UCLA will hit the court for their first-ever NCAA Final Four on Friday, but as they extend the most successful season in program history, the Bruins have looked anything but green.
“We said talent was going to be our floor,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said after Sunday’s Elite Eight win over LSU. “Our character, our chemistry, our habits were going to be our ceiling.”
With just two losses on the season, UCLA’s status as a first-rate NCAA title contender has actually been years in the making.
Kiki Rice (L) joined UCLA out of high school in 2022. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Roster-building paves the way to the Final Four
In 2022, the Bruins signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, stacking their roster with top high school standouts Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, and Londynn Jones.
UCLA then upped their game even further last year, when 2022 No. 1 overall recruit Lauren Betts transferred in from Stanford — a move that fueled the Bruins all the way to the Sweet 16 with the promise of even greater success.
“Everyone came to UCLA for this reason: to do something we haven’t done in a really long time,” Jaquez said on Sunday. “[I’m] just really proud of my teammates, the staff, the coaches, just continuing to get better every day and grow from each season prior.
Center Betts is the backbone of UCLA, but not the Final Four team’s only standout player. (G Fiume/Getty Images)
With Lauren Betts at center, UCLA leans on depth
As one of the most dominant post players in college basketball, Betts is at the literal center of every UCLA performance. But that doesn’t mean the Bruins lack the depth it takes to handle a team like Final Four opponent UConn.
“When we have a deep team, I don’t have to be in the game at all times,” Betts said. “I have a team full of players who are just amazing and talented in their own right, and they put in the work.”
All in all, UCLA is coming into their own after developing much of its squad from the ground-up. Now it’s time to make the case that patient roster-building can pay off on NCAA basketball’s biggest stage.
Texas women’s basketball has made history by reaching the Final Four, their first appearance since 2003.
Under head coach Vic Schaefer, the Longhorns have been building toward this moment, advancing to the Elite Eight in three of the last four seasons before finally breaking through this year. The Longhorns’ success has been fueled by standout performances from forward Madison Booker and guard Rori Harmon. Booker, averaging 18.8 points per game in the NCAA Tournament while shooting 50 percent from the field, has been pivotal in key moments, including an 18-point performance against TCU where she made several clutch midrange shots to put the game out of reach.
Texas will play South Carolina on Friday for a chance to reach the national championship game for the first time since 1986. They faced South Carolina three times this season, with the Gamecocks winning two of those matchups, including a decisive victory in the SEC Championship game. However, Texas did secure one win over South Carolina at home, thanks to dominant interior play and second-chance opportunities generated by offensive rebounds—one of three keys to victory if this Longhorn team wants to make history.
1. Control the paint
Madison Booker.Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Texas thrives on scoring inside, with over 80 percent of their points coming from in the paint and the midrange. During the tournament, that number is up to 90 percent. This team does not shoot a lot of 3s. In their win against TCU, they only attempted three 3-pointers—which sounds absurd for 2025—but the Horned Frogs, who took 20 3s, only scored six more points from beyond the arc.
Texas as a team shoots an absurd 47 percent from the midrange on the season, which is very good for collegiate standards and will be the difference maker if they are going to beat the Gamecocks. However, Texas has struggled finding the stroke so far this postseason, shooting an abysmal 36 percent, which will not cut it in the Final Four. Thankfully, Texas has held opponents to only 68 points per 100 possessions during this stretch, which is the second-best mark of all 64 teams in the tournament.
2. Defense
Rori Harmon.Photo by Elaina Eichorn/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
South Carolina boasts a deep roster of positive defenders, but they’ve struggled mightily on offense in the tournament. The Gamecocks have an offensive rating just over 90 during the tournament, which is very concerning, while boasting a ludicrous 22 percent turnover rate.
This benefits Texas in a big way because the Longhorns are one of the best teams in the sport at forcing turnovers. Against TCU, the Longhorns broke out a full-court trap, forcing 21 turnovers, which was more than the number of field goals made by the Horned Frogs.
If Texas wants to win this game, they will need to slow down the pace and win the possession battle. Texas took 16 more shots than TCU. That massive gap will have to be the difference against South Carolina.
