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The Herald Scotland
31-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
UCLA softball beats Oregon in WCWS with walk-off home run
The ball landed just over the fence in center field and into the hands of a fan in attendance. "We just have an unwavering faith in each other and what we are doing," UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez told NCAA sideline reporter Michella Chester after the game. THE GAME ALWAYS KNOWS!! JESSICA CLEMENTS WALK-OFF HOMER TO TAKE GAME ONE!! #GoBruins — UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 30, 2025 Ramirez played a key role in the game for the Bruins, going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run. The Bruins held a 2-1 lead going into the final inning before the Ducks tied the game after a controversial obstruction call at home plate. Oregon's Paige Sinicki slid toward home plate but was tagged by Ramirez, who appeared to have her foot on the plate. The Ducks challenged the call and were awarded the run after the call was reversed. Oregon ties it in the top of the 7th on ESPN2 ???? After review, UCLA was called for obstruction on the game-tying play. — espnW (@espnW) May 30, 2025 WCWS bracket 2025: Scores, schedule, matchups for NCAA softball tournament As a result of the victory, the Bruins will advance to the winner's bracket, while Oregon falls into the loser's bracket and will play Ole Miss Friday night to try to keep their championship hopes alive. The Bruins dramatic home run was the second walk-off homer on the opening day of the Women's College World Series. Earlier Thursday, Oklahoma's Ella Parker hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Sooners to a 4-3 comeback victory over Tennessee. It was also UCLA's second walk-off homer in less than a week. UCLA was one out from elimination in Game 2 of the super regionals before Jordan Woolery hit a game-winning home run in the seventh inning to beat the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Bruins went on to win Game 3 of the super regional to advance to the WCWS. Who will UCLA softball play next? UCLA will play Texas Tech on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Texas Tech beat Ole Miss 1-0 with Lauren Allred scoring a run in the fourth inning after scoring on an error.
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Browns draft LB Carson Schwesinger: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel
The Cleveland Browns have added to their linebacker corps by selecting UCLA's Carson Schwesinger with the No. 33 pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Schwesinger came on strong in 2024, his first full season as a starter for the Bruins, leading all FBS players with 90 solo tackles. For the season, he recorded 136 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks and two interceptions. Those stats earned Schwesinger first-team All-American honors by the Associated Press and a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award (given to college football's top linebacker). Advertisement A former walk-on, Schwesinger was a special teams ace and backup linebacker before his breakout campaign. In 12 games last season, Schwesinger had nine games with at least 10 tackles — including a single-game high of 17 against Washington on Nov. 15. In the Bruins' win over Iowa on Nov. 8, he recorded the only two interceptions of his college career and had his only multisack game against Minnesota on Oct. 12. Schwesinger was the second-rated linebacker — behind Alabama's Jihaad Campbell — on The Athletic draft expert Dane Brugler's big board. Schwesinger ranked No. 38 in Brugler's top 300 big board. Here's what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide: 'A player in perpetual chase mode, Schwesinger is lightning quick in his key-and-react processing. He flies to the football with an innate feel for beating blockers to the spot and navigating box traffic to stay clean. I want to see more shock and leverage in his hands when he does take on contact. Overall, Schwesinger is an easy player to appreciate, because he is a tractor beam to the ball, a consistent finisher as a tackler and always plays at full speed to close on plays in a blink. He has the instincts, demeanor and cover talent to be a four-down NFL starter early in his NFL career.' Carson Schwesinger does it all 💪 The Butkus Award Semifinalist continues his amazing season.#GoBruins — UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) November 9, 2024 Come back later for more analysis of Schwesinger.
New York Times
05-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
UCLA was trounced by UConn, but can the Bruins get back to the Final Four next season?
TAMPA — As the UCLA starters congregated before tip-off against UConn, joy radiated from the Bruins. The players had emphasized in the days leading up to the national semifinal that they expected to be at the Final Four – they were the No. 1 overall seed, after all – but they couldn't hide their smiles when the moment arrived. Advertisement On the other side of the court, the Huskies were all business. No one on UConn's roster would be satisfied, let alone happy, if the season were to end Friday. The difference between a program experiencing its first Final Four in the NCAA Tournament era and one in its 24th, seeking its 12th national title, could not have been more stark. And the disparity bore out during the contest, as the Huskies decisively took down the newcomers, 85-51, the largest margin of victory ever in a Final Four game. For all of the success the Bruins achieved in a historic season in Los Angeles, they didn't come close to matching the level of UConn. They couldn't complete passes in the half court and turned the ball over on multiple dribble hand-offs. They rushed what open shots they could create. They seemed lost on their defensive execution, miscommunicating on how to handle the Huskies' screening actions inside the arc. UConn played what its coach Geno Auriemma called a mistake-free game. UCLA was uncharacteristically sloppy. The Bruins lost the game with 14 turnovers in the first half, leading to 19 points for the Huskies; UCLA only had 22 points total at intermission. 'We got exposed,' coach Cori Close said. 'We got our butts kicked today. And it stings right now.' 