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Final Four 2022 preview: Keys to victory for each team

Emily Engstler has turned it on for Louisville in the NCAA Tournament. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

And then there were four.

South Carolina, Louisville, Stanford and UConn are each just two wins away from becoming national champions. Getting here wasn’t easy, and finishing the job will be even more challenging.

Each team has had its own highs and lows this season. As we prepare for the three biggest games of the year, let’s reflect on those moments and explore what each squad has to do to come out on top in the Final Four.

South Carolina

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: 65-61 over No. 2 Stanford on Dec. 21

South Carolina played a tough schedule this season featuring 11 ranked opponents, but this win cemented the Gamecocks as an NCAA Tournament favorite. South Carolina had already topped No. 2 UConn, so to follow it up a month later with a win over the defending champion proved the hype around the team was real.

What’s more, the Gamecocks did it without playing particularly well, and managing to win when everything is going wrong is the mark of a great team. The Gamecocks shot just 36 percent from the field and 25 percent from the 3-point line. While one of South Carolina’s big three, Zia Cooke, finished with just four points, Aliyah Boston had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Henderson finished with 17 points. Meanwhile, Victaria Saxton added seven points and 10 boards, making the type of quiet impact she carried into the rest of the season.

Biggest challenge: Staying consistent

The Gamecocks managed to stay ranked first in the AP Poll for the entire season. Despite two losses, the first to Missouri in the regular season and the second to Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship, the voters felt comfortable keeping South Carolina atop the poll because of the team’s overall body of work. It doesn’t hurt that the Gamecocks beat just about every team that could have competed for the No. 1 spot.

Their ranked wins came against No. 5 NC State, No. 9 Oregon, No. 2 UConn, No. 8 Maryland, No. 15 Duke, No. 2 Stanford, No. 13 LSU, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 17 Georgia and No. 12 Tennessee. And when it came to those two upsets, the Gamecocks regrouped and responded with double-digit wins each time.

Key to victory: Show up on both ends of the floor

The only weakness South Carolina has shown this season has been the occasional game in which the offense doesn’t perform. In their early-season win over Stanford, the Gamecocks showed their ability to persevere in difficult circumstances, but it’s also the kind of thing that’s much easier to get away with in the regular season than in the postseason. The Gamecocks struggled offensively against Miami in the second round, as well. It was nothing to worry about then, as the Gamecocks were able to overwhelm the Hurricanes with their defense and overall talent. But against the remaining three teams, including Final Four opponent Louisville, the talent level is too high to get away with playing on just one end of the floor.

Louisville

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: Over No. 18 Notre Dame 73-47 on Feb. 13

This win is even more impressive considering the NCAA Tournament run the Fighting Irish put together. As a standalone contest, it was also the most complete game Louisville put together this season.

On defense, the Cardinals held Notre Dame to 32 percent shooting from the field and 9 percent from the 3-point line, while also forcing 16 turnovers. They also had nine players score on offense. Kianna Smith led the team with 17 points, Hailey Van Lith had 16 and Chelsie Hall added 13. Emily Engstler also had a near double-double with 12 rebounds, nine points and five assists. Louisville had been consistently good all season long, but this game showed they had national title-winning potential.

Biggest challenge: Inexperience

At the start of the season, Van Lith and Olivia Cochran had to adjust to larger roles as sophomores, and Engstler had to adjust to Louisville after transferring from Syracuse. Their inexperience showed down the stretch of their season-opening loss to Arizona. That game seemed far, far away as the Cardinals entered the postseason as one of the most consistent teams in the country. That trend continued in the tournament and earned them a spot in the Final Four.

Key to victory: Defense

When Louisville is at its best, the team is flying around, forcing turnovers and creating havoc. It’s what the Cardinals did to Michigan in the Elite Eight, forcing 22 turnovers, which became 24 points on the other end. They also feed off defensive energy, so when Engstler gets a deflection or Van Lith dives for a loose ball, the entire team suddenly taps into another gear. It’s infectious and dangerous for opponents. If the Cardinals can take advantage of South Carolina’s miscues, often enough to keep the Gamecocks out of sync, they have as good a chance as anyone to advance to – and even win – the national championship.