3. Rebounding wins
Kyla Oldacre.Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Legendary NBA coach Pat Riley once coined the famous mantra, “No rebounds, no rings.” Throughout his experience as a championship-winning head coach, he recognized how crucial rebounding is to winning at the highest level. It limits extra possessions for the other team and gives your team more chances to score.
Texas has been one of the best rebounding teams all season, averaging just under 16 offensive rebounds per game. South Carolina also has been a solid rebounding team, but Texas is better. If this game comes down to a possession or two, the Longhorns will need to key in on their identity, which is creating second chances on the glass and limiting them for the other team.
South Carolina enters Friday’s semifinal as the defending champions, and while Texas may be underdogs against the Gamecocks, the familiarity with their style and personnel advantages give them a fighting chance. If they can dominate inside while limiting mistakes and finding offensive contributions beyond Booker, they could pull off an upset and advance to their first title game since 1986.
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O’Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, Olympic diver Kassidy Cook, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women’s sports headlines.
And in today’s episode, the crew catches up on March Madness action as the NCAA tournament blows past the Elite Eight ahead of Friday’s Final Four.
“The first team I want to review is South Carolina,” O’Hara says, opening up the conversation. “They beat Maryland and Duke both by four points. Thoughts on South Carolina’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight showing?”
“As I said last week, they’ve made me incredibly nervous, to a point where I have doubts right now,” answers Diaz, admitting she had the 2024 NCAA champs going the distance for a second straight year.
“Especially if they face a UCLA in the in the final, who is who’s going to cover Lauren Betts?” she continues. “They don’t have that that 6’7” Kamilla Cardoso that they had last year. And having that presence by the rim is super important, offensively and defensively. I just think that they’re small.”
“That’s their biggest weakness,” agrees O’Hara.
“And sometimes their bench shows up, sometimes they don’t. And for me, that’s a big problem. You need depth,” Diaz says.
‘Sports Are Fun!’ hosts debate the NCAA transfer portal
Next up, the crew sounds off on the NCAA transfer portal as more top players opt to leave their programs in search of a new home. They subsequently ask the question: What matters more, team loyalty or an NIL payday?
“The women’s basketball transfer portal is very much so alive and heating up,” starts O’Hara, switching gears. “And we’ve seen some big names, including Taniya Latson from FSU and Cotie McMahon from Ohio State enter the portal.”
“Obviously none of us experienced the transfer portal, but I’m curious what everyone’s group thoughts are,” she asks.
“Every year it gets crazier and crazier, but there’s money to be made now,” says Diaz. “So listen, go where the money’s at. And as a coach, who am I to say, ‘They’re offering you $500,000. I don’t got it.’ Go make the bread.”
“It would stress me out,” says Cook. “When you start making money, all you can think about is, what if I could be making more? But some of these people are still teenagers — 19, 20 years old — and they’re making these big decisions.”
“Back in the day, you also had an allegiance to your school — you were playing for your school and playing because you love the sport,” she adds. “Now you’re playing where you can get the most money.”
“Audi Crooks at Iowa State, she said ‘The grass is greener where you water it. So quit asking,'” says O’Hara. “Because people were asking, ‘Are you going to enter the transfer portal?'”
“I love that because I feel like I would have done the same thing,” the proud Stanford grad continues. “If I was operating in this day and age, and had the opportunity to go make a ton of money, I think that my heart would still win out over my head.”
‘Sports Are Fun!’ places Kelley O’Hara at the intersection of women’s sports and fun. (Just Women’s Sports)
About ‘Sports Are Fun!’ with Kelley O’Hara
‘Sports Are Fun!’ is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women’s sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O’Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they’re talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams “Sports Are Fun!”
For the first time in NCAA Tournament history, the UCLA Bruins are headed to the Final Four.
UCLA’s recent victory over LSU in the Elite Eight avenged a loss to the Tigers in last year’s tournament and is the Bruins’ latest accomplishment in what has been a banner season for the program. Whereas the Bruins failed to close things out against LSU in 2024, they came out on top Sunday’s rematch, building a lead with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter and never letting go—something UCLA head coach Cori Close pointed to as a sign of team-wide maturity.