🔵🔵🔵🔵#GoBruins — UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) April 5, 2025 The Bruins had been in big games throughout the season. A showdown against the then-undefeated defending champions in November. Two matchups against USC with Big Ten regular-season title implications. The conference championship against those same Trojans. And the escalating scale of each game in the NCAA Tournament. Those experiences weren't enough to prepare them for what awaited against UConn. Something about the Final Four, with the eyes of the entire women's basketball community on that singular game, caused UCLA to shrink in the limelight. Close acknowledged that she wasn't a good enough leader in her first trip to this stage, saying, 'The reality is you have to go experience it.' 'It's hard when we haven't been in this moment, but I still think that we're obviously a much better team than what we showed today,' junior guard Kiki Rice said. Advertisement The Bruins won't be able to back up that statement until next season, but they could return the entirety of their roster. Only Angela Dugalić is a senior, and she still has an additional year of eligibility due to medically redshirting the 2022-23 season. All of the continuity this team has built can be carried forward. But there are no guarantees. Dugalić could go pro, as could Lauren Betts (though she has repeatedly rejected that possibility since she wants to play with her sister) and junior Janiah Barker. Anyone could enter the transfer portal. And what was mostly a healthy season in 2024-25 doesn't have to be next year. UCLA is poised for future success and has taken meaningful steps forward since this core arrived on campus as the No. 1 recruiting class in 2022. That doesn't mean progress is linear. Across town, USC was a title contender less than two weeks ago and is now entering the 2025-26 season with two rotation players from their Elite Eight team. Los Angeles Sparks coach Lynne Roberts, who was in attendance Friday supporting Close, coached a Utah team that came within two free throws of beating eventual champion LSU in the 2023 NCAA Tournament; the Utes brought back everyone who averaged more than 10 minutes the following year but suffered injuries and couldn't recapture the same magic. Opportunities have to be seized in the moment. To be two games away from a national championship and play their worst game of the season should haunt the Bruins. 'Our urgency and our competitiveness, I think we kind of lacked that a little bit today, just recognizing that this is the Final Four and our season is on the line,' Betts said. 'We really need to recognize the moment that we're in and play like it.' This group at UCLA has bounced back from failures and disappointments. Blowing a fourth-quarter lead in the Sweet 16 to LSU motivated the entire team to improve its toughness in the offseason. Losing the Big Ten regular-season title led to a players-only meeting that resulted in a conference tournament title. Advertisement They know how to take the requisite lessons from defeat and get better in the process. When Betts said postgame she hoped the loss would fuel them and inspire some anger in her teammates, she has witnessed that first-hand. Since 1995, when UConn won its first championship, only two teams have won it all in their first trip to the Final Four. Baylor defeated a fellow first-timer (Michigan State) in 2005, and Texas A&M beat a three-time semifinalist in Notre Dame. The experience gap for the Bruins and the Huskies was much larger than either of those situations. Regardless of their internal expectations, there isn't much surprise in UCLA coming up short in this attempt. This is the only time that the Bruins get to use this excuse, though. Now, they know the standard they need to live up to from the moment they begin offseason workouts and fall practices. UConn has turned the Final Four into an annual rite of passage for its program. For UCLA, this has to be another stepping stone as the Bruins continue their pursuit of that standard. (Photo of Lauren Betts: Thien-An Truong / ISI Photos / Getty Images)
New York Times
17-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
2025 Women's March Madness bracket picks: Why Chantel Jennings picked UCLA to win it all
The bracket is finalized. The 68 teams have been revealed. You can print your bracket here and play along. Here's my full bracket and early thoughts on what should be a fantastic road to the Final Four. The committee is supposed to give the least difficult Final Four road to the No. 1 overall seed, and UCLA got just that. The Bruins' biggest weapon is 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts and while there are some particular matchups (both against her and ones that spread the floor) that could challenge UCLA, the Bruins won't be seeing any of those before Tampa. Advertisement Even in the Elite Eight — which many coaches consider to be the toughest hurdle of March Madness — UCLA would face third-seeded LSU, a team that has a dominant rebounder in Aneesah Morrow, but not exactly a match for Betts' all-around game. The best option the Tigers have to go toe-to-toe with Betts (in terms of her height) is 6-6 sophomore Aalyah Del Rosario, but the former top-10 recruit has only averaged six minutes a game this season and wouldn't be able to hang with Betts on either end of the floor. Does this pick give me the tiniest bit of the ick? Yes, yes it does. Do I still have flashbacks to sitting courtside in Albany last season and watching as the Bruins seemingly refuse to get the ball into Betts against LSU? You betcha. (Spoiler: UCLA lost.) And yet, here we are. It's official, your Bruins are THE No. 1️⃣ seed! 