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Lexie Hull has been an offensive weapon for Stanford in the NCAA Tournament. (Jack Dempsey/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Stanford

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: Over No. 7 Tennessee on Dec. 18

When the Cardinal went on the road and topped the Vols, Tennessee was one of the hottest teams in the country. The Vols were 9-0 going into the game, and won nine more after the defeat. The Cardinal had been inconsistent leading up to the game, suffering upset losses to Texas and South Florida.

Stanford led by 17 points at the half before Tennessee cut the advantage to three points. The Cardinal were able to regain control, something that hadn’t happened in their previous two losses. They also started to look more like the defending national championship team we expected heading into the season.

Biggest challenge: Replacing Kiana Williams

Most basketball experts didn’t see this coming, but the departure of Kiana Williams proved to be a major obstacle for Stanford early in the season. The Cardinal struggled to take care of the ball — they recorded multiple 20-turnover games in the first few weeks — before finally finding a guard combination that worked. Lacie Hull has become a steadying force with the ball in her hands, splitting time with Anna Wilson at point. Together, the two run Stanford’s offense efficiently and effectively. The Cardinal are on a 24-game win streak, with their last loss coming on Dec. 21 against South Carolina.

Key to victory: Cameron Brink stays on the floor

Brink is one of the most impactful players in college basketball. She brings energy, a terrifying presence for opponents in the paint and high-level offensive skills. When the Cardinal played Texas for a spot in the Final Four, her importance to Stanford was obvious. With her on the bench for much of the first half, Texas was able to stay with Stanford, trailing by just three points at halftime. And in the third quarter, the Longhorns could have gained the lead and pulled away if it hadn’t been for Brink, who scored 10 of the Cardinal’s 13 points in the quarter. The only non-Brink points came with one second left when Haley Jones was fouled on a 3-pointer. The Cardinal went into the fourth quarter up by five, but without the sophomore, they would have trailed by seven.

Against UConn in the Final Four, and then potentially South Carolina or Louisville in the championship game, Stanford can’t afford to have Brink on the bench. She will need to stay out of foul trouble to give her team its best shot at the repeat.

UConn

Biggest (pre-NCAA Tournament) win: 70-40 over Villanova on March 7

It’s crazy to think that this season has been considered a challenge for UConn. A five-loss campaign is a great season for most teams, but UConn is held to a higher standard — for obvious reasons. That’s why, in part, the Feb. 9 loss to Villanova at home was such a big deal. The Huskies hadn’t lost a conference game since 2013. In a season where UConn hadn’t looked like the team we are used to, the loss had people asking: “Should we be worried about the Huskies?” And when the Huskies picked up a 70-40 revenge win over Villanova for the Big East tournament title a month later, they proved that no matter what had happened throughout the year, they were still a contender.

Biggest challenge: Injuries

It seems like every player on UConn’s roster has been injured at one point this season, causing disjointed play throughout the year. UConn even looked out of sync in its second-round win over UCF. The Huskies looked like a team that hadn’t spent much time on the court together because, well, they hadn’t.

The biggest hurdle for UConn to overcome was the knee injury Paige Bueckers sustained against Notre Dame on Dec. 5. She missed 19 games before returning for postseason play, and it took a long time for the Huskies to adjust. After scoring 27 points in her team’s overtime win over NC State in the Elite Eight, the sophomore star also looks like her old self once again and the team is peaking at the right time.

Key to victory: Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa

It’s easy for players like Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to steal the spotlight, but Edwards and Nelson-Ododa need to continue to perform at a high level if the Huskies want to add another national title to their long list. When they control the paint, it’s challenging for opponents to establish anything inside, both offensively and defensively. Against NC State they combined for 16 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, all while policing the paint and challenging the NC State guards who attempted to drive.

The Huskies take on Stanford in the semifinals, and to slow down Brink and the Cardinal attack as a whole, Edwards and Nelson-Ododa will have to be locked in.

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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