final Four that featured South Carolina, Oregon and name brands Gonzaga and eventual champion North Carolina playing for the national title. Advertisement Viewership across the entire NCAA tournament was up a modest 3% from last season. In the end, this year's tournament produced a semifinal quartet of the nation's best teams. When they got to San Antonio they delivered. Florida's win over Auburn in one semifinal featured a standout performance from the tournament's best player, Walter Clayton Jr. and a thrilling second-half comeback from Florida to defeat its SEC rival. A lot of people tuned in to watch Walter Clayton Jr. and the Gators win a national championship. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) The other semifinal featured a monumental collapse by an always-divisive Duke team that was favored to win it all only to see its championship dreams fall to Houston in the game's final seconds. Advertisement Then Monday's championship game featured yet another stunning second-half rally, this time by Florida to overcome a 12-point second-half deficit to secure the title. It added up to dramatic, high-stakes basketball played by the nation's best teams. And people tuned in. Women's championship draws big numbers too The women's tournament also produced an optimal championship matchup of a dynastic UConn program seeking to rekindle its supremacy over the sport against the budding dynasty of South Carolina. It was a matchup of the game's two best teams and its two biggest coaches in Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma. It also featured a UConn icon in Paige Bueckers seeking her first national championship in her final chance. And while the game action didn't deliver — UConn won in a blowout — it still drew eyeballs. Sunday's championship game drew an average of 8.5 million viewers, the third-most for a women's title game since ESPN began broadcasting on its networks in 1996.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Final Four featuring all No. 1 seeds produced big ratings, despite complaints about lack of Cinderellas
Final Four featuring all No. 1 seeds produced big ratings, despite complaints about lack of Cinderellas An NCAA tournament absent Cinderellas produces a lot of bellyaching from the viewing public. But when it delivers a Final Four with No. 1 seeds playing competitive, compelling basketball, those viewers tune right back in. Don't listen if they tell you otherwise. The numbers don't lie. Advertisement The ratings have dropped from the weekend's Final Four that consisted solely of No. 1 seeds Duke, Auburn, Houston and eventual champion Florida. It was the most-watched Final Four since 2017. The numbers That's according to March Madness Men's Basketball TV, which shared the numbers on Tuesday. Per the account, Monday's championship game between Houston and Florida delivered an average of 18.1 million viewers. That's a 22% bump from last season's title game between Purdue and UConn, which was playing for a second-straight championship and may have been responsible for some viewer fatigue. The Final Four as a whole produced and average of 16.4 million viewers across its three games, representing a 21% increase from 2024 and the most since 2017's Final Four that featured South Carolina, Oregon and name brands Gonzaga and eventual champion North Carolina playing for the national title. Advertisement Viewership across the entire NCAA tournament was up a modest 3% from last season. In the end, this year's tournament produced a semifinal quartet of the nation's best teams. When they got to San Antonio they delivered. Florida's win over Auburn in one semifinal featured a standout performance from the tournament's best player, Walter Clayton Jr. and a thrilling second-half comeback from Florida to defeat its SEC rival. A lot of people tuned in to watch Walter Clayton Jr. and the Gators win a national championship. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) The other semifinal featured a monumental collapse by an always-divisive Duke team that was favored to win it all only to see it's championship dreams fall to Houston in the game's final seconds. Advertisement Then Monday's championship game feature yet another stunning second-half rally, this time by Florida to overcome a 12-point second-half deficit to secure the title. It added up to dramatic, high-stakes basketball played by the nation's best teams. And people tuned in. Women's championship draws big numbers too The women's tournament also produced an optimal championship matchup of a dynastic UConn program seeking to rekindle its supremacy over the sport against the budding dynasty of South Carolina. It was a matchup of the game's two best teams and its two biggest coaches in Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma. It also featured a UConn icon in Paige Bueckers seeking her first national championship in her final chance. And while the game action didn't deliver — UConn won in a blowout — it still drew in the eyeballs. Sunday's championship game drew an average of 8.5 million viewers, the third-most for a women's title game since ESPN began broadcasting on its networks in 1996.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Previewing the UEFA Women's Champions League Semifinal