🤩#GoBruins — UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 17, 2025 This is the most talented roster UCLA coach Cori Close has ever had. The Bruins have advanced to the Elite Eight twice (most recently in 2018), but never past it. This is the year the Bruins' fate changes. Not only do I think UCLA makes it to the Final Four, I think they ride Betts' interior dominance all the way to the 'ship, giving UCLA women's basketball its first national title. I would not put it past Mulkey to ensure that the broadcast audience that tuned in to watch ESPN's selection show saw Flau'jae Johnson and Morrow — two of the Tiger's big three — sitting in the middle of the team, both clad in walking boots. In a post-selection media availability, Mulkey said they're both good to go. But did that initial image make me wonder about LSU's path? Sure did. That said, I think Johnson, Morrow and Mikayla Williams are going to be enough for the Tigers to advance to the Elite Eight. Morrow, an absolute rebounding machine, won't see the kind of challenge that could best her until Betts in Spokane. As active as Morrow can be on the glass, ultimately, the Bruins would have the upper hand in that battle. Why not us?! — LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) March 17, 2025 Three teams into the NCAA Tournament. Pretty wild when you consider how few conferences — outside of the power conferences — have ever accomplished this. The most recent non-power conference (outside of a conference with UConn in it) to land more than two teams in the Big Dance was the American in 2018. But now, add the Ivy — a league that doesn't even award athletic scholarships. Advertisement With Harvard, Princeton and Columbia in the Big Dance, I'm looking at Harvard — reigning Ivy League tournament champs — to advance the furthest. Yes, this means only to the second round, where it'd face one hell of a matchup with NC State's backcourt, but still. Tune in for two games worth of Harmoni Turner. You won't regret it. 2K. Harmoni Turner becomes just the third player in program history to surpass 2,000 career points.#GoCrimson x #BelieveIt — Harvard Women's Basketball (@HarvardWBB) March 15, 2025 The Wolfpack made a run to last season's Final Four, and with its vaunted backcourt — Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James, Zoe Brooks — looking to run it back, Wes Moore's crew can make it almost as far. The Wolfpack's issue this season has been its lack of a dominant interior presence that it had a year ago with River Baldwin. Tilda Trygger, the 6-6 freshman forward, has come on well toward the end of the season, but I'm not sure she's enough of an answer, even with her growth at this point in the year, for the Wolfpack to beat the Tigers. These teams faced off in December, with LSU winning by 17. Morrow finished with 15 rebounds in that game, just nine shy of the entire NC State team. Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time 1987. In Tara VanDerveer's first year of retirement, that 36-year streak is officially over. But the VanDerveer streak does live on. Heidi VanDerveer, the younger sister of Tara, led UC San Diego to the Big West tournament title as a No. 4 seed. The Tritons are in the play-in game for the No. 16 seed that gets to take the court against UCLA in Westwood. The Gamecocks played the toughest schedule in the country and had the most Quad 1 wins (16) — three more than the overall No. 1 seed UCLA (which played the sixth-toughest schedule). But the head-to-head loss to the Bruins in November and an uncompetitive loss to UConn in February ultimately edged UCLA ahead of South Carolina. Advertisement The Gamecocks aren't quite as elite as they've been the last two seasons, but I have plenty of reasons to believe they will get to the Final Four. For starters, I just don't see a matchup in Birmingham 2 that sticks out to me as potentially insurmountable for the Gamecocks (e.g. there aren't any teams in SC's path that can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc and can also contend with its transition game). Additionally, no team enters the postseason with fresher legs than South Carolina. The Gamecocks' five starters have averaged slightly more than 22 minutes a game with their three main reserves averaging a similar clip at just more than 20 minutes per game. That depth separates South Carolina on the national stage, especially when compared to the usage of other contenders' starters (UCLA: 26, USC: 29, Texas: 25, UConn: 26). But South Carolina lacks two key components from last season's undefeated national title run — a trump card in the paint and elite 3-point shooting. As good as Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin have been inside, 6-7 Kamilla Cardoso they are not. On the outside, the Gamecocks went from being among the top one percent of 3-point shooting teams nationally a season ago (by percentage) to middle-of-the-pack this season, with only Tessa Johnson knocking down 40-plus percent of her attempts. When South Carolina finally meets an opponent that knocks down 3s and keeps pace, trouble could then crop up. In my bracket, that's not until Tampa when South Carolina hits the floor against Notre Dame. The benefit of getting one of the top 16 overall seeds in the women's NCAA Tournament is that you get to play the first two rounds on your home court, which should give you the advantage. There can also be increased pressure in this situation — notably, Caitlin Clark talked about how she was eager to finally get out of Iowa City to play at a neutral site during the last two tournaments. Every year, a handful of teams ultimately fall at home. In my bracket this season, I have three teams losing at home: Maryland, Ohio State and Kentucky. Maryland coach Brenda Frese has a knack for getting her teams to show up in March, but I'm just not confident in the Terrapins this season. On a few big stages so far — the Coretta Scott King Classic against Texas, the Big Ten tournament — Maryland didn't put together four quarters. Against tough (and tested) Alabama, I think their season comes to an end. Advertisement Oregon State dubbed itself 'America's Favorite Team' a season ago in a run to the Sweet 16 as the sun set on the Pac-12. But that roster was pretty much dismantled during the offseason as most of the Beavers' top players opted to transfer, remaining on power conference rosters, instead of following Oregon State on its journey into the West Coast Conference. In total: Oregon State lost 82 percent of its offense. But as a No. 4 seed in the WCC tournament, with their backs up against the wall, the Beavers — again — made an unlikely run to the tournament title, grabbing the WCC's auto bid. The Beavers went 19-15 this season but won 10 of their final 12 games — the kind of momentum that can propel a team forward in March. That said, a draw against North Carolina on the Tar Heels home court isn't exactly the makings for another Cinderella story. Impressive to see what Scott Rueck has done with this group, but hard to imagine the Beavers advancing out of Chapel Hill. The committee is supposed to do what it can to ensure that conference opponents don't face one another until the Sweet 16, but there's something pretty cheeky about North Carolina and Duke lining up in the Sweet 16. Tobacco Road in Birmingham? We'll take it. