TIME FOR THE MADNESS!

It’s time! The Final Four is here, and we’ve got two outstanding games on deck in Tampa.

Texas and South Carolina meet for the fourth and final time this season to open the action on Friday night. South Carolina leads 2-1, but Texas can erase all of those hard feelings with a win tonight.

Madison Booker will have to play the game of her life if the Longhorns want to win. In the two losses to SC, she took a combined four free throws in 70 minutes of gameplay.

She’ll have her hands full against a terrific South Carolina frontcourt, and Texas will look to grind this game to a halt and control the interior as much as possible.

Afterward, UCONN and UCLA will face off in the nightcap. We’ll be treated to a showcase of two of the Naismith Trophy finalists Lauren Betts and Paige Bueckers (much more on her momentarily).

Betts started slowly against LSU, but was her usual dominant self on both sides of the ball. Betts will be matched up with super freshman, Sarah Strong.

Strong has been sensational this Tournament and looks to be the next great UCONN star. Against a big as great as Betts, she’ll need to stay out of foul trouble and do enough to contest Betts on the interior. That will be a key matchup to watch tonight and for many years to come.

The winners will then face off with the title on the line Sunday afternoon at 3 PM Eastern time. Friend of the newsletter Terrika Foster-Brasby broke each of the games down for CBS Sports

The Final Four is where legends are made and the game’s best show out in front of the biggest audience of the year. Let’s hoop it up!

📰 WHAT WE’RE READING!

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in women’s basketball.

Here’s what we’re reading

• Inside the remarkable 125-year history of Texas Women’s Basketball by Jessica Luther for Power Plays

• Dawn Staley: runner-up, pioneer ... Legend by Seth Rosenthal for Breakaway

• Predictably Unpredictable, MiLaysia Fulwiley Is South Carolina’s Next Star in the Making by Michael Rosenberg for Sports Illustrated

• In This NCAA Tournament, Lauren Betts Has Been More Than Enough by Mirin Fader for The Ringer

• The College Basketball Star Who Received an NBA Education by Rachel Bachman for the Wall Street Journal

• 30 years later: How UConn won its first NCAA title in 1995 by Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel for ESPN

• ‘We’re on a mission’: Inside Texas’ emotional Elite Eight win against TCU by Wilton Jackson for The Next

• Five Observations Heading Into the NCAA Women’s Final Four by Seerat Sohi for The Ringer

THE SUPERSTAR STANDARD

Earlier this year, Candace Parker debuted her new show, The Trophy Room. In it, Candace talks to icons of sports about their success, life, etc. Her first guest was future Hall of Famer and former rival, Breanna Stewart.

Stewie and CP3 covered a wide range of issues in their hour long chat, and something that came up was the responsibility of being the leader and best player on the team. Stewart talked about that and a lesson she learned in college that she’s carried with her throughout her career

That conversation came to mind when Geno Auriemma joked about begging Bueckers to shoot more during UCONN’s matchup against Oklahoma

Since the calendar turned to March, Bueckers has taken her game to a new, special level. In eight games this month, Bueckers is averaging 25.3 points per game on .579/.513/.875 shooting splits.

She also made some history. She tied her own record of three consecutive 30-point games and became the first player since Jackie Stiles in 2001 to have three consecutive 30-point games on 50 percent shooting in the Tournament. Most importantly, Bueckers has had amazing second halves in her last two games to lead her team to this point.

As Bueckers plays her final collegiate games, this run has helped her immensely as she advances to the WNBA. She’s adjusted to every defense thrown at her, has taken over games when the moment calls for it, and can get any type of shot she wants.

When you’re the best player, everything falls on your shoulders, and Paige carries everything well. If she can do it for two more games, she’ll make history and have UCONN back on top of the mountain.

 💰 MONEY MOVES

SITE ISSUES

In 2023, the NCAA moved from four regional sites that hosted the games into “super regionals,” two sites that host all of the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. When it was implemented, the NCAA’s stated goal was to increase media coverage and fan interest. Two years later, it’s a move that has gotten the NCAA criticism from the game’s biggest coaches.

Prior to UCONN’s game against Oklahoma, Geno Auriemma criticized the new format, saying in part that the NCAA “ruined the game.” Kim Mulkey echoed Auriemma’s sentiments, saying in part “we sold our soul too early.” She also added

Fan interest in women’s college basketball has been on a steady climb. Between the attendance numbers, television ratings, etc., everything is moving in the right direction. With that increased success comes a greater need to ensure that no fans are left out.

As we continue to adjust to this new format, the NCAA will have to find ways to ensure that the Tournament is held in places fans can easily travel to and afford to attend. If they don’t, they’ll be making things a lot harder than they need to be.

In recent years, the NCAA has finally started to put more time, resources, and investment into the women’s Tournament. It took until 2022 for them to give the Women’s Tournament the same branding that the Men’s Tournament gets.

And as we discussed in last week’s WBB Roundup, teams are finally getting paid for making it to and advancing in the Tournament. It took them long enough, and now that they’re here, they have plenty of work to do to build on the success of their players and coaches.

📲 STAY CONNECTED!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider subscribing to receive the latest updates from Black Rosie Media directly in your inbox—it's completely FREE! Feel free to share this with a friend so they can also stay informed.

Join our Black Rosie Media Slack Channel to interact directly with our contributors, participate in game-day chats, and much more!

You can also connect with us on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube!