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Miami Herald
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Prominence on display as UConn faces South Carolina for national title
UConn coach Geno Auriemma called his Huskies and their national championship game opponent, South Carolina, "the two most prominent programs right now in women's college basketball." It is fitting, then, that as the 2024-25 season concludes Sunday at Tampa, Fla., the Huskies (36-3) are pursuing their 12th all-time title in the Women's NCAA Tournament, while the Gamecocks (35-3) look to become the sport's first repeat champions since 2016. UConn, the No. 2 seed in Spokane Region 4, was the most recent program to win consecutive championships in a dominating run when the Huskies won four straight from 2013-16. The 2016 title was also the program's most recent, with the nine-year wait between championships marking UConn's longest since first winning the Women's NCAA Tournament in 1995 -- all under the leadership of Auriemma. Sunday is the Huskies' first national championship game appearance since 2022, when South Carolina claimed the second of its three crowns under coach Dawn Staley. A victory Sunday would give the Gamecocks three titles in four seasons. "Past performances, what happened last year, isn't going to be a factor on what happens Sunday," Auriemma said. "Our 11 national championships aren't going to help us win." Those past performances include a matchup of these same teams less than two months ago, which UConn won handily 87-58 at South Carolina on Feb. 16. That dominating victory was similar to the Huskies' 85-51 semifinal win over UCLA on Friday. Against South Carolina, Azzi Fudd went 6 of 10 from 3-point range with 28 points, while Sarah Strong recording a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double amid a quiet offensive performance from star guard Paige Bueckers (12 points). On Friday, Bueckers was 7-of-17 shooting from the floor for 16 points after three consecutive games of at least 31 points. Fudd scored 19 points, all in the first half, to jump-start the Huskies, while Strong added 22 points and eight rebounds. The Huskies' defense forced 19 turnovers. UConn carries a 15-game winning streak into the championship game. It arrived there as the No. 1 seed in the Birmingham 2 Region. South Carolina is on a 12-game winning streak following its 74-57 semifinal rout of Texas on Friday. Te-Hina Paopao's 14 points and two steals, along with Joyce Edwards' 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists off the bench, powered South Carolina. Staley's teams are undefeated in NCAA Tournament championship games, going 3-0 since 2017. "Saying that we're undefeated in national championship games, I wish it helped," Staley said. "... I wish it would spot us 10 points because we're undefeated." Instead, South Carolina will aim to leverage a defense that has been even more overwhelming through five NCAA Tournament games than its season-long 57.4-point per game yield. With the win on Friday, when South Carolina held Texas to 9-of-30 (30 percent) shooting in the second half, the Gamecocks have held their tournament opponents to an average of 55 points per game. Paopao described South Carolina's team defense as self-sustaining. "Energy starts from defense," she said. "When you have (Bree Hall) playing defense like that, you want to play defense for her and the team ... and get the train going." UConn's offense is putting up 87.8 points per game in the tournament, and its defense has held four of its five opponents to fewer than 60 points and given up an average of 53 points per game. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
Epoch Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Epoch Times
Iowa's Coach Reveals Caitlin Clark Practiced With the Team Last Season
Many were surprised and disappointed when Caitlin Clark passed over the opportunity to compete in the inaugural season of the three-on-three league Unrivaled this year. But the Indiana Fever star was playing offseason basketball nonetheless. Clark, who broke record after record during her college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, took the unusual step of going back to college as a professional. No, she didn't gain any extra college eligibility, but she did hoop with her former teammates, thanks to a relatively new NCAA rule. Iowa's coach, Jan Jensen, shared how Clark helped Iowa ahead of one of its biggest games of the season versus the USC Trojans in February. 'Caitlin, we keep in touch obviously. ... Before that [USC] game, about 10 days before, Caitlin says, 'Hey, do you want me to practice?'' The Hawkeyes played JuJu Watkins and the Trojans in a home contest on Feb. 2, with Clark's Iowa jersey retirement ceremony following the game. USC entered the contest on a 15-game winning streak and was ranked No. 4 in the country, while Iowa was unranked and had lost five of its previous seven games. To help prepare for USC, Iowa had Clark join practice, becoming essentially the scout-team quarterback, playing the role of the All-American Watkins. A pro player practicing at her alma mater with current student-athletes was previously prohibited by the NCAA, but Jensen revealed the organization recently changed that rule, allowing Clark, and others, to do so. Related Stories 2/3/2025 12/24/2024 'I didn't tell our players until the day before,' Jenson continued. 'And I said, 'By the way, tomorrow we're going to have an extra practice player, and it's going to be Caitlin.' And [the players] are like, 'What?'... They loved it. During the practice, they were really cool, and Caitlin was stroking it from 40 and just doing amazing things. It was fun for all of us. 'She did do JuJu pretty well, but no one's Caitlin, right? But it was really fun for Lucy Olsen. Lucy told me afterward, she's like, 'That was awesome. I was so nervous but it was so awesome.'' Olsen transferred to Iowa last season after beginning her career with Villanova, so she never got to play with Clark until the WNBA star returned to Iowa's practice. Olsen essentially took the role of Clark on Iowa's team last season, leading the team in points and assists enroute to making All Big Ten First Team. She also clearly benefited from Clark's practice session—Olsen led the Hawkeyes with 28 points as they upset USC, and she outscored Watkins, who finished with 27. Olsen was taken by the Washington Mystics in the 2025 WNBA Draft. After the game, Clark saw her jersey lifted into the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, becoming just the third Iowa women's basketball player to receive the honor. The day was one of the few highlights during Iowa's season, which ended with a 34-point defeat in the second round of the Women's NCAA Tournament. The timing of the WNBA season allowed for Clark's return. Unlike the NBA, which runs simultaneously to the NCAA basketball season, the WNBA operates on a summer schedule in which the regular season begins in May and ends in September. Clark will resume practicing with the Fever when WNBA training camps open on April 27. The Fever will be looking to build upon their 20-20 record last year in which they made the postseason, ending a seven-year playoff drought, the longest in WNBA history. Clark and the Fever will have a new head coach, as Christie Sides was replaced with Stephanie White, an Indiana native, who previously coached the Fever from 2015-16. The all-time leading scorer in Division I history, Clark didn't disappoint when she left Iowa City for Indianapolis. