It’s that time of the year!
Pictured above is the 2024 Women’s March Madness bracket.
Once the tournament begins, the bracket will be accurately updated for game day updates.
MARCH MADNESS 2024
1st Round Recap
1st Round Recap
80-57
72-61
82-42
70-60
80-63
86-72
Tough second quarter for Michigan State as they were down by 16. They soon caught up but were still no match for North Carolina who had impressive free throws.
Ohio State was a powerhouse as players dominated Maine throughout the entirety of the game.
More powerhouse players dominated the first round only it was South Carolina, the number one team in the country, against Presbyterian.
In a closer scoring game, Duke stepped up their defense after Richmond secured back to back threes in the first half which ended up being to Duke’s advantage in the end.
Drexel showed up giving their all but unfortunately it was not enough to keep up with Texas.
Marshall had a difficult time from the very beginning; unable to redeem the unfavorable position they found themselves in which made for a great start for Virginia Tech.
Even though LSU, predicted to win, followed through, the turnovers on their part were what made this game incredibly close.
Portland picked up momentum after the first half but Kansas State was able to maintain the lead and win.
Close game. Despite an absent from one of their starting players, Alabama was able to come out on top.
Defense was Baylor’s secret sauce of success against Vanderbilt.
Upset win. Drake was leading the game originally but in typical March Madness fashion, anything is possible which Colorado was able to prove.
Maryland was up 20 points which forced Iowa to step it up. Audi Crooks, notable player of the game, helped Iowa big time by scoring 40 points!
Originally thought to be an upset win, Oregon State shut that thought down and came out winning.
Another unexpected close game until Stanford picked up momentum
Game did not get good until second half—eventually had fans on the edge of their seat making for a close game but overall win for Nebraska.
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"For the men’s... I’m gonna be honest, I have not been paying attention to men’s at all this year... (for the women's) this is interesting... I think I’m gonna go with South Carolina," said Coco Gauff, a professional tennis player.
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The Bryant's showing their support for USC during this year's March Madness tournament.
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"It’s not just that they have amazing depth, but I love me some Dawn Staley. She’s just got swag,” said President Obama on South Carolina.
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"I hate to say it, but the women players are kicking the men's butts. You've got my Angel Reese. You've got all the girls from South Carolina. You've got JuJu Watkins, you've got Caitlin Clark ... It's just a better game, just more competitive," said Shaquille O'Neal, former professional basketball player.
2ND
ROUND
SUMMARY
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2ND ROUND SUMMARY |
75-68
65-54
77-66
87-81
64-54
When it comes to South Carolina, they are going to make the most out of every opportunity. South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson will do so twice as she scored 3s one right after the other— not a bad way to contribute to South Carolina’s 10th straight 2nd round March Madness game.
Late in the fourth, Yarden Garzon leads Indiana with a game changing jump shot, otherwise considered a “moneyball” according to the announcer. Keeping up the momentum, Oklahoma had to work extra hard to keep up but it just wasn’t enough.
Solid defense from Nebraska but offensively was no match. Making it farther than last year, Nebraska was able to leave being a part of something special as the two teams had a total of 7,227 fans at Gill Coliseum—record breaking for a college tournament NCAA game.
Notre Dame was a powerhouse from the start, especially their defense. Ole Miss had 22 turnovers which is close to their 25 turnover game, the highest amount for their team, since competing against Florida.
In the first half of the game, Texas played strong offensive and then by the end, used their skills defensively to take down Alabama. Notable to mention, Aaliyah Moore and Madison Booker both scored more than 20 points for Texas.
Gonzaga offensive carried them to the next round. Not being able to keep up, Utah, unable to keep up, was unable to bounce back and redeem themselves.
It was a consistently close game towards the last half but NC State did not let it get to them. The definition of a well deserved win.
A game that had everyone on the edge of their seat. Although Stanford was the predicted win, Iowa held their own as they were able to find themselves in overtime with No. 2 Stanford.
Another close game at one point, perhaps, too close for comfort, Clark? Scoring a majority of Iowa’s points, Clark was able to carry Iowa to the Sweet 16.
Anything’s possible during March Madness, including the redemption that Colorado seized against Kansas State who notably broke a record for the most number of people attending a Kansas St women’s basketball game in history.
Angel Reese, a dependable player for LSU, had a great night with over 20 points. Feeding off Reese’s energy was the rest of LSU defense as they dominated Middle Tenn. towards the end.
UCLA had a rocky start as they were down by more than 10 points with little to no chance of coming back. With the help of several rebounds, they were able to change the narrative and beat Creighton.
No surprise here— Juju Watkins had an impressive display of talent against Kansas. Knowing how to control the ball, on top of her ability to score is truly what makes her a star player and someone that Clark will need to look out for.
Have you ever had teeth pulled? That was like the last 90 seconds or so of this game. With a 3 point lead, Baylor broke the tie. With just about a minute left, they get the ball back and take a time out. When the game resumes, VT gains possession of the ball and follow Baylor by calling a time out. 15 minutes of going back and forth, Baylor ended up being the ones to advance.
Paige Bueckers led UConn with her skillful defense but was arguably the glue holding UConn together as Syracuse was no easy feat.
After being down by 16, Duke got their head in the game and made a legendary comeback. By the end, Duke was up 12 which made for an impressive upset watch.
SWEET GRAPHICS FOR SWEET 16
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SWEET GRAPHICS FOR SWEET 16 \
Iowa came in strong from the start. Set on a goal, they remained consistent. Clark, as always, was key to secure a spot in the Elite 8.
Slow start for NC State but they picked up in the second half which was all they needed to beat the No. 2 team.
Oregon's win against Notre Dame marked their third time advancing to the Elite 8.
Close game but thanks to Cardoso Johnson, South Carolina beat Indiana despite all efforts from Indiana.
Out of sight, out of mind? Not for Texas. Their rebounds were a significant part of their win against Gonzaga.
Fast moving game. Both teams were challenged defensively making for a great game to watch especially since Paige Bueckers is no longer injured.
Juju Watkins scored almost half of USC's points which allowed them to beat Baylor and advance to the Elite 8.
In the last 3 minutes, LSU was down 3 points. A lot can happen in 3 minutes. Lucky for LSU, only good things occurred.
ELITE EIGHT IOWA-LSU (SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT)
94-87
This year’s match up between Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese brought ESPN a total of 12.3 million views. According to ESPN, for reference, the Iowa and LSU championship game brought in 9.9 million view last year.
MORE ABOUT
KIM MULKEY
THE LA TIMES PORTRAYING KIM MULKEY AND LSU:
WHY IT MATTERS
The LA Times wrote a commentary story about Kim Mulkey and LSU following the LSU and UCLA match up.
Ben Bolch, the writer of the piece, owned up to his poor choice of words as he used offensive, misogynistic language to illustrate a narrative that paints LSU as villainous.
Kim Mulkey, well known for her basketball career and coaching history, is no saint either.
Just one google search and you will find a laundry list of problematic behaviors like her dismissing COVID’s existence entirely back during the early days of the pandemic.
As controversial as she may be, there should be zero tolerance when it comes to sexism especially in the media.
Now more than ever, women athletes are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Had Mulkey not speak up for what’s right, then the media would have full control of how women’s sports is consumed journalistically which is great but in cases like this, not so much.
If you don’t see how dangerous remarks like Bolch’s were, then you’re not just part of the problem but prone to it.
The Washington Post’s Portrayal
During this year’s tournament, Kim Mulkey, LSU’s women’s basketball head coach, threatened to sue The Washington Post after an article that was written about her style of coaching and relationship with certain players which fueled even more fire.
Kent Babb, author of the piece, discussed Mulkey’s relationship with past players like Emily Niemann during their time at Baylor and made it seem like Mulkey was outwardly homophobic which Mulkey did not take lightly in response.
Another player that was mentioned was LSU athlete, Angel Reese. The journalist discussed how Reese was given unfavorable treatment at times and even included how Mulkey publicly shared details about her GPA being a reason she couldn’t attend an award show.
Apparently, when Mulkey was asked for her side of the story, the journalist had known that Mulkey would have to deny the request given the limited availability as a result of the tournament — almost like it was strategically planned.
Mulkey, unhappy as anyone would be, threatened to sue for defamation and slander.
Her competitive nature is made out to seem villainous and as a result, she’s attacked by the media for it.
Although Mulkey is no saint, there is a unique level of criticism that she faces as opposed to her male counterparts. This story serves a prime example.
ELITE EIGHT
AFTERMATH
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UConn won 80-73.
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NC State won 77-66.
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South Carolina won 70-58.