A Few Words on Women’s College Basketball

A Few Words on Women’s College Basketball

No question – the Final Four on the women’s side was beyond exciting:

• Two overtime games in the Final Four
• Two buzzer beaters in the Final Four
• One upset in the Final Four
• A 15-point comeback in the Final
• A buzzer beater in the Final

A week ago, I watched the UConn Lady Huskies run over South Carolina (the defending champion). I thought “Who can beat these guys?” And then, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish did just that in dramatic fashion. Then, they Lady Irish looked a bit hung over from that win against Mississippi State, their towering center and their stifling defense.

There are a lot of people I talk to that say basketball is a boring sport. And then women’s basketball therefore even more boring. It’s a known fact that the WNBA is not as widely- watched. Women’s college basketball has been dominated by the UConn Huskies and before that the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. But there is a lot that can be taken away after watching this year’s final. Here goes:

1. I wrote about parity in the men’s game – the women’s game is coming along, too. The inaugural men’s tournament was held in 1939. The women’s tournament not until 1981. The University of Buffalo and Central Michigan University (both 11 seeds) made it to the Sweet Sixteen this year. In time, we will see this grow.
2. UConn’s greatness is good for the sport… for a few reasons.
   • It draws attention to the way the game is played at its highest level. Great coaching, talented players, excellent defense, fluid ball movement, strong defense, powerful offense.
   • It puts a target on their back. You want to beat them. Any time a team beats them, it is a story. You want to beat the best and therefore you get better with that goal in mind.
3. Women’s basketball is not men’s basketball, and that is okay. The game is played very differently. I’m a frequent supporter of the phrase “you do you.” And the women’s game needs to do just that. I had a brief run as a mediocre high school hooper. Could I have beaten a boy at my age in a one-on-one matchup? A handful of them, sure. But our bodies are different. Our game is different. As I said before… not everyone likes basketball. Just like not everyone likes football… or baseball… or any sport. If you watch basketball only for dunks (which don’t happen all that much during games if we’re being honest) then maybe women’s basketball isn’t your jam. But if you’re watching for the love of the game, then give it a shot, if you haven’t already.

I think that the late game heroics of Arike Ogunbowale are a sign of great things to come. Congratulations Notre Dame – the “Luck of the Irish,” and your will to win were on your side!

The NCAA Tournament: A True Example of Parity

Yes, this year’s NCAA tournament has me feeling like Oprah, shouting about busted brackets at the top of my lungs with great enthusiasm. I filled out three brackets this year, and all of my champions – UVA, Arizona, and Michigan State are all out. Am I upset? (Yes, I’m patting myself on the back for this ironic play on works.) No, not at all. The NCAA tournament is great because it has something that a lot of professional sports leagues lack – parity.

Parity is defined on the Internet as the state or condition of being equal, especially regarding status or pay. In the case of the NCAA tournament, we will emphasize status. In this case, status means program name and reputation along with conference name and reputation. There’s also your coach’s name and reputation and the amount of media attention that your team gets throughout the regular season due to your star players who will eventually play at the next level.

The NCAA tournament has parity. It has not happened overnight, though most people think that this year has been the most crazy. They are almost justified in their argument. After all, a #1 seed beat a #16 for the first time ever. There are two double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16. I encourage you to read this great piece by Jay Bilas, a college basketball analysis for ESPN. He analyzes this year’s tournament so far, and his breakdown by the numbers will tell you that this year’s tournament is not that unique, and that this “revolution” that we have seen in the NCAA tournament has been happening over the last 30 years.

But what is most important when you look at this tournament is that it doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, what you did… okay I’m now singing Backstreet Boy’s “As Long As You Love Me.” Getting back on track… reputation, conference, star power. It doesn’t quite matter nearly as much. Anyone has a chance. That’s where we are with today’s tournament. In the NBA, no #8 seed is going to beat a #1 seed in a 7-game series. There are a few really, really great teams in the NBA, there are lot of mediocre teams, and the rest are just awful. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns have been so terrible for so long that I can’t remember the last time they had back-to-back starting quarterbacks or even a winning season!

There is a lot of hate on the NCAA. Wherever you stand on that, you have to agree… the tournament in and of itself is a great story. And then there are sub-stories such as Sister Jean, Loyola Chicago’s oldest and biggest fan, and new media darling.  It is refreshing as a fan to see the adage “Any given Sunday” happen in real life.