Featuring a stacked foursome of global giants, the UEFA Women's Champions League semifinals are set to be appointment television. The UEFA Women's Champions League is down to its final four, and you couldn't have picked bigger clubs to reach this stage of the competition. Barcelona, Lyon, Chelsea, and Arsenal are titans of their industry, all with ambitions of hoisting a trophy in Lisbon next month. There are no Cinderellas who are merely happy to be here in this grouping. As we brace ourselves for what's set to be a confluence of giants, let's break down each club and their chances of bringing home the coveted Champions League trophy. The two-time defending champions and quite possibly the standard for women's club football, FC Barcelona Femeni once again find themselves within reaching distance of a UWCL title. In last year's final, Barça finally disposed of Lyon — who they had previously lost to in both the 2019 and 2022 championship matches — and the stars may very well align for a rematch in 2025. However, they'll first have to get past a stacked Chelsea side (more on them later), which will be no easy feat — just ask Manchester City. Barcelona still have an embarrassment of riches throughout their roster, including the top three Ballon d'Or finishers from last year, Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen, and Salma Parauello. In fact, Barcelona currently roster five out of the top 11 vote recipients of last year's award. Superteam might be an understatement. What's even wilder, is the club might be better than it was last year, thanks to the addition of Ewa Pajor from Wolfsburg, who's put together an absurd season, amassing 30 goal contributions (22 goals, eight assists) in 25 games across all competitions. The usual suspects of Bonmati, Graham Hansen, Claudia Pina, Patri Guijarro, and — oh yeah — Alexia Putellas, have all put together strong campaigns as well. Then there's Mapi Leon, who's doing things like this in the UWCL quarters against Wolfsburg. Parauello, one of the world's top young talents, missed the first 12 Liga F matches of the season with a lingering knee injury, but she's since returned back to her lethal self and scored three goals over the two legs against Wolfsburg. All of this to say — Barcelona remain the clear front runners in this competition. They've won 22 out of 24 Liga F matches thus far, with a ridiculous +81 goal differential (96 for, 15 against). Add to that a +31 GD through seven UWCL games, and you have a team that's simply operating on another level. It's them, then everyone else. But Chelsea are no slouches either. Looking to shove the immovable object that is Barcelona, Chelsea have been somewhat of an unstoppable force of their own this season. Sitting atop the WSL undefeated with four matches to play, the Blues employ a stacked roster, even without million-dollar transfer Naomi Girma, who went down with a calf injury in her club debut, and Sam Kerr, who tore her ACL last January. Their numbers aren't as gaudy as Barcelona's, but any combination of Mayra Ramirez, Lauren James, Agnes Beever-Jones, Guro Reiten, or Catarina Macario up front makes for an intimidating attack, and a defense anchored by Lucy Bronze, Sandy Baltimore, and Millie Bright has allowed just 13 goals through 18 WSL matches this season. Perhaps the highlight of Chelsea's year thus far came in the UWCL quarterfinals against Manchester City, where they put together a domineering 3-0 second leg victory after falling down 2-0 in the first leg. All three goals came in the first half, where Chelsea put on an absolute clinic and probably should've had more to show for it. If they can maintain that kind of play against Barcelona, it's not totally out of the question for them to pull off an upset. Before Barcelona Femení were the talk of the women's football world, there was (and still is) Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. The French powerhouse has the most UWCL titles with eight — double that of second-most Eintracht Frankfurt — and has put together a dominant 2024-25 campaign. With three games left to play in the Première Ligue season, Lyon are undefeated, winning 18 matches and drawing one. Their +81 goal differential matches that of Barcelona, and should they finish the job, it'll be their fifth undefeated season since 2017-18. Lyon have lost just three league matches in that eight-season span, and have long been the class of women's football. Leading the charge offensively is 21-year-old Haitian international Melchie Dumornay, who, after showing promise in her first year with the club last season, is in full breakout mode in 2024-25. In 23 matches