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Everything you need to know about the 2023 NCAA Tournament

Indiana is one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament. (The Bloomingtonian/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The NCAA Tournament bracket is set, and the first games tip off Wednesday. From now until April 2, it’s all about college basketball.

Whether you’re a diehard fan or watching for the first time, Just Women’s Sports has everything you need to know about March Madness.

Who will win it all?

This is a season where the favorite has separated itself from the rest of the 68-team field. Of course, March is mad for a reason, so anything can happen. But South Carolina has all the tools to repeat as champions.

The Gamecocks are 32-0 heading into the tournament, and they have answered every test they have faced this season. Led by Aliyah Boston, the reigning POY, DPOY and Final Four Most Outstanding Player, South Carolina has talent and experience. Four of five starters from last year’s squad are back to chase another title.

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Who could play Cinderella?

The best thing about Cinderella teams is that they usually come out of nowhere, so don’t be surprised when someone outside of these selections makes a run. That being said, UNLV, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga and Princeton all have a create chaos.

UNLV

The Rebels are seeded at No. 11 because of their conference (Mountain West) and their poor strength of schedule. But if you watch UNLV, the talent is clear. All five players can create their own shots, they run the floor well, and can overwhelm opponents with athleticism.

Middle Tennessee

This team has a tough matchup in the first round with sixth-seeded Colorado, but the 11th-seeded Blue Raiders know how to win big games. They topped Louisville earlier this year and took care of business in Conference USA, winning 18 games. Middle Tennessee is dangerous because of the way the team shares the ball. Six players contribute at least 7 points per game, and four of them average double-digits.

Gonzaga

The Zags makes a point to schedule tough opponents outside of conference play. This year, they played Louisville, Marquette, Tennessee and Stanford, so they won’t be rattled by big-name opponents. Plus, they are experienced, with a starting five made up of all juniors and seniors.

Princeton

The Tigers made a splash last season when they beat Kentucky in the first round and then nearly knocked off Indiana. This time around, Princeton is missing Abby Meyers, who transferred to Maryland, but this team still has the goods to surprise its opponents. Kaitlyn Chen, the Ivy League POY, will lead the charge. She’s averaging 15.9 points, 3.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Five players you might not know, but should

Desi-Rae Young, UNLV

The Las Vegas native is a problem in the paint, averaging 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 59.7 percent from the field. She anchors a talented UNLV team with strength, athleticism and excellent footwork inside. Young can also face up and take opponents off the dribble, making her a potential mismatch for defenders.

Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado

The Buffs have had an excellent season thus far in no small part because of their point guard. Sherrod is one of the toughest players in the country. She will attack anyone off the dribble, play through injuries and has a motor that never quits.

Katie Dinnebier, Drake

The sophomore and former Miss Iowa Basketball has a habit of coming up big for her team in the most crucial moments. In the MVC Tournament quarterfinal, when Drake trailed by 8 points in the fourth, Dinnebier went on a scoring rampage, pouring in 13 of her 19 points in the final four minutes and 30 seconds.

Yarden Garzon, Indiana

Despite playing for one of the top teams in the country, Garzon has managed to stay under the radar all season. The 6-3 freshman is a complete player who does a bit of everything for the Hoosiers. She averages 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. Garzon has also been a starter all season, and despite being thrust into a big role, her youth never showed.

Gianna Kneepkens, Utah

In high school, Kneepkens scored 3,704 points, an insane number. She took her scoring prowess to college, where she puts up 15.4 points per game for one of the country’s best offensive teams. The sophomore has a true scorer’s mentality and is always hunting her shot. She can score from long range or off the bounce at the rim.

Six teams to watch, and why

Who to watch if you love scoring: Utah

The Utes are fourth in the country in points per game with 83.5, and they score in a variety of ways. Utah is a fun offensive team because it features both posts and guards who can score. Everyone can shoot 3s, and everyone can attack off the dribble. Who could forget the 124 points the Utes dropped on Oklahoma earlier this season?

Who to watch it you love efficiency: Indiana

Indiana just plays good basketball. Things start inside with Mackenzie Holmes, who shoots 68.8 percent from the field (second in the country) and scores 22.3 points per game. But the efficiency doesn’t stop with Holmes. As a team, Indiana shoots 49.8% from the field (also second in the country) and has a 1.42 assist to turnover ratio (seventh in the country).

Who to watch if you love 3-pointers: Florida Gulf Coast

The Eagles make 11.7 3-pointers per game, which is first in the country. The closest another NCAA Tournament team comes to that mark is Creighton, which makes nearly two less a contest at 9.8.

Who to watch if you love star power: Iowa

Between her overall talent and the way she interacts with the crowd, Caitlin Clark is a bonafide star. Tune in to watch her shoot from the logo, throw full-court passes and put up triple-doubles. In her last outing, Clark led Iowa to the Big Ten title with 30 points, 17 assets and 10 rebounds.

Who to watch if you love a favorite: South Carolina

The Gamecocks won last year’s national title, and they are favored to do the same this season. They enter the tournament with an undefeated 32-0 record, and are beating their opponents by an average of 30.3 points (first in the country).

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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