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils split their two games this season, with each team winning at home. UNC won the first matchup in overtime, 53-46, overcoming 26 turnovers. In the second game, with North Carolina's Alyssa Ustby and Reniya Kelly out and with Duke freshman Toby Fournier having a much better game, the Blue Devils put up a decisive 15-point victory. The Blue Devils won the ACC tournament, but I like UNC's chances in this best-of-three ACC challenge. With a full-health Tar Heel squad, UNC can finish the job and get the reward of facing South Carolina … again. The Gamecocks have ended UNC's season in two of the last three tournaments — in 2024, in the second round; in 2022, in the Sweet 16. I'll be honest: I kind of feel like I'm playing with fire with this pick. After becoming the early darlings of the season while riding a 19-game winning streak, the Irish hit a rough patch lately, going 2-3 in their final five games. That skid moved Notre Dame from the one line down to a three. Yikes. Advertisement I'm equal parts excited and terrified to see Notre Dame coming out of the ACC tournament (and its hour-long chat in the locker room after losing to Duke) because I have a feeling that if this were the wrong pick, I'll know pretty quickly. This is the most talented team Notre Dame has put on the floor since the 2018 national title run. So, were those losses so galvanizing that it gets the Irish over the Sweet 16 hump that has flummoxed them the last three seasons? Or will this season come to a seemingly premature end as they say goodbye to (most likely) three starters? It could go either way. Is that a team you want to ride to the national title game? Not exactly. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Notre Dame comes out playing with the energy, joy, pace and finishing ability we saw in that early winning streak. If Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo can knock down 3s, stretching the floor to smooth over some of the Irish interior's deficiencies, I feel OK about this pick. Everyone loves a redemption story and this journey gives Notre Dame a chance to exorcise a few demons, most notably, against TCU in the Sweet 16. And then, in a rematch against Texas (Notre Dame won 80-70 in OT this December in South Bend), the Irish will truly seem back to themselves as they punch their ticket to Tampa. The Longhorns got the third No. 1 seed, but the committee didn't do them any favors with a second-round matchup (in my bracket) against Creighton or a potential Sweet 16 meeting against Tennessee. The Bluejays knock down more than nine 3-pointers a game, and eight times this season they have hit 12 or more. If they're on, that can be quite the point cushion in a game against a team like Texas, which makes just more than three per game. Ultimately, the Longhorns should pull this one out because Creighton simply doesn't have the inside presence to contend with Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre, but if you're looking for what might be the closest second-round matchup for a No. 1 seed — this could be it. Then, the Longhorns could get Tennessee in the Sweet 16. The Lady Vols sink just more than 10 a game (the fourth-most nationally). When these teams faced off in SEC play, Tennessee hit nine 3-pointers to Texas' one. Just as it did the first time around, it'll take some masterful play from Madison Booker and Taylor Jones to get past the Lady Vols, but now that Texas has seen this system, it'll be better equipped to handle it. Advertisement The Lady Vols kept their streak alive, maintaining their status as the only program that has entered every NCAA Tournament since it began in 1982. But that never felt like a certainty this season. Tennessee began the season unranked as first-year coach Kim Caldwell brought in an entirely new system (and just one season of Division I coaching experience). Caldwell's system is predicated on pace and causing chaos. It kind of seemed like every team that faced the Lady Vols this season went through an early shock to get established in the rhythm and rotation (Tennessee regularly substitutes five at a time), and it'll be interesting to see how — in coming seasons — SEC opponents adjust once they have a better handle on this system. For now, the focus is this postseason, and Tennessee won't face an opponent that has seen this system until the Sweet 16. Caldwell picks up her first two NCAA Tournament wins of her career, and the Lady Vols can feel — even if they didn't make it any further this season under Caldwell than they did in any previous season under Kellie Harper — that it took a step forward. selection show scenes 📸 — Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) March 17, 2025 p; The Wolverines as a No. 6 seed seems dangerous, and there's certainly one of those basketball angels sitting on my shoulder telling me, 'You know, Michigan could beat Notre Dame in the second round … what are you doing sending the Irish to go all the way to the title game?' To which I say: PLEASE STOP. I ALREADY FEEL SHAKY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS NOTRE DAME PICK, ANGEL. With a team heavy on freshmen (Michigan starts three — Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway), there were a lot of ups and downs this year, but a three-day run in the Big Ten tournament, with wins over Washington and then-No. 15 Maryland, as well as a good loss to then-No. 2 USC, seems like a nice way to set up a run. I don't expect the Wolverines to make a Final Four run, but a good showing in the second round (against a team I have in the finals) seems more than doable. This is, after all, the team that nearly upset South Carolina during the first week of the season. These freshmen have shown they aren't shaken by big stages. Can they carry that through on the biggest stage yet of their young careers? We'll see. (But also, watch out Big Ten, next season, the Wolverines are coming.) USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb didn't mince words when she reacted to the Trojans' spot as the last No. 1 seed. 'I never thought I'd be a one seed and feel disrespected,' she said. 