across all competitions, she's tallied 27 goal contributions (19 goals, eight assists), and should be in the running for a Ballon d'Or. A UWCL trophy would certainly help her cause. Joining Dumornay in the attack are veterans Kadidiatou Diani and Tabitha Chawinga, while a dynamic midfield featuring Lindsey Heaps, Damaris Egurrola, and Dzennifer Marozsán provide a wealth of experience. Vanessa Gilles and Wendie Renard — one of the best center back pairings in the world — anchor the back line along with Ellie Carpenter on the right and a platoon of Sofie Svava and Selma Bacha on the left. The entire lineup from front to back is capable of scoring, making Lyon one of the most dangerous teams in the world, and they'll be looking for their get-back should they face Barcelona in the final. But a pesky Arsenal side will first stand in their way. After a lukewarm start to the season, Arsenal sacked manager Jonas Eidevall and have since lost just one WSL match and find themselves looking to return to the UWCL finals for the first time since winning it all in 2007. The rejuvenated North London side eked out a quarterfinal win against Real Madrid in similar fashion to Chelsea — winning the second leg 3-0 after falling 2-0 in the first. The Gunners' resilience is the product of a roster with plenty of big match experience — Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, and Lotte Wubben-Moy were all part of the Lioness squad that took home the 2022 EURO title, and Mariona Caldentey was an integral part of Spain's 2023 World Cup campaign. An American and Australian contingent consisting of Emily Fox, Jenna Nighswonger, Caitlin Foord, and Steph Catley bring some verve of their own, and Dutch keeper Daphne von Domslaar is among the best shot stoppers in the world. Like fellow London side Chelsea, Arsenal have an uphill battle in front of them, but don't expect them to be intimidated by their opponents. As much as we'd love for an upset or two to occur, Barcelona and Lyon are simply too stacked to bet against. But while our picks might be boring, these semifinal ties — along with the ensuing title match — will be appointment television. A heated UWCL final rematch is in the cards, and we can expect a packed Estádio José Alvalade come May.
New York Times
08-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Florida's Alijah Martin will talk about his second chance at the Final Four forever
SAN ANTONIO — When Alijah Martin went to the Final Four two years ago, he played maybe the best game of his career in the national semifinals, scoring 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds. But ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic, one of a handful of Cinderellas that stole hearts that spring, lost to San Diego State 72-71 on a buzzer-beater that night, sending Martin and the Owls back to Boca Raton. Advertisement Fast forward a year, and Martin was off to Florida, one of seven transfers brought in by third-year coach Todd Golden in hopes of building a championship contender, and doing so quickly. That Martin had Final Four experience was ideal. But if his Gators teammates were curious about it, Martin didn't share much — and that was on purpose. 'I don't talk about it,' he explained earlier this week, ''cause we didn't win.' But he'll be talking about this one, he hollered as confetti rained down in the Alamodome, 'for the rest of my life!' Martin scored seven points Monday, including two huge free throws with 46.5 seconds left that gave Florida its first lead of the second half, helping the Gators battle back from 12 down and then hang on for a wild 65-63 win over Houston for the national championship. It is Florida's third title and its first since the Gators completed their back-to-back in 2007. And it is a full-circle moment for the fifth-year senior, the last stop on a Final Four redemption tour with a finale Martin had been fighting for — for himself, and for the FAU Owls. 'I feel like this one was for my boys in Boca,' Martin said as he tied a piece of the net around his championship cap. 'We had a chance (in 2023) but somebody hit an unbelievable shot, and they stripped that away from us. So I did it today for the boys in Boca.' Considering his beginning in Boca Raton, Martin never would have predicted this ending. Martin's freshman year at FAU, the native of Summit, Miss., started only two games. He scored in double digits just four times, and played nine minutes or fewer in 14 games. It was, in a word, miserable. 'Man, my freshman year was crazy, bro,' he said. 