“I think the game was won in the poise and the choice to go back to neutral, get ourselves refocused, and make the next right step,” Close told media, referencing the Bruins’ mentality at a point when LSU had trimmed a 14-point lead to just five. She went on to say that improving the team’s chemistry had been a season-long effort and that the Bruins had to “become a group that’s better together than the sums total of [their] parts.”
Indeed, UCLA is a scary enough team on paper. 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts is perhaps the most physically dominant back-to-the-basket post player in the country. Point guard Kiki Rice is a dynamic athlete who controls the transition game and has developed into a top-tier midrange scorer. Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalić bring both size and outside shooting to their respective positions. Add in transfers Janiah Barker and Timea Gardiner—players who would start for the vast majority of teams in Division I but come off the bench for UCLA—and you have a deep, talented roster with no glaring weaknesses.
For most of the season, that talent has been more than enough. UCLA breezed through its first season in the Big Ten, winning the conference tournament and finishing 30-2 overall. Betts, in particular, has been spectacular, averaging 20 points, 9.6 rebounds and three blocks per game while shooting 64.9 percent from the field. She was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-American honors from the Associated Press and the USBWA.
Lauren Betts was named the Spokane Region’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 23 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and shooting 75 percent from the field.Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Unlike in 2024, however, the Bruins have carried that regular-season success into the NCAA Tournament. They’re thriving in the high-pressure situations they would have previously wilted in, with their Elite Eight win showing that they can dig deep and win even when they’re not playing their best basketball—a strength typically displayed only by the country’s truly elite programs.
This is what Close wanted to see. She had described last year’s Bruins as “way too mechanical” in their approach and that while she wants a team that’s disciplined, she’d rather them play like “an art project, not a scientific formula.” In other words, UCLA needed to be able to adjust to the flow of a game and play with a mental fortitude that matched their individual strengths.
To be clear, the scientific side of things is still there. The Bruins excel in several key statistical categories, leading Division I in total rebounding rate (58.4 percent; Her Hoop Stats) and ranking eighth in assisted shot rate (68.6 percent). They score efficiently, take care of the basketball and defend at a high level, which any basketball coach will tell you is a winning formula.
Where UCLA has grown the most, though, is nowhere to be found on the stat sheet. Rather, it’s in how the Bruins carry themselves, and it was a common theme in the postgame media availability after their Elite Eight win: confidence.
Close stated that UCLA had “earned a different level of confidence” during the regular season. Betts expressed full confidence in her teammates to put in the necessary work when she’s on the bench. Jaquez said that she has confidence in herself to knock down open shots that could decide a game.
To put it simply, the Bruins are the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and they know it. They demolished first-round opponents Southern, won by double-digits against second- and third-round opponents Richmond and Ole Miss and, most recently, overcame a challenge in LSU that they were previously not ready for.
Entering their first-ever Final Four, the confidence that the Bruins now share should be at an all-time high.
The GIST: There’s a mid-week lull in the on-court action ahead of this weekend’s Final Four, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any hoops news to catch up on. Consider this a chance to catch your breath and prepare for one last weekend of Madness.
The women’s Final Four is set: As you read, fans sadly missed out on a Monday Elite Eight rematch between Player of the Year finalists USC’s Watkins and No. 2 UConn’s Paige Bueckers. Without Watkins on the floor, Bueckers shined in the spotlight, leading the Huskies past the Trojans and sealing the school’s 24th Final Four appearance under head coach (HC) Geno Auriemma.
As for Monday’s other game, everything was bigger in Texas…except the scoreline. No. 1 Texas held No. 2 TCU center Sedona Prince to just four points and won the defensive battle 58–47, ending Prince’s marred collegiate career.
Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles hits transfer portal: There was debate as to whether Miles would enter the W’s draft (she was the expected No. 2 overall pick behind Bueckers) or use her last remaining year of NCAA eligibility to rack up more NIL money and compete for a title with the Irish. But yesterday, she blindsided everyone by opting to seek a change of scenery with a new program.
