CLEVELAND — There’s just something different this time around.
That’s not to take anything away from last year’s Final Four in Dallas. History will always look back fondly on that entire women’s NCAA Tournament from start to finish — the first-weekend upsets, undefeated South Carolina falling in the national semifinals, and, of course, Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese Part I. It was a pivotal moment for women’s basketball, full stop.
But what happened this week in Albany, N.Y., led to the sport’s taking an entirely new leap, a jump that I’m not sure even I could have predicted at this point. It was … just … a normal major sporting event.
LSU vs. Iowa was treated just like any other monster game. In the lead-up, there was a lot of media coverage, as analysts broke down where teams had strengths (LSU in the post, Iowa at the logo) and weaknesses as well as motivation heading into a revenge game for the Hawkeyes. We weren’t told to watch the game simply because we should support women’s sports. We were drawn to the game because it was incredibly compelling.
During and after the game, fans argued about LSU coach Kim Mulkey’s (failed) defensive game plan for Clark. The way Mulkey used Hailey Van Lith — not taking her off the Clark assignment, not giving her help, leaving her all alone on an island — became a running joke on social media. The video of Van Lith shrugging because she’d done her best and it wasn’t enough against Clark became an instant meme, as versatile as the classic Alonzo Mourning nodding GIF in my mind.
Welcome to the Hoops Shrug Hall-of-Fame pic.twitter.com/LqlL0oIxiz
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) April 2, 2024
HVL living out the Alonzo Mourning gif pic.twitter.com/c1g7DFqqtN
— Glenn (@b0rn_villain) April 2, 2024
After the game, fans debated how much Reese’s rolled ankle had an impact on the game. They wondered whether she’d declare for the WNBA, and she got asked about it after the game, just like J.J. McCarthy did after Michigan won its football national championship. (McCarthy ended up announcing his decision on X; Reese did it in Vogue magazine, so there is that one slight difference.) Analysts and WNBA players alike discussed how some of college basketball’s biggest stars will fit in at the next level. Postgame interviews circulated for days, and their content led sports talk shows all week. There were, predictably, some bad takes as there often are when sports fans or hot-take artists chime in on anything.
It was all very … normal. Beautifully, spectacularly, refreshingly normal.
And that’s the biggest compliment I can give that game and its viewers. We treated it just like we would an NBA Finals game or a College Football Playoff matchup. We dissected it from every angle before and after. We criticized poor play and tweeted “WOW” when an incredible athlete did an incredible thing.
Welcome to the next evolution of women’s college basketball. Now, we’ll debate about this weekend’s Final Four results, whether Iowa and Clark can beat UConn and Paige Bueckers, whether South Carolina can remain undefeated against NC State. Now, we can argue about who should be the national Player of the Year with the frequency and vigor that we discuss the NFL MVP race. Now, we can make memes of funny moments during games we’re all watching together, because everyone will understand the shared context. Now, we debate the play and the players instead of focusing on feeling like we should watch the game because we’re women or girl dads or simply advocates for gender equity.
More than 12 million people joined me in watching that game because we wanted to watch the big game. We’d feel like we were missing out if we didn’t. That is the step that this sport took this week. That’s what made it different. And that’s why I’m not worried about its future.
(Photo of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