'I remember being in my twin XL bed sitting here thinking like, did I choose the wrong sport? Because I could've played football. I couldn't dribble, I couldn't pass, I couldn't shoot, I couldn't defend. I started looking at myself like, yo, I'm fitting to go to Southern Miss, go play football. That's what I was thinking. Regroup, do something else.' Advertisement But he remembers this, too: 'I never cried.' Instead, he got better, partially because he learned the value of doing things other than scoring. He became a reliable defender, a ferocious rebounder and, when necessary, a solid scorer. His fourth year at FAU was his best, as he earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors after averaging 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds. With a fifth year of eligibility because of COVID-19, he hit the transfer portal last spring. He included a no-contact notice with his entry, as he didn't want to be 'bombarded' by schools he had no interest in. Instead, Martin studied which teams would fit his style. Florida awed him with a 'crazy power point presentation.' He's a visual learner, he said, and the Gators staff showed him what it would look like to achieve all his dreams — including a return trip to the Final Four. But the adjustment to UF, and the SEC, was anything but smooth. 'You go from building relationships with guys for three or four years to switching teams, building new relationships with new personalities,' Martin said, 'you gotta learn new names, and I'm terrible with names!' In Martin the Gators got an athletic guard who could score, defend and dunk (thunderously, as he reminded everyone Saturday in the semifinals). They also got a ruthless trash talker, a player who loves to run his mouth all game, all practice, all the time. 'He'll do it like he wants somebody to hear it,' said teammate Will Richard, rolling his eyes. 'I'm more discreet with mine.' Australia native Alex Condon remembered having a rough practice after returning from an exhibition match. 'He was like, 'I didn't know Australians were so soft,' Condon said of Martin. 'He kept saying that the whole practice. It really got me fired up.' Golden laughed when asked about Martin's chatter, and the read-between-the-lines answer was clear: Not much of what Martin says is suitable for print (or work). But the impact of what he says goes beyond a clever line or snappy vocabulary. Advertisement When UConn traveled to Gainesville in December 2022 and thumped the Gators 75-54 just 10 games into Golden's UF tenure, it was an eye-opener for everyone. Richard, the only significant player left from that roster, remembers the intensity the Huskies brought every single possession 'even when they were up 20.' UConn went on to win two consecutive national titles, the first program to do so since Florida had gone back-to-back. If Florida wanted to win again at that level, it needed a similar toughness. Enter Martin. 'He's an incredible competitor,' Golden said. 'His addition to our program this past offseason has lifted us to another level. Not just for the program, but for individual players in the way they compete. He really gets after it, has a great sense of competition and mentality. It has definitely bled to the rest of the crew.' That trash talk has been timely, too. One of Martin's favorite places to yak is at the free-throw line because 'I'll be bored,' he said. 'It's like 20 seconds of just weird, awkward silence.' He put that skill to use against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. With Florida on the brink of becoming the first 1-seed to bow out, Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin stepped to the line with 2:08 to play and the Red Raiders leading by a possession. Florida had just reeled off a quick 6-0 run, and Walter Clayton Jr. was heating up. Toppin shot 68 percent from the line this season, but was feeling pressure after Tech's Darrion Williams had missed the front end of a one-and-one only 35 seconds earlier. Martin pounced. 'The second one he was saying something like, 'You can't miss another one, because we're coming right here,'' Condon recalled. 'And then he (Toppin) missed short.' Martin's biggest trash-talking tip, for those looking to improve, is 'randomness.' He couldn't get much more detailed than that, he said, because he needs to be in the moment, feeding off the crowd, the energy and the vibe of the game. Advertisement Monday night, the vibe of the game was not great for long stretches. Clayton couldn't hit, the Gators were uncharacteristically sloppy with the basketball and a combined 25 fouls the second half killed any offensive flow. But Martin, who'd scored 17 points in the semifinal win over Auburn, swore he didn't panic. The Gators have had a habit of dramatic comebacks this NCAA Tournament, and he adamantly believes they are 'built for the challenge, built for the last moment of the game, built for everything.' Then Martin had to go — to pose for photos draped around the national championship trophy, to dance in the confetti, to chest bump his teammates while screaming 'we're national champs!' But first, he had to give another shoutout to his guys, the ones who brought him here the first time and planted a dream in him to get back. Could FAU nation get an Owls up, FAU's signature hand gesture, someone asked. Martin didn't hesitate. 'It's in my veins, baby.'
