Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL great Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

This week, Just Women’s Sports brought Sports Are Fun! to Tampa for a live recording ahead of the NCCA Final Four.

Taped in front of a live audience, O’Hara and the crew were joined by some extra special guests. Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, WNBA stars Aaliyah Edwards and Kelsey Mitchell, and UCLA standout Gabriela Jaquez all showed up to talk through the biggest weekend in college basketball.

'Sports Are Fun!' guests give their takes on the NCAA Final Four

Lisa Leslie on why UConn star Paige Bueckers doesn’t need a championship to secure her legacy

• “There's a whole career beyond college… She’s about to be the No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA. Now, if she gets there and she doesn't have a stellar career in the W, then maybe we don't talk about her anymore. But I don't really see that happening.”

Aaliyah Edwards on what UConn needs to do to stop UCLA in the Final Four

• “The first thing is, we just need to set the tone, play our game, focus on us. Because we've been doing great things. Second thing would be to limit the touches inside… And the third thing, which is like a UConn motto, is just play hard, play smart, and have fun.”
• “Obviously respect to UCLA, but I think we got it in the bag.”

Kelsey Mitchell on NIL pressure and Olivia Miles entering the NCAA transfer portal

• “I grew to respect people like Caitlin [Clark] because she handled it so gracefully… With Olivia, I'm sure whatever she decides to do, I'm going to say it was for her and what she needed for her career. But I hope consciously that they make decisions based on what they need for themselves.”
• “Not all money is good money. Hopefully whatever she decides to do is for her and she goes where she’s loved and where she’s celebrated, not tolerated.”

Gabriela Jaquez on how UCLA is preparing for their Final Four matchup against UConn

• “We're feeling great. We're feeling very confident, excited. I think coming here in the Final Four, it's such an extravagant experience, and I'm so thankful for it and these opportunities. But yeah, we all are here to play basketball and win games, and we're excited and we're really confident.”

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

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While NCAA basketball conference champions celebrate their trophies and automatic entries into March Madness, top contenders on the losing side are facing more questions than answers — with limited time to regroup before Selection Sunday.

After No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 7 NC State both fell to tournament champion — and emerging dark horse — No. 11 Duke this weekend, projections shifted such that the ACC is not likely to field a No. 1 seed in the national bracket.

No. 9 LSU similarly struggled, losing 56-49 in the tournament semifinal to eventual SEC runner-up No. 1 Texas.

That said, the Tigers' woes, however, could be short-lived. LSU endured the entire conference tournament without leading scorer Flau'jae Johnson due to a shin injury, and then saw standout senior Aneesah Morrow — the team's second most prolific scorer — exit their SEC semifinal loss with a re-aggravated foot sprain.

Both are expected to be back in action when the NCAA tournament tips off.

Win-or-go-home NCAA tournament looms large

Other teams are confronting harder-to-identify issues.

"I feel like we played below our standard. So that's frustrating. We’ve got to get better, and that’s on me," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said after Saturday’s ACC semifinal defeat. "I need to make this team get better, and that’s something that, when we’re back on the court, we will be better for this loss."

Even squads that fell in conference tournament finals departed the arena knowing that next time, there will be no second chance.

"I certainly think we have established ourselves as one of the top two teams in the cup when it comes to seeding," said Texas head coach Vic Schaefer after Sunday’s championship loss to No. 5 South Carolina. "We’ll learn from that [loss].… We’ve earned our way, and we’ll trust the committee to make that [seeding] decision. Whatever they make, we’ll roll with it."

Not every talent-laden team will make it to April's Final Four, but with adjustments, a conference tournament stumble could become a mere footnote in a longer postseason journey.

How to watch the NCAA tournament Selection Sunday Show

The road to Tampa officially kicks off when the NCAA basketball committee reveals the 68-team Division I tournament bracket on Selection Sunday, March 16th.

The Selection Show will air live at 8 PM ET on ESPN.

The 2024/25 NCAA basketball season continues to impress, as stunning upsets took over college courts this week.

Kicking off the drama was Trojan superstar JuJu Watkins, who set a new USC three-point record​ in Tuesday's 94-52 win over Cal Baptist, going 9-11 from behind the arc en route to a 40-point performance that led the Big Ten newcomer to a 7-1 season record.

"The goal is to have fun always," Watkins said after the game. "I shoot my best when I'm not really thinking."

Chaos reigns on Thursday's NCAA basketball courts

Watkins's big night set the stage for a stellar week of college hoops, with Thursday's slate serving up Top-10 matchups, upsets, and overtime thrillers.

While No. 3 South Carolina dispatched No. 8 Duke 81-70 behind Chloe Kitts' career-high tying 21 points, No. 10 Notre Dame snapped their two-game losing streak by handing No. 4 Texas their season's first defeat.

Even more impressive about the 80-70 overtime victory is that the Fighting Irish clinched it with an injury-hampered roster. Only six Notre Dame players took the court, battling 11 total Longhorns.

