Latest news with #LindsayGottlieb
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lindsay Gottlieb, Women of Troy still have work to do, but roster build is moving forward
Lindsay Gottlieb, Women of Troy still have work to do, but roster build is moving forward USC and Lindsay Gottlieb are beginning to shift the reality of their situation, but more work remains to be done in the portal. Earlier this week, USC women's basketball made headlines when the Trojans landed UCLA transfer Londynn Jones. Jones was a starter on the Bruins' Final Four team this past season, averaging 8.5 points per game. With a lot of uncertainty over what their roster will look like when next season rolls around, landing Jones was a move the Trojans badly needed. Perhaps even more important, however, Lindsay Gottlieb and the Women of Troy made a statement: They aren't going anywhere. It has been a rather tumultuous start to the offseason for USC. With superstar Juju Watkins having suffered an ACL injury in the NCAA Tournament, her status for next year is very much up in the air. The Trojans then saw starters Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall get drafted into the WNBA, while freshmen standouts Avery Howell and Kayleigh Heckel elected to enter the transfer portal. Add all of that up, and, despite coming off back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, many people are wondering if USC will be capable of competing in the Big Ten next year. Landing Jones doesn't immediately answer all of those questions. But it does send a clear and important message: The Trojans aren't going anywhere. The faces may change, and adversity may hit, but as long as Lindsay Gottlieb is at the helm, USC will be in contention for the top players in the country, both coming out of high school and in the portal. If the Jones move is any indication, expect USC to continue to be aggressive this offseason. The Trojans have made it clear that they are not going to use injuries and transfers as an excuse, and that they will continue to do everything they can to attract the best talent in the country. For USC fans, that is exciting. For the rest of the sport, however, it is an incredibly scary thought.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lindsay Gottlieb shares message with team following victory over Mississippi State
Monday night was a roller coaster of emotions for USC women's basketball. Early on in their NCAA Tournament second round matchup with Mississippi State, the Trojans suffered heartbreak when superstar Juju Watkins had to be carried off of the court with an injury. It was later announced that Watkins tore her ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. After losing Watkins, however, the Trojans came out playing inspired basketball. The result was a 96-59 domination of the Bulldogs and a second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. Advertisement Following the game, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb shared an emotional message with her team. "You guys had my back," Gottlieb said. "You had each other's back. You had [Juju's] back. The fans had your back. We were a team. "I will never forget this game . . . it's a big deal to go to the Sweet 16. We are going to Spokane. We are going as a team. "You guys did something really special today . . . [I want to] tell you how incredibly proud I am of the way you stepped up for one another, this school, each other." As Gottlieb mentioned, USC will now head to Spokane, Washington for the Sweet 16. The Trojans will face Kansas State on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lindsay Gottlieb expresses pride in USC players for stepping up
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Has women's NCAA Tournament outgrown two-site regional format?
As the Sweet 16 tips off Friday, the women's NCAA Tournament will take place at two sites in different corners of the country separated by more than 2,000 miles for the third straight season. Fans from across the nation have flocked to Birmingham, Ala., and Spokane, Wash., to watch teams compete in Friday and Saturday's Sweet 16 and Sunday and Monday's Elite Eight. The super regional concept was developed in response to the declining attendance at tournament regional sites in the late 2010s, as the average crowd size fell below 5,000 in 2017. The NCAA felt a responsibility to make a change to increase attendance and boost ticket sales, and it found a potential solution by consolidating four sites to two, streamlining operations in the process. Advertisement The switch created its immediate desired results. The average attendance topped 10,000 in 2023, then a record-high, with a total of 85,000 fans. That average rose to more than 12,000 in 2024. The proof of women's basketball's growth continues to bear out with a variety of indicators. The question now arises, three years into the system, if the tournament has already outgrown this format. 'There's pros and cons, but the more I'm hearing from colleagues, I think people like the two sites less,' USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. Certain logistical difficulties come with the two-site model. Each team stays at its own hotel, which requires the availability of extra high-quality accommodations, and that hasn't always been the case. In Albany in 2024, LSU was in a hotel with particularly slow Wi-Fi, and coaches had to go to the arena to download game film. Eight teams have to get onto one court compared to four in the prior regionals, which requires some practice and shoot-around times to be early in the morning. Advertisement UConn's Geno Auriemma has been one of the most vocal critics of the current system, last year calling it the 'dumbest thing ever.' He didn't hold back this year either as he discussed the difficulty fans could have traveling to see their teams compete. No. 2 seed UConn is playing in Spokane. 