Ladies’s Candy 16 winners, losers embrace Miami, Kim Mulkey’s outfit
How far can a famous person carry her group?
That was our query the opposite day about Maddy Siegrist. The supernova for fourth-seeded Villanova, the nation’s main scorer, was making an attempt to channel Jackie Stiles circa 2001 and ship her squad to the Ultimate 4.
However the query is healthier requested about Caitlin Clark.
As a junior, Clark is already a family title, praised by NBA All-Stars and talked about always on ESPN. (Typically to the purpose it bugs other women’s basketball coaches, who really feel their gamers needs to be getting just a little extra love.) She’s a terrific scorer, and a greater passer.
Clark didn’t have an ideal first half Friday towards Colorado, scoring simply 12 factors and taking pictures 4-of-11. However she exploded within the second half, ending with 31 factors and taking pictures 7-of-11 after the break. Clark has talked about enhancing her means to reset, notably when she’s taking pictures poorly.
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“It is one thing I have been engaged on, particularly this 12 months,” Clark stated. “I knew if we wished to go far, I am unable to get too hung up on different performs, I am unable to get hung up on turnovers, missed pictures.
“Being mentally powerful (is) understanding all the things’s not going to go your method. You are not going to shoot unimaginable for 4 video games (to get to Dallas). That is unrealistic … I believe shopping for into the 4 people who find themselves on the courtroom with me, understanding they’ve my again has been actually good for me.”
That kind of maturity and perspective go a great distance, particularly within the postseason. They make you a winner. And on Sunday, we’ll learn how far this winner can carry her group.
Listed here are the opposite winners and losers from the primary batch of ladies’s Candy 16 video games.
WINNERS
Ladies
Twelve girls head coaches superior to the Candy 16, probably the most since 2015, when 13 girls head coaches took their groups that deep (three of them are the identical: South Carolina’s Daybreak Staley, Maryland’s Brenda Freese and Iowa’s Lisa Bluder). Solely as soon as in event historical past have all 16 groups been coached by girls — the primary 12 months, in 1982.
Three of the 12 are Black girls — Staley, Ole Miss’ Yolette McPhee-McCuin and Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey — a quantity that resonates in a sport with 44% Black athletes.
“It’s vital simply because I’ve aspirations of wanting to teach,” stated Tennessee’s Jordan Walker, a senior guard. “To have the ability to see Daybreak Staley and Coach Yo in these positions it’s similar to, wow, little Black ladies, they’ll do it, too. It’s actually inspiring. It makes you need to push more durable, as a result of the foot is within the doo. With three (Black girls) within the Candy 16 proper now, what can or not it’s later down the road?”
Future Harden
4 days after hitting the game-winner to knock off No. 1 Indiana on the Hoosiers’ house courtroom, the 6-foot senior ahead hit an important 3 with 5:03 to play that helped the Hurricanes maintain off a feisty Villanova group, profitable 70-65 and advancing to this system’s first-ever Candy 16. Harden completed with 15 factors, 9 rebounds and a pair of assists.
Requested afterward what it’s wish to be using such a exceptional wave of momentum — Miami misplaced 4 of its final seven video games earlier than the NCAA Match tipped off, and barely survived its first spherical sport — Harden stated she’s simply making an attempt to “take pleasure in these moments as a result of that is my final 12 months with this group and this group of women.”
Miami was led by Jasmyne Roberts (26 factors, 9 rebounds), but it surely was the play of Harden that helped Miami regroup after Villanova went on a 23-2 run within the second half to drag forward.
LaDazhia Williams
LSU ahead Angel Reese sometimes owns the highlight for the third-seeded Tigers. However in its Candy 16 sport towards Utah, one of the best ahead on the ground was Williams. The 6-foot-4 graduate switch (from Missouri) scored 24 factors on 11-of-14 taking pictures, grabbed 6 rebounds, blocked 2 pictures and nabbed 2 steals, serving to LSU to a 66-63 win.
LSU is the third cease for Williams, who performed her freshman 12 months at South Carolina earlier than shifting to Missouri. And on Friday, she made followers in Baton Rouge not only for her scoring, however her protection. Shutting down Utah ahead Alissa Pili was a group effort, and Williams performed a giant function in that. She helped maintain Pili to only 14 factors — she took solely eight pictures — and compelled her into six turnovers. She additionally helped Pili get in foul hassle; Pili performed simply 27 minutes earlier than fouling out.
Depth
Let’s hear it for the subs.
Louisville dealt with upset-minded Ole Miss within the final sport of the night time Friday, stretching a five-point halftime result in a 72-62 win. The Cardinals used a brief rotation — simply seven gamers acquired important minutes — however their second string was terrific, outscoring the Rebels’ bench 27-6.
Manufacturing from the bench is important this time of 12 months, particularly if you wish to play in, say, Dallas. If the Cardinals maintain this up, they could possibly be headed to their second consecutive Ultimate 4.
LOSERS
Flamingos
What number of fairly pink birds needed to die to make Kim Mulkey’s outfit?
The LSU coach is unmatched in her sport ‘matches, although Friday may need been a brand new low.
The three-time nationwide champion evoked Elton John in a wild, green-and-pink patterned blazer with just a little further embellishment. The jacket itself was an announcement, but it surely was the pink feathers stitched onto the arm seams that basically caught everybody’s eye — and generated a number of the web’s greatest commentary.
Mulkey is famously glib and absolutely doesn’t care what anybody thinks of her wardrobe. Apart from, she has one of the best clapback. To paraphrase Elton, she and the Tigers are nonetheless standing.
Airballs
It’s tough to shoot poorly at an important second. It is worse to have the ball hit nothing however air.
That’s precisely what occurred when Utah’s Jenna Johnson stepped to the road with 4 seconds to play and the second-seeded Utes trailing 64-63 to third-seeded LSU: Johnson airballed her first try. Badly.
It was brutal second on an enormous stage. She missed the second, too, possible, as a result of her confidence was so shaken. (She’s sometimes a 75% free throw shooter.) Utah went on to lose 66-63.