Sophomore star Hannah Hidalgo, who competed all 45 minutes, led the Irish with 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Guards Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron also contributed 18 points apiece. That said, defense clinched the upset win by holding Texas to just two overtime points while Notre Dame drained 12.

"They played with their hearts," Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey noted after the win. "They played with passion and fire. I'm just really proud of this group."

Also shaking up higher ranked teams on Thursday was NC State and No. 16 UNC, who downed No. 18 Ole Miss and No. 14 Kentucky, respectively. On the West Coast, Cal humbled No. 19 Alabama 69-65, sending the Tide home with their first season loss to end Bama's first 9-0 start in 24 years.

Narrowly escaping Thursday's upset party was No. 5 LSU, who needed overtime to take down unranked Stanford 94-88. Cardinal sophomore Nunu Agara impressed with a 29-point, 13-rebound double-double, but the Tigers bit back with Mikaylah Williams, Kailyn Gilbert, and Flau'jae Johnson combining for an astounding 78 points to keep LSU undefeated on the season.

Top NCAA teams take over Barclays in new Champions Classic

The madness continues on Saturday with the first-ever Women’s Champions Classic. Four college basketball powerhouses will hit the court at Brooklyn's Barclays Center — home to the 2024 WNBA champion NY Liberty.

Saturday's doubleheader sees eight-time NCAA champs Tennessee take on No. 17 Iowa in their first clash since 1993, when the Hawkeyes registered their only win over three matchups with the Vols.

The nightcap between 11-time title-winners No. 2 UConn and No. 22 Louisville has an even deeper history, with legendary coach Geno Auriemma's Huskies holding a 19-3 all-time record over the Cardinals.

Unlike the 13-year-old men's Champions Classic, which features the same four teams (Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and Michigan State) each year, the new annual women's edition will always include UConn alongside three other rotating teams.

"There's never been a higher level of interest in women's basketball," Auriemma said ahead of the games. "The Champions Classic will give fans exciting, marquee matchups early in the season."

How to watch UConn college basketball at the Women's Champions Classic college basketball event

Saturday's action starts with No. 17 Iowa vs. Tennessee at 7 PM ET. No. 22 Louisville vs. No. 2 UConn follows at 9 PM ET. Both games will air live on Fox.

Texas guard Rori Harmon was absent Wednesday night from the Longhorns’ 97-52 win over Jackson State.

Head coach Vic Schaefer provided no comment on Harmon’s injury after the game, only telling reporters that it happened during the team shootaround earlier in the day. Harmon, who spent the game on the bench for the Longhorns, appeared to be wearing a brace on her right knee, and she also was walking with a limp.

The junior guard is set to undergo testing Thursday, after which the school will issue a news release on the severity of the injury.

“We’ll know more [Thursday],” Schaefer said. “I don’t really have anything for you right now.”

The coach added that he didn’t say much to the team about Harmon before the game.

“My heart hurts for the kids that are out,” Schaefer said. “These (other) kids deserve my best. I’m proud of my team. They really rose to the occasion.”

Harmon is one of the best two-way guards in the country, with UConn head coach Geno Auriemma even saying that she’s “the best player we’ve played against this year, by far,” after UConn’s 80-68 loss to Texas in early December.

She had 27 points, 13 assists in that game and helped her team hold UConn’s Paige Bueckers to 13 points.

This is not the first time Harmon has been sidelined with an injury. She missed the first five games of the 2022-23 season with a foot injury. But she has established herself as a skilled defender, and she is averaging a team-high 7.8 assists (second in the country) and 3.1 steals per game. She also is averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds, both good for second on the Texas roster.

“Ain’t nobody on our team play harder than Rori Harmon,” Schaefer told ESPN early in December. “She brings that to the table every day, every practice, every game, and that’s what impacts your team in such a positive way.”

Hailey Van Lith understood the attention surrounding her exchange of words with an opponent in Louisville’s second-round win Monday. But she didn’t agree with it.

Texas guard Sonya Morris led the fourth-seeded Longhorns in the handshake line after a 73-51 loss to the fifth-seeded Cardinals. Morris stopped Van Lith during the procession to say a few words, and then Van Lith brushed off Morris’ arm and replied with a few words of her own as she continued down the line of Texas players.

“I mean that happens in the NBA game every single day,” Van Lith told reporters Thursday. “Just because it was women’s basketball, they’re going to drag it out and it’s a whole deal. But, you know, it really wasn’t a big deal and people are trying to stretch.”

"Just because it was women's basketball, they're going to drag it out & it's a whole deal. But, it really wasn't a big deal and people are trying to stretch."

- Hailey Van Lith on the media attention following her heated interaction with Texas' Sonya Morris. pic.twitter.com/Rs1vFzBY4u

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) March 24, 2023

After the game, Van Lith had downplayed the incident, chalking it up to a moment of “frustration” for Texas. But it still spread across social media, with plenty of armchair lip-readers trying to deduce what exactly Morris and Van Lith said as they jawed back and forth.