'The men (NCAA Tournament) are not very bright. They have something called regionals, which means they're in the four regions of the country, North, South, East and West. The women's (tournament) is so smart. They have two,' Auriemma said, sarcastically, according to CT Insider, 'which means 90 percent of the country can't go to any of those games. 'There aren't even eight hotels within 500 miles of Spokane. We're gonna have to stay in Idaho. And you think I'm funny, that's the honest-to-God truth.' The vast geographic spread also introduces extra travel for teams and fans. A wide swath of middle America hasn't had a regional site within hundreds of miles over the last three seasons. Advertisement Still, it's hard to argue against the initial success of the approach, particularly economically, even though the tournament has yet to sell out its two super regional sites. The current model of two sites rather than four, like in the men's NCAA Tournament, reduces overhead costs, and the increase in gate revenue is an additional boon. 'Fiscal responsibility relative to operational expenses and revenue are very much an important component of this,' NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said, 'along with fan accessibility, the experiences of the teams, our broadcasters, how it works for them, game time windows, all of those things.' The NCAA had originally lined up four years of super regional sites through 2026, but the bid process for the next set of sites opened up after the 2023 tournament, with one year of data in the new format. Since the tournament achieved its initial goals, the NCAA decided the experiment would continue. Host cities started submitting applications for 2027-28 before the 2024 tournament, which was a watershed event for the sport. Even so, the 2023 success spurred a record number of bids. The NCAA selected NBA-sized arenas for all four of its super regionals in those two seasons in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Washington, D.C. Advertisement The size of those markets — larger than past regional super sites — points to the draw of these super regionals as a profitable endeavor. 'I actually like the two regions,' South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. 'I like having seven other teams trying to advance to the Elite Eight and advance to the Final Four right in one place. I do think it allows our fans, fans of women's basketball, to gravitate to one spot. I know the attendance will be up because of it. So bottom line, we need to drive revenue as much as possible.' But because of the planning required for the NCAA championships, women's basketball was forced to make decisions about its rapidly growing tournament property four years out in the future without the ability to adjust in present time. What the tournament looked like in 2023 was a massive change from 2017 when the super regional concept initially came to fruition. On the current trajectory, the 2028 iteration of the tournament could be unrecognizable compared to this season, thus requiring different considerations. Advertisement It brings to mind the NCAA championships TV deal, which was signed before the 2024 tournament. The value of women's basketball has already exploded in the intervening months, but the NCAA is locked into a contract that doesn't reflect the sport's current status and relevance. Holzman says the NCAA isn't shortchanging what is possible for the tournament. The goal is to constantly innovate and provide the best possible experience for all of its stakeholders, including teams, fans and TV partners. 'My goal long-term is to get to four sites that we are selling out,' Holzman said. 'With the first and second rounds and First Fours, (it) is to hopefully get to a point of neutral predetermined sites.' The NCAA is experiencing a stress test to react fast enough to the changes in the sporting landscape. Its hope is that as women's basketball experiences its explosive rise in popularity, it isn't outpacing the mechanisms in place to guide its growth. Advertisement This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Sports Business, Women's College Basketball, Women's NCAA Tournament 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
28-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Has women's NCAA Tournament outgrown two-site regional format?
As the Sweet 16 tips off Friday, the women's NCAA Tournament will take place at two sites in different corners of the country separated by more than 2,000 miles for the third straight season. Fans from across the nation have flocked to Birmingham, Ala., and Spokane, Wash., to watch teams compete in Friday and Saturday's Sweet 16 and Sunday and Monday's Elite Eight. Advertisement The super regional concept was developed in response to the declining attendance at tournament regional sites in the late 2010s, as the average crowd size fell below 5,000 in 2017. The NCAA felt a responsibility to make a change to increase attendance and boost ticket sales, and it found a potential solution by consolidating four sites to two, streamlining operations in the process. The switch created its immediate desired results. The average attendance topped 10,000 in 2023, then a record-high, with a total of 85,000 fans. That average rose to more than 12,000 in 2024. The proof of women's basketball's growth continues to bear out with a variety of indicators. The question now arises, three years into the system, if the tournament has already outgrown this format. 'There's pros and cons, but the more I'm hearing from colleagues, I think people like the two sites less,' USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. The Updated Bracket #MarchMadness — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 25, 2025 Certain logistical difficulties come with the two-site model. Each team stays at its own hotel, which requires the availability of extra high-quality accommodations, and that hasn't always been the case. In Albany in 2024, LSU was in a hotel with particularly slow Wi-Fi, and coaches had to go to the arena to download game film. Eight teams have to get onto one court compared to four in the prior regionals, which requires some practice and shoot-around times to be early in the morning. UConn's Geno Auriemma has been one of the most vocal critics of the current system, last year calling it the 'dumbest thing ever.' He didn't hold back this year either as he discussed the difficulty fans could have traveling to see their teams compete. No. 2 seed UConn is playing in Spokane. Advertisement 'The men (NCAA Tournament) are not very bright. They have something called regionals, which means they're in the four regions of the country, North, South, East and West. The women's (tournament) is so smart. They have two,' Auriemma said, sarcastically, according to CT Insider, 'which means 90 percent of the country can't go to any of those games. 