The second-team All-American teamed up with Player of the Year finalist Hannah Hidalgo to make up the country’s fiercest backcourt this season — and now, she’s the most desirable player in the transfer portal. Can’t wait to see where she ends up.
The transfer portal is messing with the emotions of women’s college basketball fans.
But for fans of the Maryland Terrapins, who had experienced the heartbreak of seeing so many talented players leave in recent years, it messed with our emotions in a good way in 2024-25.
Prior to this season, we suffered the whiplash of seeing a bunch of key contributors star in red, black and gold. Shakira Austin. Taylor Mikesell. Ashley Owsu. And, most of all, Angel Resse. But for only a brief time. So it messed with us. That’s not to say the transfer portal hasn’t been bringing us joy from the jump. Who could forget Abby Meyers, Katie Benzan, Jakia Brown-Turner, Chloe Bibby, Brinae Alexander, Mimi Collins, Lavender Briggs and Elisa Pinzan?
But this was a year to truly stand up and cheer for the transfer portal if you root for the turtles. Head coach Brenda Frese’s squad was almost completely made up of transfers. Of eight rotation players, only senior Shyanne Sellers and junior Bri McDaniel started their college careers in College Park. You had newcomers Kaylene Smikle, Sarah Te-Biasu, Saylor Poffenbarger and Christina Dalce, as well as second-year Terp Allie Kubek, all making huge contributions. Newbie Mir McLean also chipped in for a team that got off to the fourth-best start in program history (14-0) and quickly made a jump from No. 18 to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll after the first week of the 2024-25 season before peaking at No. 7 during their undefeated stretch.
The team would go on to be hindered by a season-ending ACL tear suffered by McDaniel, arguably the team’s third-best player, as well as injuries to arguable-best-player Sellers and key 3-point threat and rebounder Poffenbarger that caused those two to not be 100 percent down the stretch, ultimately resulting in a Sweet 16 exit at the hands of defending champion and No. 1-seed South Carolina.
It was a disappointing finish. The Terps came within four points of the mighty Gamecocks despite their injury woes, and had they won, they would have felt like they could have won the whole tournament.
Endings are always disappointing unless your team wins it all. Every year has been disappointing as a Terp fan since 2006. 2023—making the Elite Eight!—was a bit less disappointing. But Maryland beat an Olivia Miles-less Notre Dame team in the Sweet Sixteen to get there. It felt a little lucky. Well, this year, the Terps were unlucky because McDaniel would have made up that four-point difference, meaning we would have been making a hard-earned Elite Eight trip and could have gone even further.
I felt like the Terps had championship potential ever since a five-point loss to USC on Jan. 8. If we make smarter plays down the stretch of that game against the then-No. 4 Trojans, we carry momentum over, beat Wisconsin and Minnesota more soundly in our next two contests and maybe don’t drop all of the three games after that against No. 7 Texas, No. 12 Ohio State and No. 1 UCLA. Of course, the beginning of that three-game losing streak also coincided with the beginning of McDaniel’s absence. With a win over USC, we would have maintained a confidence that would have prevented our eventual losses to lesser teams. With that confidence and with McDaniel healthy, I think we remain in that top 11 all season long—and maybe even join the big six of UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, USC, UConn and Notre Dame, becoming a seventh team that the media considers to be a tier above the rest of the country.
Really impressed by Shyanne Sellers in particular – so much improvement. Has exploded off the screen in a game headlined by JuJu Watkins. https://t.co/sTgEkspXi5
That’s part of the story of this season for the Terps: We were better than what our Sweet 16 finish indicates, and it’s hard to let that go. However, the other part of the story is that incredible 14-0 start—led mostly by transfers—and the incredible way we responded to McDaniel’s injury, with Te-Biasu capturing vengeance over Ohio State with an overtime, game-winning 3 to close the regular season, followed by her and fellow transfers Smikle, Kubek and McLean (DEFENSE!) coming up clutch again in a double-overtime classic against No. 5 seed Alabama that allowed us to at least get to our fourth Sweet 16 in five years and 12th under Frese. McDaniel was, of course, also huge in the time that she played, and what a senior season it was for Sellers, who I think was really Maryland’s best player despite Smikle being our leading scorer.
