The last day of college basketball is upon us. The University of Connecticut takes on Purdue University in the granddaddy of them, the Men’s National Championship. Congrats to South Carolina on their victory in the Women’s National Championship!

LETS. GET. INTO. IT.

THE DAILY STUMPED🔮 

STORY OF THE DAY✍️ 

What’s The State of Women’s College Basketball?

In a year where we saw records fall, drama build, dynasties grow, and stars shine, I’d argue that the biggest winner of them all is the sport of Women’s Basketball. For the first time in my recent memory, we saw the Women’s Final Four and NCAA Tournament take over social media, especially as the end of the tournament neared. Quotes were flying about the heightened interest in the outcomes of the women’s games compared to the men’s games.

The interest peaked with the Iowa-UConn game, where we saw two of the best in women’s sports history in Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, battle for a spot in the National Championship game. Viewership averaged just above 14 million, and peaked at 17 million, making it the most-viewed women’s basketball game on record and the largest audience for an ESPN basketball broadcast. For reference, the 2023 Men’s National Championship between SDSU and UConn averaged 14.7 million. It is the second most non-football broadcast in the history of ESPN, trailing only the 2014 World Cup broadcast of USA vs Portugal. It was the second-most watched basketball broadcast of all time - any basketball, men’s or women’s, college or professional.

What started all of this interest: Caitlin Clark. In the 2023 Final Four, she dazzled crowds with her Steph Curry-like threes, her unapologetic trash talks, and her fiery personality. To keep the momentum going, her assault on the record books, her constant presence in the news cycle, and her newest recurring role on State Farm commercials made it hard for people to NOT pay attention to what she was doing.

Growing up a UConn fan, women’s sports was always something that was valued, the likes of Breanna Stewart, Stephanie Dolson, and Maya Moore were some of the most dominant basketball players, men or women, I ever watched. It is refreshing to see the rest of the world catch up. So to answer the title: what is the state of women’s college basketball?

The best it’s ever been.

🎙️SONG OF THE DAY

Downtown - Macklemore

This song is a VIBE! It’s reallyyyyyy going to feel like spring in the North East of the United States today. Turn the volume up, throw the windows down, and let this song BLAST!

WHAT’D YOU MISS⁉️📰 

• 🏀 After 15 years at the helm of Kentucky, John Calipari will leave the Wildcats to take on the Arkansas job, signs a 5-year deal

• 🏈 Patriots agree to 4-year, $58 million deal with Safety Kyle Dugger

• ⛳️ Ashkay Bhatia wins a WILD Texas Open in a playoff against Denny McCarthy

  • McCarthy birdied 7 holes in a row to tie Bhatia and send it into a playoff before hitting his second shot into the water

• 🏀 South Carolina wins the Women’s National Championship by defeating Iowa and Caitlin Clark

  • South Carolina finishes their PERFECT season

• 🏀 Saint Louis hires away Josh Schertz from Indiana State to lead the men’s basketball program

• ⛳️ Nelly Korda wins her FOURTH consecutive LPGA Event with her victory at the T-Mobile Match Play

• ⚾️ Marlins win their first game of the MLB season after an 0-9 start

• 🏀 Tennessee Lady Vols hire Marshall’s Kim Caldwell to lead their heralded women’s basketball program