Women’s college basketball will crown a champion on Sunday, capping what has been a fascinating tournament that highlighted the game’s continued evolution while celebrating the stars that drive the sport.
It’s unfortunate that the tournament also has included racism, misogyny and more evidence that the playing field continues to be unequal to the men’s game.
Once the women’s tournament reached the second and third rounds, the level of play was delightful. The star power was evident and the entertainment value sky high. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark squared off against LSU’s Angel Reese in the Elite Eight and then UConn’s Paige Bueckers, the former Hopkins star. Undefeated South Carolina — featuring another Minnesotan, freshman guard Tessa Johnson of St. Michael-Albertville — is pushing for its second title in three seasons. And USC’s JuJu Watkins served notice that she’s the next big thing in the game.
Friday’s semifinal between Iowa and UConn was a fierce battle in which Iowa trailed throughout before pulling off a 71-69 victory. In defeat, UConn showed its class by not pointing to a dubious late call against them as the reason the Huskies lost.
It’s easier to name the top players in women’s college basketball than the top men’s players.
The resale value of a ticket to the women’s Final Four topped $2,000, nearly double the cost of a ticket to a men’s game. The women’s event is being held in a 19,000-seat area in Cleveland while the men’s Final Four is at the 64,000-seat stadium in Glendale, Ariz., but the prices are still evidence of the increased interest in the game.
Monday’s matchup between defending champions LSU and Iowa attracted 12.3 million viewers, more than all but one of last year’s NBA Finals games. Friday’s UConn-Iowa game topped that at 14.2 million.
So many good things are happening in women’s basketball. Yet so many terrible things are happening to its players.