'There aren't even eight hotels within 500 miles of Spokane. We're gonna have to stay in Idaho. And you think I'm funny, that's the honest-to-God truth.' The vast geographic spread also introduces extra travel for teams and fans. A wide swath of middle America hasn't had a regional site within hundreds of miles over the last three seasons. Still, it's hard to argue against the initial success of the approach, particularly economically, even though the tournament has yet to sell out its two super regional sites. The current model of two sites rather than four, like in the men's NCAA Tournament, reduces overhead costs, and the increase in gate revenue is an additional boon. 'Fiscal responsibility relative to operational expenses and revenue are very much an important component of this,' NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said, 'along with fan accessibility, the experiences of the teams, our broadcasters, how it works for them, game time windows, all of those things.' The NCAA had originally lined up four years of super regional sites through 2026, but the bid process for the next set of sites opened up after the 2023 tournament, with one year of data in the new format. Since the tournament achieved its initial goals, the NCAA decided the experiment would continue. Host cities started submitting applications for 2027-28 before the 2024 tournament, which was a watershed event for the sport. Even so, the 2023 success spurred a record number of bids. The NCAA selected NBA-sized arenas for all four of its super regionals in those two seasons in Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Washington, D.C. Advertisement The size of those markets — larger than past regional super sites — points to the draw of these super regionals as a profitable endeavor. 'I actually like the two regions,' South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. 'I like having seven other teams trying to advance to the Elite Eight and advance to the Final Four right in one place. I do think it allows our fans, fans of women's basketball, to gravitate to one spot. I know the attendance will be up because of it. So bottom line, we need to drive revenue as much as possible.' But because of the planning required for the NCAA championships, women's basketball was forced to make decisions about its rapidly growing tournament property four years out in the future without the ability to adjust in present time. What the tournament looked like in 2023 was a massive change from 2017 when the super regional concept initially came to fruition. On the current trajectory, the 2028 iteration of the tournament could be unrecognizable compared to this season, thus requiring different considerations. It brings to mind the NCAA championships TV deal, which was signed before the 2024 tournament. The value of women's basketball has already exploded in the intervening months, but the NCAA is locked into a contract that doesn't reflect the sport's current status and relevance. Holzman says the NCAA isn't shortchanging what is possible for the tournament. The goal is to constantly innovate and provide the best possible experience for all of its stakeholders, including teams, fans and TV partners. 'My goal long-term is to get to four sites that we are selling out,' Holzman said. 'With the first and second rounds and First Fours, (it) is to hopefully get to a point of neutral predetermined sites.' The NCAA is experiencing a stress test to react fast enough to the changes in the sporting landscape. Its hope is that as women's basketball experiences its explosive rise in popularity, it isn't outpacing the mechanisms in place to guide its growth. (Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos of Geno Auriemma, Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey: Tyler Kaufman, Michael Hickey, Eakin Howard / Getty Images)
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lindsay Gottlieb shares message with team following victory over Mississippi State
Lindsay Gottlieb shares message with team following victory over Mississippi State Lindsay Gottlieb appreciates the significance of what her USC players achieved. Monday night was a roller coaster of emotions for USC women's basketball. Early on in their NCAA Tournament second round matchup with Mississippi State, the Trojans suffered heartbreak when superstar Juju Watkins had to be carried off of the court with an injury. It was later announced that Watkins tore her ACL and will be out for the remainder of the season. After losing Watkins, however, the Trojans came out playing inspired basketball. The result was a 96-59 domination of the Bulldogs and a second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16. Following the game, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb shared an emotional message with her team. "You guys had my back," Gottlieb said. "You had each other's back. You had [Juju's] back. The fans had your back. We were a team. "I will never forget this game . . . it's a big deal to go to the Sweet 16. We are going to Spokane. We are going as a team. "You guys did something really special today . . . [I want to] tell you how incredibly proud I am of the way you stepped up for one another, this school, each other." As Gottlieb mentioned, USC will now head to Spokane, Washington for the Sweet 16. The Trojans will face Kansas State on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