'I thought there would be very little chance we'd be the No. 4 overall. … This was not on my bingo card — to be frustrated after being a one seed.' So, here we are. The question is: How does this frustration (if it translates to the players, too) manifest? The Trojans have the best player in the country in JuJu Watkins, but now, it has a path that's … not enviable. Advertisement A second-round reunion with former Pac-12 competitor (and Gottlieb's former team) Cal awaits in the second round, but things really start to get dicey in the Sweet 16. If Ayoka Lee is healthy and ready to go for Kansas State (more on that in the next blurb), then USC basically has another Betts-like challenge ahead, in addition to some darn good shooters around her. In the Elite Eight, we'd have a rematch of last season's Elite Eight. The difference? It'd be in Spokane instead of Portland, and Watkins is a more experienced sophomore while Paige Bueckers has an even greater sense of urgency. If I'm Gottlieb, this isn't exactly the path I want to see after playing a season in which the Trojans won the Big Ten regular season and went 13-3 against Quad 1 opponents while playing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country. (For comparison's sake: Texas went 14-3 against Quad 1 opponents and played the nation's second-toughest schedule.) Lindsay Gottlieb was not happy with USC being the 4th overall No. 1 seed. 'I never thought I'd be a 1 seed and feel disrespected,' Gottlieb said. 'Sometimes I don't understand the people who make decisions in women's college basketball and why they do what they do.' — Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) March 17, 2025 The Huskies' run in this year's postseason feels directly tied to how well they'll shoot the ball from long range. They ended the season with the sixth-best 3-point shooting percentage in the country (38 percent), but in their losses, 3-point shooting was the statistic that proved to be a harbinger of UConn's fate. In its three losses, it averaged 24 percent 3-point shooting. Without a truly dominant interior presence, this is what can separate the Huskies in a hurry. Paige Bueckers (41 percent), Azzi Fudd (43 percent) and Ashlynn Shade (41 percent) are all distance shooters, while Sarah Strong (37 percent) and Kaitlyn Chen (38 percent) aren't far behind. When they're knocking down 3s, UConn can beat anyone. When they're not … it gets a little bit dicey. Of all the home-court advantages that will exist in the first two rounds, I'd have to think Storrs will provide the toughest for opponents given the expected fan turnout for (presumably) Bueckers' final two games on campus. With that energy in the arena, it's hard to see any team knocking off UConn. In the Sweet 16, I have the Huskies facing Oklahoma, a particularly interesting matchup considering that Oklahoma center Raegan Beers' two finalists after entering the portal last offseason were: Oklahoma and … UConn. Given that she's in a Sooners uniform, we know how that went. While I don't love any one-on-one matchup for UConn against Beers, I think the Huskies' guard play can flip the switch on this game and advance UConn into an Elite Eight rematch with USC. Every part of UConn would need to operate at 100 percent for the Huskies to have a chance to beat USC, but I saw what the Huskies did in Columbia in February with my own eyes, so I know it's possible. USC beat UConn by two points earlier this season, but Fudd played only eight minutes (and went 0-of-4 from the floor). This was the most-watched regular-season game this season, and it has a chance to be the best game of the postseason with the star power of Watkins and Bueckers, and with a ticket to Tampa on the line. Advertisement All eyes are on Lexington as No. 5 seed Kansas State takes the floor. It's been true all season, but it's especially true now — Kansas State's ceiling is markedly different depending on whether 6-6 Lee is 100 percent (or somewhere close to it). She has appeared in just 19 games this season (averaging 18 minutes per game), but she's reportedly good to go for the NCAA Tournament. If that's the case, the Wildcats will be dangerous. Point guard Serena Sundell leads power conference players in assists (7.1 per game), and Kansas State has three players who knock down at least 41 percent of their 3-pointers: Temira Poindexter, Jaelynn Glenn and Taryn Sides. Kansas State would likely face Kentucky in the second round. So, let's talk more about those Wildcats. A massive amount of credit needs to flow Kenny Brooks' way for what he has done at Kentucky this season. No. 22 in the preseason AP poll felt a little ambitious for a roster that was entirely new, a first-year coach at Kentucky and a program that hasn't been nationally relevant in a decade. Oh, how much can change in a few months. Georgia Amoore, the fifth-year Aussie point guard, ranks second among power conference players with seven assists a game as she balances 6-5 sophomore center Clara Strack (who averages a points-rebounds double-double and tacks on 2.6 assists and 2.4 blocks per game for good measure). Amoore and Brooks took a trip to the Final Four together two seasons ago when the pair was at Virginia Tech. If Lee ultimately doesn't play or have the impact she's capable of when fully healthy, this game becomes interesting, especially since it would be played on Kentucky's home court. But if Lee is in the game and healthy, she'd hold the advantage over Strack and 6-3 forward Amelia Hassett. (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos of Madison Booker, JuJu Watkins, Lauren Betts and Chloe Kitts: Andy Lyons, Michael Hickey / Getty Images, David Yeazell / AP Photo)
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2024 Women's March Madness bracket picks: Why Chantel Jennings picked UCLA to win it all