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, started in the All-Star Game, broke the rookie scoring record and became the first rookie to record a triple-double. She capped off her inaugural pro season by becoming the fifth rookie in league history to make All-WNBA First Team. She was also recognized outside her league. Clark was named Athlete of the Year by Time magazine, becoming just the second individual female athlete to receive that honor. Additionally, she was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, becoming just the second WNBA player to win that award, following Candace Parker, who won it twice.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC and UCLA both lost to UConn, but Trojans did so with honor
USC women's basketball may have come up short in their quest for a national title in 2024-2025. At least USC fans can take satisfaction in the fact that the Trojans' rivals did not get there, either. At the 2025 Final Four, crosstown foe UCLA was blown out 85-51 by UConn in the national semifinals, ending the Bruins' season. UCLA's season wound up ending the same exact way that USC's did: with a loss to the Huskies. While the Bruins can say that they made it to the Final Four, the Trojans actually put up a far tougher fight against UConn without Juju Watkins than UCLA did at full strength. USC lost by only 14 and was legitimately competitive, down by only five heading into the fourth quarter. UCLA lost by 34 in a game it trailed by 20 at halftime and by 23 after three quarters. Advertisement After watching Friday night's game, USC fans cannot help but wonder "what if?". Had Watkins not gotten hurt, the Trojans would have had a very good shot to take down UConn and advance to their first Final Four since the days of Cheryl Miller. Based on how Friday night's game went, USC may very well have handled its crosstown foe had the two teams met in Tampa. UConn's 82-59 blasting of South Carolina on Sunday in the national championship game also gave us this added fact: USC was the only team to lose by fewer than 15 points to UConn in the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament. Every other UConn opponent lost by at least 23. USC's effort against UConn in the Elite Eight won't get the national respect it deserves, but everyone in that USC locker room should feel proud of how well they competed ... unlike UCLA. Alas, that is all hypotheticals. But while it was a heartbreaking end to the season for the Trojans, USC fans can at least take satisfaction in knowing that their rivals completely and totally flopped on the sport's biggest stage. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC and UCLA losses to UConn in Final Four were very different
Reuters
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Adia Barnes takes over as SMU's women's basketball coach
April 6 - SMU named Adia Barnes, formerly of Arizona, as its head women's basketball coach. In nine seasons at Arizona, the 48-year-old Barnes led the Wildcats to four consecutive postseason appearances and five straight 20-win seasons. Arizona reached the championship game of the Women's NCAA Tournament in 2021, losing to Stanford 54-53. She has a career 169-114 record at Arizona, where she took over the program at her alma mater before the 2016-17 season. Contract terms were not announced. "I'm truly excited for the opportunity to be the next head coach at SMU," Barnes said. "Having seen the commitment and alignment on the Hilltop, I believe we can compete on the national stage and for (Atlantic Coast Conference) championships," she said in a news release issued Saturday. "My family and I can't wait to get to Dallas and I can't wait to get to work!" Before accepting the job in Arizona, she was an assistant coach at Washington. Barnes was a high school star at Mission Bay High in San Diego, then played at Arizona and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year following the 1997-98 season. She played pro basketball for 12 seasons in both the WNBA and overseas, and won the WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004. At SMU, Barnes replaces Toyelle Wilson, who was fired after a 55-64 record in four seasons. The Mustangs were 10-20 this season, including 2-16 in ACC play. --Field Level Media
Miami Herald
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Adia Barnes takes over as SMU's women's basketball coach
SMU named Adia Barnes, formerly of Arizona, as its head women's basketball coach. In nine seasons at Arizona, the 48-year-old Barnes led the Wildcats to four consecutive postseason appearances and five straight 20-win seasons. Arizona reached the championship game of the Women's NCAA Tournament in 2021, losing to Stanford 54-53. She has a career 169-114 record at Arizona, where she took over the program at her alma mater before the 2016-17 season. Contract terms were not announced. "I'm truly excited for the opportunity to be the next head coach at SMU," Barnes said. "Having seen the commitment and alignment on the Hilltop, I believe we can compete on the national stage and for (Atlantic Coast Conference) championships," she said in a news release issued Saturday. "My family and I can't wait to get to Dallas and I can't wait to get to work!" Before accepting the job in Arizona, she was an assistant coach at Washington. Barnes was a high school star at Mission Bay High in San Diego, then played at Arizona and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year following the 1997-98 season. She played pro basketball for 12 seasons in both the WNBA and overseas, and won the WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004. At SMU, Barnes replaces Toyelle Wilson, who was fired after a 55-64 record in four seasons. The Mustangs were 10-20 this season, including 2-16 in ACC play. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
