Women’s College Basketball has been as entertaining, if not more entertaining, than Men’s College Basketball during the last year, yet, Women’s College Basketball doesn’t receive nearly the same coverage that the men do.

In the 2023 Women’s College Basketball National Championship, Angel Reese helped No. 3 LSU win their first National Title in school history by taking down Catlin Clark and the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes. Nearly 20,000 fans in American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX (home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks), witnessed one of the most viewed Women’s College Basketball contests in the sports’ history, as the game drew an average of 9.9 million viewers, making it the most viewed Women’s College Basketball National Championship Game in television history.

The momentum for Women’s College Basketball has continued into 2024. During the six days between Jan. 21 and Jan. 27, Women’s College Basketball featured three marquee games that all lived up to the hype. On Sunday, Jan. 21, Clark and the No. 2  Hawkeyes (18-1, 7-0 in conference play) headed to Value City Arena in Columbus, OH, to take on the No. 18 Ohio State Buckeyes (14-3, 5-1 in conference play). Ohio State took home the victory 100-92 in overtime thanks in part to a terrific performance by forward Cotie McMahon, who dropped 33 points and 12 rebounds in 41 minutes. Ohio State also got a 24-point and seven-assist contribution from guard Jacy Sheldon in 45 minutes.  

Four days later, the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (17-0, 5-0 in conference play) took on the defending champs (18-2. 5-1 in conference play) at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA, in a massive Top 10 SEC showdown. The Gamecocks were able to knock off the Tigers 76-70 thanks in large part to a go-ahead  3-pointer by guard Bree Hall with 1:14 remaining. All five starters scored at least 10 points for South Carolina in the victory.

On Saturday, Jan. 27, the No. 8 UConn Huskies (17-3) hosted the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (14-4). The Huskies and Irish have played each other almost 60 times, including twice in the National Championship. UConn is 38-14 against Notre Dame, but the Irish did win the most recent meeting 74-60 on Dec. 4, 2022. In the latest edition of the Irish vs Huskies rivalry, Notre Dame went on the road and took down UConn 82-67. Guard Hannah Hidalgo led the way for the Irish with 34 points and 10 assists in 40 minutes. Forward Maddy Westbeld also chipped in 23 points for Notre Dame in 40 minutes.

The excitement of Women’s College Basketball continued as No. 9 LSU traveled down to Starkville, MS to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Monday night. LSU was coming off a 76-70 home loss against No. 1 South Carolina in a high-stakes matchup on Jan. 25, while Mississippi State was coming off an 89-77 road win against Florida on Jan. 22. Passed by guard JerKaila Jordan’s 24 points in 32 minutes of action, Mississippi State handed LSU their second straight loss to the tune of 77-73.  The next big matchup is going down in Waco, TX as the No. 12 Texas Longhorns (19-3) take on their in-state rivals, the No. 13 Baylor Bears (16-3).  

Women’s College Basketball Success in the WNBA

Women’s College Basketball stars have seen success when they have gone on to play in the WNBA. Some of the recent players who have gone No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft, including Aliyah Boston to the Indiana Fever in 2023, Sabrina Ionescu to the New York Liberty in 2020, A'ja Wilson to the Las Vegas Aces in 2018, and Breanna Stewart to the Seattle Storm in 2016, were all highly touted prospects that have been able to become big names at the pro level.  Wilson and Stewart have both won multiple championships while Ionescu (alongside Stewart) reached the WNBA Finals against Wilson. But all the players mentioned did win at least one championship at the college level.

WNBA vs NBA at the NBA’s All-Star Weekend

Steph Curry, point guard for the Golden State Warriors, is known as the best shooter in NBA history. He holds the record for most threes made in NBA history. He’s won the NBA’s annual 3-point contest during All-Star Weekend twice (2015 and 2021). However, he does not hold the record for most points ever scored in a three-point contest. That record belongs to Ionescu, who notched 37 points in the WNBA 3-point contest during WNBA’s All-Star Weekend in July 2023.

After a friendly back-and-forth exchange on X (formerly known as Twitter) between Curry and Ionescu, the two will compete in a 3-point contest during the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse (home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers) in  Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 16 - Feb. 18, 2024.

I can’t wait to see this 3-point contest go down. An NBA/WNBA crossover is what the WNBA needs to receive more attention. I would love to see a mixed NBA/WNBA All-Star Game, but that is unlikely to happen, as it would just be a logistical nightmare.

Women’s March Madness

The Huskies have been a staple when it comes to Women’s March Madness. At this point, it feels like it should be death, taxes, and the Huskies qualifying for March Madness and then proceeding to make a deep run. The Huskies have won a record 11 National Championships, which includes back-to-back titles in 2009-10, a three-peat from 2002-2004, and four in a row from 2013-2016. It’s a reign of dominance that we might not ever see the likes of again. They last won a National Championship in 2020.

The Huskies, as well as the Fighting Irish, Gamecocks, Tigers, Hawkeyes, Buckeyes, and several other teams, will all be looking to reach the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four and National Championship, which will take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH (home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers) April 5 and April 7, respectively. Being from Northeast Ohio, I’m hoping to be in attendance for either the two Final Four games on April 5 or the National Championship game on April 7 because it could very well be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The talent in Women’s College Basketball has never been better. Given the quality of basketball these women can give us, people should want to tune in and check out what they can do. Whether it’s in Women’s College Basketball or the WNBA, you want to see the big names and the top teams go at it because that just adds more intrigue and excitement to the matchup.