The bracket is finalized. The 68 teams have been revealed. You can print your bracket here and play along. Here's my full bracket and early thoughts on what should be a fantastic road to the Final Four. The committee is supposed to give the least difficult Final Four road to the No. 1 overall seed, and UCLA got just that. The Bruins' biggest weapon is 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts and while there are some particular matchups (both against her and ones that spread the floor) that could challenge UCLA, the Bruins won't be seeing any of those before Tampa. Even in the Elite Eight — which many coaches consider to be the toughest hurdle of March Madness — UCLA would face third-seeded LSU, a team that has a dominant rebounder in Aneesah Morrow, but not exactly a match for Betts' all-around game. The best option the Tigers have to go toe-to-toe with Betts (in terms of her height) is 6-6 sophomore Aalyah Del Rosario, but the former top-10 recruit has only averaged six minutes a game this season and wouldn't be able to hang with Betts on either end of the floor. Does this pick give me the tiniest bit of the ick? Yes, yes it does. Do I still have flashbacks to sitting courtside in Albany last season and watching as the Bruins seemingly refuse to get the ball into Betts against LSU? You betcha. (Spoiler: UCLA lost.) And yet, here we official, your Bruins are THE No. 1️⃣ seed! 🤩#GoBruins UCLA Women's Basketball (@UCLAWBB) March 17, 2025 This is the most talented roster UCLA coach Cori Close has ever had. The Bruins have advanced to the Elite Eight twice (most recently in 2018), but never past it. This is the year the Bruins' fate changes. Not only do I think UCLA makes it to the Final Four, I think they ride Betts' interior dominance all the way to the 'ship, giving UCLA women's basketball its first national title. I would not put it past Mulkey to ensure that the broadcast audience that tuned in to watch ESPN's selection show saw Flau'jae Johnson and Morrow — two of the Tiger's big three — sitting in the middle of the team, both clad in walking boots. In a post-selection media availability, Mulkey said they're both good to go. But did that initial image make me wonder about LSU's path? Sure did. That said, I think Johnson, Morrow and Mikayla Williams are going to be enough for the Tigers to advance to the Elite Eight. Morrow, an absolute rebounding machine, won't see the kind of challenge that could best her until Betts in Spokane. As active as Morrow can be on the glass, ultimately, the Bruins would have the upper hand in that not us?! LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) March 17, 2025 Three teams into the NCAA Tournament. Pretty wild when you consider how few conferences — outside of the power conferences — have ever accomplished this. The most recent non-power conference (outside of a conference with UConn in it) to land more than two teams in the Big Dance was the American in 2018. But now, add the Ivy — a league that doesn't even award athletic scholarships. With Harvard, Princeton and Columbia in the Big Dance, I'm looking at Harvard — reigning Ivy League tournament champs — to advance the furthest. Yes, this means only to the second round, where it'd face one hell of a matchup with NC State's backcourt, but still. Tune in for two games worth of Harmoni Turner. You won't regret Turner becomes just the third player in program history to surpass 2,000 career points.#GoCrimson x #BelieveIt Harvard Women's Basketball (@HarvardWBB) March 15, 2025 The Wolfpack made a run to last season's Final Four, and with its vaunted backcourt — Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James, Zoe Brooks — looking to run it back, Wes Moore's crew can make it as far. The Wolfpack's issue this season has been its lack of a dominant interior presence that it had a year ago with River Baldwin. Tilda Trygger, the 6-6 freshman forward, has come on well toward the end of the season, but I'm not sure she's enough of an answer, even with her growth at this point in the year, for the Wolfpack to beat the Tigers. These teams faced off in December, with LSU winning by 17. Morrow finished with 15 rebounds in that game, just nine shy of the NC State team. Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time 1987. In Tara VanDerveer's first year of retirement, that 36-year streak is officially over. But the VanDerveer streak does live on. Heidi VanDerveer, the younger sister of Tara, led UC San Diego to the Big West tournament title as a No. 4 seed. The Tritons are in the play-in game for the No. 16 seed that gets to take the court against UCLA in Westwood. The Gamecocks played the toughest schedule in the country and had the most Quad 1 wins (16) — three more than the overall No. 1 seed UCLA (which played the sixth-toughest schedule). But the head-to-head loss to the Bruins in November and an uncompetitive loss to UConn in February ultimately edged UCLA ahead of South Carolina. The Gamecocks aren't quite as elite as they've been the last two seasons, but I have plenty of reasons to believe they will get to the Final Four. For starters, I just don't see a matchup in Birmingham 2 that sticks out to me as potentially insurmountable for the Gamecocks (e.g. there aren't any teams in SC's path that can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc and can also contend with its transition game). Additionally, no team enters the postseason with fresher legs than South Carolina. The Gamecocks' five starters have averaged slightly more than 22 minutes a game with their three main reserves averaging a similar clip at just more than 20 minutes per game. That depth separates South Carolina on the national stage, especially when compared to the usage of other contenders' starters (UCLA: 26, USC: 29, Texas: 25, UConn: 26). But South Carolina lacks two key components from last season's undefeated national title run — a trump card in the paint and elite 3-point shooting. As good as Chloe Kitts and Sania Feagin have been inside, 6-7 Kamilla Cardoso they are not. On the outside, the Gamecocks went from being among the top one percent of 3-point shooting teams nationally a season ago (by percentage) to middle-of-the-pack this season, with only Tessa Johnson knocking down 40-plus percent of her attempts. When South Carolina finally meets an opponent that knocks down 3s and keeps pace, trouble could then crop up. In my bracket, that's not until Tampa when South Carolina hits the floor against Notre Dame. The benefit of getting one of the top 16 overall seeds in the women's NCAA Tournament is that you get to play the first two rounds on your home court, which should give you the advantage. There can also be increased pressure in this situation — notably, Caitlin Clark talked about how she was eager to finally get out of Iowa City to play at a neutral site during the last two tournaments. Every year, a handful of teams ultimately fall at home. In my bracket this season, I have three teams losing at home: Maryland, Ohio State and Kentucky. Maryland coach Brenda Frese has a knack for getting her teams to show up in March, but I'm just not confident in the Terrapins this season. On a few big stages so far — the Coretta Scott King Classic against Texas, the Big Ten tournament — Maryland didn't put together four quarters. Against tough (and tested) Alabama, I think their season comes to an end. Oregon State dubbed itself 