As the clock hit 26 seconds Colorado’s guard Jaylyn Sherrod swished two free throws to secure the victory over favored LSU. Spectators were shocked by the No. 20 Colorado upset over the No. 1 LSU, but Colorado’s intense defense and grit brought them out on top. Get your hats, jerseys and remotes ready, the 2023 College Women’s Basketball season has begun.
The 2023 NCAA women’s tournament championship between Louisiana State and Iowa sparked lots of attention for women’s basketball at 9.9 million viewers. With noteworthy figures such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese battling head to head, many sports fans were suddenly drawn to women’s play. Social media played a major role in the shift as individual players created brands and names for themselves on popular platforms which increased viewers of their games. Similar to the championship game, the Louisville Cardinals led by Haley Van Lith faced the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight generating over 2.5 million viewers, becoming ESPN’s most-viewed Elite Eight game in women’s basketball history, followed by Iowa’s victory over undefeated South Carolina in the national semifinals. Many games of the tournament broke records for women’s basketball and the 2022-23 season set the stage for greater recognition of the women’s season. Following this exceptional year, basketball fans are eager to watch the 2023-24 season and see which teams come out on top.
In the past few weeks, there have already been several games that stand out among the top teams in the program. The previously mentioned upset of the Buffaloes over the Tigers in LSU’s opening game, 92-78, kicked off the season with the ‘Win of the Week’ as noted by ESPN.
Mulkey, LSU head coach, told CBS Sports, “I’m disappointed and surprised at some individual players that I thought would just be tougher and have a little more fight and leadership about them”. Considering the powerhouse players that make up LSU’s starting five with the newest addition of Haley Van Lith, it is clear the Tigers have some work to do to earn the number one spot.
Unlike Louisiana, a South Carolina team came out with a strong start beating No. 10 Notre Dame 100-71. Then played the Maryland Terps, coming out with another win 114-76. After the game, Coach Frese, Maryland’s head coach, noted that the Gamecocks team this year may be better than last season’s, a promising claim following the team’s previous performance.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is also still turning heads with impressive play on the court, even becoming Iowa’s all-time scorer after she dropped a 24-point triple-double against Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes pulled wins over Northern Iowa, Fairleigh Dickinson and Virginia Tech at the start of the 2023-24 season, with Clark averaging over 25 points a game.
Other powerhouse programs, including the UCLA Bruins and Stanford Cardinals, opened their season with three blowouts,showing promising performances for the rest of the season. Another big name in the world of women’s collegiate basketball is UConn, a program that has dominated for years, catching attention with guard Paige Bueckers returning from an ACL injury that took her out of last season. They have so far beaten Daytonand Maryland, but faced a challenging defeat against North Carolina State.
From upsets to inspiring players, women’s college basketball has started in full throttle and fans can expect another exciting season this year. With holidays around the corner, especially Thanksgiving, non-conference games are going to take place at big tournaments, in which spectators will get a better understanding of where the top women’s teams lie. It seems that the growth of women’s basketball will continue with greater attention towards the 2023-24 season, giving hope to all of those involved or supporting women’s collegiate sports.
