The "most-anticipated game of the NCAA Tournament isn’t a final and isn’t in Houston," as fans of women’s basketball are "finally getting" what have "been clamoring the last two years for" -- a showdown between South Carolina F Aliyah Boston and Iowa G Caitlin Clark in the Final Four, according to Nancy Armour of USA TODAY. On paper, Friday’s second semifinal is "between high-octane Iowa and impenetrable South Carolina." Anyone who has "paid even a second of attention to this year’s tournament, however, knows it’s all about Boston and Clark." Armour writes the two players "are a contrast in both playing styles and personalities." Boston is a two-time national defensive player of the year "who can short-circuit entire offenses," while Clark is a "gunslinger who thinks nothing of pulling up from the logo." Boston "prefers to let her game talk for her," while Clark "plays to the crowd." The "magnetism of their games is similar," however, and it is "reminiscent of when Magic and Bird faced off in the 1979 men’s title game, and the impact could be just as seismic" (USA TODAY, 3/31).
THE NEXT BIRD-MAGIC?: THE ATHLETIC's Bob Kravitz writes for women’s college basketball, "Friday night may be the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson 1979 NCAA Tournament Final moment." Kravitz notes "big brands draw eyeballs" and "superstars draw eyeballs." The "women have them this year; the men don’t." Kravitz: "This can be one of those touchstone moments you look at years down the line and think, 'Something really seismic happened that night'" (THE ATHLETIC, 3/31). In Washington, Kareem Copeland writes the two star players "have been linked throughout the past two seasons as they occupy spaces that are concurrently the same and very different." South Carolina "features the No. 3 scoring defense in the country and is known for its depth and size," while Iowa is the "highest scoring team in the nation and looks to bomb away from the perimeter and push the ball at every opportunity." Copeland writes "both Boston and Clark are perfect representatives for their respective teams" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/31). SI's Emma Baccellieri writes when South Carolina meets Iowa in the women’s Final Four, they will "offer a dream clash of styles, personalities and story lines." Baccellieri: "All this is reflected in the ticket prices (high), the expected television ratings (ditto) and the palpable sense of hype (just as impressive if harder to objectively measure)." The NCAA "couldn’t have asked for a more storybook matchup" (SI, 3/31).
CHANGE COMING SOON? In N.Y., Kurt Streeter writes the popularity of a sport “often rises on the strength of story, on narratives that propel the game forward and compel us to watch.” This year’s NCAA tournament is “loaded with them,” along with the talent and high stakes that “give those narratives meaning.” The power of the women’s game for “narrative and high-stakes, compelling play has been there for years.” But it has not “always been presented with proper attention.” Women’s basketball has been part of a $34M broadcast contract bundling all NCAA championships other than football and men’s basketball “in the same deal.” Change “could soon be on the way.” Attendance is “up, way up,” at this year’s NCAA tournament, and “so are broadcast ratings” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/31).
A WINNING FORMAT: Also in N.Y., Billy Witz wrote the NCAA’s “experiment of winnowing the usual four regional site for the Division I women’s basketball tournament down to two this year” -- and packing eight teams into two cities -- “may have created a travel burden for some teams, but the four-day basketball fiestas on opposite ends of the country seem to be an idea worth holding on to.” Attendance for the regional semifinals and finals “topped 85,000, more than 35 percent higher than last year’s combined attendance” (N.Y. TIMES, 3/29).
BUZZCAST: SBJ's Abe Madkour looks at the impact on women's basketball in Friday's Buzzcast (2:43-4:03).
