Womens March Madness

The 2024 women’s NCAA basketball tournament has been the most popular in history with many riveting games and standout players. 

Women’s basketball and women’s sports in general have long been overshadowed by the more popular, and more showcased men’s sports. The women’s division was constantly overlooked; for example, the vast majority of women’s games had barren stadiums along with lower viewership compared to the men’s league. To exemplify this, the women’s college NCAA tournament was not even allowed to use March Madness branding until 2022. The men in comparison have had March Madness since 1939, thus the women have been excluded from this brand for nearly 85 years. 

However, the 2023 tournament shined a light of hope for Women’s college basketball. With every bracket busted in the men’s tournament and a championship that lost the interest of many, people started to turn to the women’s bracket. Audiences discovered the amazing athletic abilities of standout players like Caitlin Clark (Iowa) and Angel Reese (LSU), and the Iowa v.s. LSU tournament became the most viewed women’s game ever, drawing in 12.6 million viewers. This increased women’s viewership by a staggering 103% from the previous year when the championship had around 18,000 attendants and 4.8 million viewers. 

“I think sports fans have been able to see the intensity and passion that many of the female athletes have. This inspires little girls everywhere to follow their dreams as athletes!” Aniston Clayton, a varsity basketball player explained. 

This 2024 tournament has again presented competitive games that have viewers glued to their screens. The first round was nearly upset-free, with the only upset being 11-seed Middle Tennessee defeating 5-seed Louisville to advance to the second round. The second round followed suit with again only one upset, 7-seed Duke out scoring 2-seed Ohio State. In the Sweet 16, all 3-seeds (Oregon State, NC State, and LSU) won their games eliminating all 2-seeds from the tournament. The elite eight featured close games between NC State and 1-seed Texas where NC State was victorious, and UConn v.s. USC in which UConn secured their 23rd appearance in the final four, the most appearances out of any men’s or women’s college team. However, the star of the elite eight was the rematch between Iowa and LSU, where in the championship game in 2023 LSU killed Iowa. This game featured senior stars Angle Reese and Caitlin Clark while also highlighting the skills of sophomore Flau’jae Johnson who scored 23 points for her team and is expected to become a star player in upcoming seasons. 

Heading into the Final Four, there were 2 matches that created great games. In NC  State v.s. South Carolina, the NC State Wolves were able to stick with the undefeated Carolina Gamecocks, only trailing by one point at halftime. However, when the Gamecocks returned to the court after halftime, their fire was lit. They went on an insane scoring run, gaining 29 points in the third quarter alone and defending NC State well enough for them to only score 6 points. In the fourth quarter, NC State attempted to crawl back, scoring 22 points; however, they fell short with a final score of 78-59, the victory going to South Carolina. The other matchup between Iowa and UConn caused controversy due to the closeness of scores and foul calls. UConn entered the game with dominance, defending well and leaving Iowa trailing 26-32 at halftime. UConn features star senior Paige Bueckers, who is expected to return to UConn for a super senior season, but especially Nika Mühl, who was tasked with guarding 3x Big Ten Tournament’s MOP (most outstanding player) Caitlin Clark. Mühl excelled in this position, forcing Caitlin to turn to her teammate for support, and the Hawks did not disappoint. Without Clark to dominate, other athletes like Hannah Shulke and Kate Martin were able to shine. Iowa was able to climb back and the game remained close until the final 11 seconds of the game when Bueckers was passed the ball to go for a game-winning 3-pointer until the refs called an offensive foul on Aaliyah Edwards forcing a turnover to Iowa, essentially guaranteeing their win. Some disliked the call, claiming the officials should have let the game continue; however, it is obvious that it was an offensive foul thus many others agree with the unfortunately timed call. 

The championship between undefeated, overall 1-seed South Carolina and 2x championship attending, Caitin Clark’s Iowa remained tense till the final second, and many people were split between who would win. 

Vana Bilic, a sophomore on the varsity basketball team said “I made one bracket where South Carolina won and one where Iowa won”

 Starting in the first quarter, South Carolina failed to defend Clark allowing her to score 18 points in the first quarter alone. Iowa led South Carolina for the majority of the first half until a foul and a steal allowed the Gamecocks to pull ahead 46-49 at halftime. For the remainder of the game Iowa attempted to crawl back and held close, but the Gamecocks held their lead and were able to secure their third national title. Iowa’s downfall lied in their inability to rebound or defend South Carolina. It does not matter if the shot misses because South Carolina got four attempts at the basket each time they received the ball. This victory not only provided South Carolina with their 3rd title but allowed them to have a perfect undefeated season. Along with this, South Carolina showed the depth and athleticism of their line-up. Freshman, Tessa Johnson is not a starter on the South Carolina line-up; however, she was able to play 25 minutes and score 19 points for her team. Not to be forgotten is senior Kamilla Cardoso who dropped 15 points and is expected to be in the first three drafted at this year’s WNBA draft. 

Beyond the outcomes of each game, the viewership and crowd growth for the Women’s March Madness tournament shows great growth in the support of women’s sports. 

“Popularity of this sport has steadily increased! The proof is not only in the millions of people who tuned into the Final Four and Championship games but also in the number of people wearing the collegiate gear of a female player AND the number of professional athletes and celebrities tweeting about collegiate women’s games!” Nikki Thies, DMS public school teacher said. 

This year was the first time in history that the women’s championship game drew in more viewers, 18.9 million, than the men’s tournament. This shows great hope for not only women’s basketball but for all women in male-dominated sports.