'America's Favorite Team' a season ago in a run to the Sweet 16 as the sun set on the Pac-12. But that roster was pretty much dismantled during the offseason as most of the Beavers' top players opted to transfer, remaining on power conference rosters, instead of following Oregon State on its journey into the West Coast Conference. In total: Oregon State lost 82 percent of its offense. But as a No. 4 seed in the WCC tournament, with their backs up against the wall, the Beavers — again — made an unlikely run to the tournament title, grabbing the WCC's auto bid. The Beavers went 19-15 this season but won 10 of their final 12 games — the kind of momentum that can propel a team forward in March. That said, a draw against North Carolina on the Tar Heels home court isn't exactly the makings for another Cinderella story. Impressive to see what Scott Rueck has done with this group, but hard to imagine the Beavers advancing out of Chapel Hill. The committee is supposed to do what it can to ensure that conference opponents don't face one another until the Sweet 16, but there's something pretty cheeky about North Carolina and Duke lining up in the Sweet 16. Tobacco Road in Birmingham? We'll take it. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils split their two games this season, with each team winning at home. UNC won the first matchup in overtime, 53-46, overcoming 26 turnovers. In the second game, with North Carolina's Alyssa Ustby and Reniya Kelly out and with Duke freshman Toby Fournier having a much better game, the Blue Devils put up a decisive 15-point victory. The Blue Devils won the ACC tournament, but I like UNC's chances in this best-of-three ACC challenge. With a full-health Tar Heel squad, UNC can finish the job and get the reward of facing South Carolina … again. The Gamecocks have ended UNC's season in two of the last three tournaments — in 2024, in the second round; in 2022, in the Sweet 16. I'll be honest: I kind of feel like I'm playing with fire with this pick. After becoming the early darlings of the season while riding a 19-game winning streak, the Irish hit a rough patch lately, going 2-3 in their final five games. That skid moved Notre Dame from the one line down to a three. Yikes. I'm equal parts excited and terrified to see Notre Dame coming out of the ACC tournament (and its hour-long chat in the locker room after losing to Duke) because I have a feeling that if this were the wrong pick, I'll know pretty quickly. This is the most talented team Notre Dame has put on the floor since the 2018 national title run. So, were those losses so galvanizing that it gets the Irish over the Sweet 16 hump that has flummoxed them the last three seasons? Or will this season come to a seemingly premature end as they say goodbye to (most likely) three starters? It could go either way. Is that a team you want to ride to the national title game? Not exactly. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Notre Dame comes out playing with the energy, joy, pace and finishing ability we saw in that early winning streak. If Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo can knock down 3s, stretching the floor to smooth over some of the Irish interior's deficiencies, I feel OK about this pick. Everyone loves a redemption story and this journey gives Notre Dame a chance to exorcise a few demons, most notably, against TCU in the Sweet 16. And then, in a rematch against Texas (Notre Dame won 80-70 in OT this December in South Bend), the Irish will truly seem back to themselves as they punch their ticket to Tampa. The Longhorns got the third No. 1 seed, but the committee didn't do them any favors with a second-round matchup (in my bracket) against Creighton or a potential Sweet 16 meeting against Tennessee. The Bluejays knock down more than nine 3-pointers a game, and eight times this season they have hit 12 or more. If they're on, that can be quite the point cushion in a game against a team like Texas, which makes just more than three per game. Ultimately, the Longhorns should pull this one out because Creighton simply doesn't have the inside presence to contend with Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre, but if you're looking for what might be the closest second-round matchup for a No. 1 seed — this could be it. Then, the Longhorns could get Tennessee in the Sweet 16. The Lady Vols sink just more than 10 a game (the fourth-most nationally). When these teams faced off in SEC play, Tennessee hit nine 3-pointers to Texas' one. Just as it did the first time around, it'll take some masterful play from Madison Booker and Taylor Jones to get past the Lady Vols, but now that Texas has seen this system, it'll be better equipped to handle it. The Lady Vols kept their streak alive, maintaining their status as the only program that has entered every NCAA Tournament since it began in 1982. But that never felt like a certainty this season. Tennessee began the season unranked as first-year coach Kim Caldwell brought in an entirely new system (and just one season of Division I coaching experience). Caldwell's system is predicated on pace and causing chaos. It kind of seemed like every team that faced the Lady Vols this season went through an early shock to get established in the rhythm and rotation (Tennessee regularly substitutes five at a time), and it'll be interesting to see how — in coming seasons — SEC opponents adjust once they have a better handle on this system. For now, the focus is this postseason, and Tennessee won't face an opponent that has seen this system until the Sweet 16. Caldwell picks up her first two NCAA Tournament wins of her career, and the Lady Vols can feel — even if they didn't make it any further this season under Caldwell than they did in any previous season under Kellie Harper — that it took a step show scenes 📸 Lady Vols Basketball (@LadyVol_Hoops) March 17, 2025 p; The Wolverines as a No. 6 seed seems dangerous, and there's certainly one of those basketball angels sitting on my shoulder telling me, 'You know, Michigan could beat Notre Dame in the second round … what are you doing sending the Irish to go all the way to the title game?' To which I say: PLEASE STOP. I ALREADY FEEL SHAKY ENOUGH ABOUT THIS NOTRE DAME PICK, ANGEL. With a team heavy on freshmen (Michigan starts three — Olivia Olson, Syla Swords and Mila Holloway), there were a lot of ups and downs this year, but a three-day run in the Big Ten tournament, with wins over Washington and then-No. 15 Maryland, as well as a good loss to then-No. 2 USC, seems like a nice way to set up a run. I don't expect the Wolverines to make a Final Four run, but a good showing in the second round (against a team I have in the finals) seems more than doable. This is, after all, the team that nearly upset South Carolina during the first week of the season. These freshmen have shown they aren't shaken by big stages. Can they carry that through on the biggest stage yet of their young careers? We'll see. (But also, watch out Big Ten, next season, the Wolverines are coming.) USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb didn't mince words when she reacted to the Trojans' spot as the last No. 1 seed. 