“I wasn’t surprised, because it’s women’s basketball and people treat us differently all the time,” the Cardinals junior said.

While she takes issue with the public fascination over the incident, though, she is more concerned with her team’s next game: a Sweet 16 meeting with No. 8 seed Ole Miss at 10 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN.

“I’ve moved on from it,” she said. “I’m not on social media, so I don’t know what people are saying…

“But I think if you know me and you watched me, like that actually was a very calm moment for me. So I think that people, I think that people know that I’m a lot more intense than that and I was actually very calm in that moment.”

Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith found herself on the receiving end of some trash talk in the postgame handshake line Sunday, but she had no trouble brushing it off.

“People are sad when they lose,” Van Lith said. “I’d be sad too.”

As her response left unsaid but made perfectly clear, Van Lith had no reason for sadness after No. 5 seed Louisville’s dominant 73-51 win against No. 4 seed Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals junior led all scorers with 21 points to help her team clinch a spot in the Sweet 16.

After the game, Longhorns guard Sonya Morris led her team in the handshake line and appeared to stop Van Lith to say a few words. Van Lith paused to listen, then brushed off Morris’ arm and seemed to reply with a few words of her own as she continued down the line of Texas players.

 

 

Enquiring minds really need to know what was said here pic.twitter.com/aILW052yNo

— Christopher Bishop (@ChrisBishopL1C4) March 21, 2023

Following the incident, though, Van Lith chalked the exchange up to a moment of “frustration” for Texas after a tough loss.

“I have all the respect in the world for Texas, no hard feelings,” she said. “You know, sports can get chippy and the moment you play in the heat — at the end of the day I’m going to let it go. No hard feelings.”

Instead, she wanted to focus on her own team’s strong performance.

“I don’t really want to speak on what happened at the end because I don’t want it to dim down the fact that we played really, really well… I’m just proud of our win,” she said.”

Louisville advances to play No. 8 seed Ole Miss at 10 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN. While the Rebels scored a shocking 54-49 upset over No. 1 seed Stanford on Sunday, their win opens up the path to the Elite Eight for the Cardinals.

Van Lith has reached the Elite Eight in each of the first two years of her Louisville carer, and she could make it three in a row with a win Friday.

“Like I’ve been saying this whole tournament, we just need the opportunity, and we got one for next game,” Van Lith said. “So we are going to take advantage of it.”

No. 12 Texas women’s basketball could have secured a share of the Big 12 regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament with a win Monday over Baylor. Instead, the Longhorns (22-8) left their home court in disappointment after a 63-54 loss.

Sophomore point guard Rori Harmon and coach Vic Schaefer both called out their team for the lack of effort in the defeat.

“It was pretty painful,” Harmon said. “It doesn’t feel like I’m getting the same energy I’m putting out on the court from some of the team. I almost take that personal. I’m not perfect at all — like, at all. That’s fine because most of the time, I’m going to play hard and it’s going to cover it up.

“When there’s not enough effort and energy, I take that personal because now I feel like you don’t want it anymore. That’s how I felt. And that’s how I feel.”

While Harmon did not have her best game, shooting 5-for-18 from the field, she contributed 12 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. Just three Texas players finished in double digits, including Harmon, guard Shaylee Gonzales (10) and center Taylor Jones (15).

“We kind of had the perfect stage,” Jones said. “We had a chance to win the championship tonight. And we came out dead.”

Texas gave up 17 turnovers in front of a season-high crowd of 10,763 fans at the Moody Center, which did not help a Longhorns roster depleted by injuries. Still, the team holds a half-game lead over Oklahoma and can clinch at least a piece of the Big 12 title with a win in their final game Saturday at Kansas State.

“We just kicked an opportunity to do something cool in front of our fans,” said Schaefer, who described his team as “lackadaisical” against the Bears. “Now are we going to do something about it?”

 

Texas defeated top seed Baylor 67-58 on Sunday to win the program’s first Big 12 tournament title since 2003.

The Longhorns dominated the matchup from the start, controlling the pace of the game and not allowing Baylor to get into a rhythm. Texas took an 11-point lead into halftime after outshooting the Bears 55.6 to 40.9 percent in the first half and forcing eight Baylor turnovers.

CHAMPIONS 🏆#TexasFight pic.twitter.com/JIKIleJE81

— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 13, 2022

Baylor star NaLyssa Smith struggled in the opening two frames, scoring just five points and recording three fouls before leaving the court ahead of halftime with an injury. The senior returned in the second half and finished the game with 21 points and three rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Texas’ charge.

Rori Harmon led the Longhorns with 20 points on 80 percent shooting from the field, while Aaliyah Moore added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

The victory is Texas’ second over Baylor since 2011 and puts the Bears’ No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in jeopardy.