As the Final Four draws nearer, head coaches are trying out their comedy skills on the mic. Thoughts? |
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Iowa vs LSU smashes women's basketball TV records
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Monday's blockbuster Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU has shattered women's basketball TV ratings records, averaging 12.3 million viewers.
- Iowa's big win is now the most-watched women's college basketball game on record, and the most-watched college basketball game on ESPN platforms.
- The game was also ESPN’s highest audience for any basketball game since the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
- The broadcast peaked at 16.1 million viewers overall.
Big picture: While Monday's ratings punch a new hole in the ceiling, viewership for the entire NCAA tournament has been trending upward.
- Every Iowa game starting in the first round has set a new ratings record for a non-Final Four women's NCAA tournament game, before overtaking both last year's final (9.9 million) and the 1983 title game (11.84 million) on Monday.
- Other games have also seen an uptick in viewership, with UConn's win over USC attracting an average of 6.7 million viewers, peaking at over 10 million.
- Fun fact: UConn's women's team outdrew the UConn men (6.48 million) in their respective Elite 8 games.
The entire 2024 tournament viewership is up 127% year over year according to ESPN, with games through the Elite Eight averaging 1.5 million viewers.
- The Elite Eight itself averaged 6.2 million viewers, with Sunday's games averaging more than 2.5 million viewers.
- All four games sit as four of the five most-watched Elite Eight women's basketball games on record.
Bottom line: The Caitlin Clark effect is real, but the rise in women's basketball's popularity is permeating far beyond just one program.
- With blockbuster match-ups set for the Final Four, don't be surprised if this new record falls in a week.
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The NCAA transfer portal heats up
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Talia von Oelhoffen (Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
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Even before the NCAA tournament ends, the landscape of next season is beginning to shift.
- Fresh off an appearance in the Elite Eight, Oregon State star Talia Von Oelhoffen has announced she'll be entering the portal as a graduate transfer, to finish her college career elsewhere.
Big picture: With conference realignment next season and an ongoing coaching carousel, players have to make decisions quickly after their seasons end.
- Oregon State will be joining the West Coast Conference next season, after the dissolution of the Pac-12.
- Other top players have coaching changes to consider, like Virginia Tech senior Georgia Amoore, who similarly joined the portal after her coach Kenny Brooks took a head coaching job at Kentucky.
- More than 900 athletes have already put their names into the transfer portal, with more to come.
There will be even more announcements ahead, as players only have 48 hours after their final game to make decisions whether or not to declare for the 2024 WNBA draft.
- Players like LSU's Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith will need to make their decisions soon, after their Elite Eight loss on Monday.
- South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso announced this week she'll be going to the WNBA after the Gamecocks' Final Four run.
One other player about to make a big decision is top college recruit Sarah Strong, who participated in the McDonalds All-American Game on Tuesday.
- Strong, the No. 1 player in the 2024 recruiting class, has narrowed her college choices to UConn, Duke, and North Carolina.
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The Spirit make Leicy Santos signing official
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Leicy Santos (Mark Metcalfe - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
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The Washington Spirit officially announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Leicy Santos on Tuesday, after reporting from the Athletic linked the 27-year-old to the D.C. club.
- Santos has agreed to terms for a three-year contract, and will be joining the Spirit after finishing the current Liga F season with Atletico Madrid.
Big picture: Santos' signing indicates the big picture ambitions of Michele Kang's team, as they wait for the arrival of permanent manager Jonatan Giráldez.
- "Bringing Leicy to the Spirit is an important step in taking this team forward,” Giráldez said in a team release. “She is relentless in the attacking third and can create opportunities at will with her passing. We are thrilled to have her.”
- Giráldez will also be joining the Spirit at the end of the Liga F season, as he finishes his contract with FC Barcelona.
Santos is known to global audiences for her stunning goal in the 2023 World Cup quarterfinal round against England.
- She's made 43 appearances for the Colombian senior national team in her international career.
- Santos has also appeared in over 100 league matches for Atletico Madrid, totaling 17 goals and 16 assists.
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USWNT: The U.S. has arrived in Atlanta ahead of their SheBelieves match on Saturday, where more than 40,000 tickets have been sold for their matchup against Japan.
LPGA: Recently crowned World No. 1 Nelly Korda is on a hot streak, winning her third-straight LPGA event in a row at the Ford Championship over the weekend.
College gymnastics: The regional round of the NCAA gymnastics postseason begins today and runs through Sunday, with the Ann Arbor and Fayetteville regionals airing on ESPN+ this afternoon starting at 2pm ET. |
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"We don't plan on stopping her. Because I tried calling all the other coaches that have stopped her, and none of them answer the phone. So we're going to have to find a different way to win than stopping Caitlin Clark."
Geno Auriemma
on how UConn is going to try to stop Caitlin Clark in the Final Four.
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Written by Claire Watkins
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