'I never thought I'd be a one seed and feel disrespected,' she said. 'I thought there would be very little chance we'd be the No. 4 overall. … This was not on my bingo card — to be frustrated after being a one seed.' So, here we are. The question is: How does this frustration (if it translates to the players, too) manifest? The Trojans have the best player in the country in JuJu Watkins, but now, it has a path that's … not enviable. A second-round reunion with former Pac-12 competitor (and Gottlieb's former team) Cal awaits in the second round, but things really start to get dicey in the Sweet 16. If Ayoka Lee is healthy and ready to go for Kansas State (more on that in the next blurb), then USC basically has another Betts-like challenge ahead, in addition to some darn good shooters around her. In the Elite Eight, we'd have a rematch of last season's Elite Eight. The difference? It'd be in Spokane instead of Portland, and Watkins is a more experienced sophomore while Paige Bueckers has an even greater sense of urgency. If I'm Gottlieb, this isn't exactly the path I want to see after playing a season in which the Trojans won the Big Ten regular season and went 13-3 against Quad 1 opponents while playing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country. (For comparison's sake: Texas went 14-3 against Quad 1 opponents and played the nation's second-toughest schedule.)Lindsay Gottlieb was not happy with USC being the 4th overall No. 1 seed.'I never thought I'd be a 1 seed and feel disrespected,' Gottlieb said.'Sometimes I don't understand the people who make decisions in women's college basketball and why they do what they do.' Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) March 17, 2025 The Huskies' run in this year's postseason feels directly tied to how well they'll shoot the ball from long range. They ended the season with the sixth-best 3-point shooting percentage in the country (38 percent), but in their losses, 3-point shooting was the statistic that proved to be a harbinger of UConn's fate. In its three losses, it averaged 24 percent 3-point shooting. Without a truly dominant interior presence, this is what can separate the Huskies in a hurry. Paige Bueckers (41 percent), Azzi Fudd (43 percent) and Ashlynn Shade (41 percent) are all distance shooters, while Sarah Strong (37 percent) and Kaitlyn Chen (38 percent) aren't far behind. When they're knocking down 3s, UConn can beat anyone. When they're not … it gets a little bit dicey. Of all the home-court advantages that will exist in the first two rounds, I'd have to think Storrs will provide the toughest for opponents given the expected fan turnout for (presumably) Bueckers' final two games on campus. With that energy in the arena, it's hard to see any team knocking off UConn. In the Sweet 16, I have the Huskies facing Oklahoma, a particularly interesting matchup considering that Oklahoma center Raegan Beers' two finalists after entering the portal last offseason were: Oklahoma and … UConn. Given that she's in a Sooners uniform, we know how that went. While I don't love any one-on-one matchup for UConn against Beers, I think the Huskies' guard play can flip the switch on this game and advance UConn into an Elite Eight rematch with USC. Every part of UConn would need to operate at 100 percent for the Huskies to have a chance to beat USC, but I saw what the Huskies did in Columbia in February with my own eyes, so I know it's possible. USC beat UConn by two points earlier this season, but Fudd played only eight minutes (and went 0-of-4 from the floor). This was the most-watched regular-season game this season, and it has a chance to be the best game of the postseason with the star power of Watkins and Bueckers, and with a ticket to Tampa on the line. All eyes are on Lexington as No. 5 seed Kansas State takes the floor. It's been true all season, but it's especially true now — Kansas State's ceiling is markedly different depending on whether 6-6 Lee is 100 percent (or somewhere close to it). She has appeared in just 19 games this season (averaging 18 minutes per game), but she's reportedly good to go for the NCAA Tournament. If that's the case, the Wildcats will be dangerous. Point guard Serena Sundell leads power conference players in assists (7.1 per game), and Kansas State has three players who knock down at least 41 percent of their 3-pointers: Temira Poindexter, Jaelynn Glenn and Taryn Sides. Kansas State would likely face Kentucky in the second round. So, let's talk more about those Wildcats. A massive amount of credit needs to flow Kenny Brooks' way for what he has done at Kentucky this season. No. 22 in the preseason AP poll felt a little ambitious for a roster that was entirely new, a first-year coach at Kentucky and a program that hasn't been nationally relevant in a decade. Oh, how much can change in a few months. Georgia Amoore, the fifth-year Aussie point guard, ranks second among power conference players with seven assists a game as she balances 6-5 sophomore center Clara Strack (who averages a points-rebounds double-double and tacks on 2.6 assists and 2.4 blocks per game for good measure). Amoore and Brooks took a trip to the Final Four together two seasons ago when the pair was at Virginia Tech. If Lee ultimately doesn't play or have the impact she's capable of when fully healthy, this game becomes interesting, especially since it would be played on Kentucky's home court. But if Lee is in the game and healthy, she'd hold the advantage over Strack and 6-3 forward Amelia Hassett. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Connecticut Huskies, LSU Lady Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Women's College Basketball, Women's NCAA Tournament 2025 The Athletic Media Company