But the real story is how 15 young women, including nine transfers, came together—most playing with each other for the first time—and formed a chemistry that would have put them in position to compete for a championship had injuries not gotten in the way.
Maryland fans have lost Austin, Mikesell, Owusu and Reese to the transfer portal. In the case of Austin, Mikesell and Reese, they all became bigger stars away from College Park, which was tough to watch. One moment you feel a connection to them because they play for your school, and you root for them like crazy; the next you’re confused about how to feel about them as they don a different jersey. Going further back, you could also point to Lexie Brown and Natasha Cloud, who both turned out to be WNBA players like Austin and Reese. I know what it was like to go to Maryland at the same time as those two, root for them and then see them leave.
ON THIS DAY: Three years ago today, Angel Reese recorded 25 points, along with 13 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, to help Maryland defeat Iowa, 81-69!✨ pic.twitter.com/zbnt7qL7kv
But I’ve also seen the other side of it with all those transfers from the past and then with Smikle, Te-Biasu, Kubek, Poffenbarger, Dalce and McLean. Meyers was so key during our 2023 Elite Eight run and Benzan shot 50 percent from 3 with 93 makes one season! And so many great personalities. (Did you see Dalce this year?!) I’ve learned that you can make lasting memories, and a lasting impact on a program and fanbase, in just one or two seasons.
Whiplash, yes. But also excitement.
And don’t forget that special feeling of seeing a player come home, as we experienced with Meyers, Brown-Turner, Poffenbarger and McLean; meanwhile Kubek was already home when she played at Towson University in Maryland. (Not saying this was the case with all of the players I just mentioned, but some transfers dream of playing for Maryland and only go somewhere else initially because they’re not recruited by the Terps out of high school.)
The Terps’ starting lineup for part of the season was made up of fourth-year Terp recruit Shyanne Sellers (far right) and four first-year transfers in (from left to right) Sarah Te-Biasu, Christina Dalce, Saylor Poffenbarger and Kaylene Smikle.Photo by Greg Fiume/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
The question now is where do the Terps go from here? Can they really plug in a roster full of transfers and expect the same amazing chemistry over and over? It seems unlikely to me.
Frese has continued to recruit very well. It goes without saying that getting the No. 4 recruit in Austin (2018) and the No. 2 recruit in Reese (2020) were huge accomplishments. But both of them transferred away before they were able to bring Maryland past the Sweet Sixteen. In the case of Austin, she never helped us out of the Round of 32, though she was a key part of a No. 4 AP poll finish to the NCAA Tournament-less 2020 season. Other top recruits from the DMV area in Azzi Fudd and Kiki Rice went elsewhere, partly contributing to Maryland’s 10-year-long Final Four drought and 19-year-long national championship drought.
Should we hope for more four-year Terps? Or, is it actually possible to plug in a ton of transfers every year and consistently make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond? Is this the new normal in college basketball?
I do know this: In the past two seasons since our Elite Eight appearance, we have overachieved. We weren’t expected to do much in 2024 and beat a top-five team for the first time since 2014 en route to a NCAA Tournament appearance that would have turned into second-round appearance had No. 7 seed Iowa State not made an incredible comeback. And this year, we started of ranked No. 18 before proving ourselves worthy of an Elite Eight bid or beyond.
Previously, Frese had only overachieved at Maryland (according to tournament seeding, at least) in 2004 (taking a No. 12 seed to the second round), 2006 (winning the title with a No. 2 seed) and 2014 (taking a No. 4 seed to the Final Four). More often, her Terp teams have underachieved: 2007 (No. 2 seed losing in the second round), 2008 and 2009 (No. 1 seed losing in the Elite Eight both years), 2011 (No. 4 seed losing in the second round), 2016 (No. 2 seed losing in the second round), 2019 (No. 3 seed losing in the second round) and 2021 (No. 2 seed losing in the Sweet 16).
Does the recent overachievement indicate that the Terps have a little extra fight in them of late? Can they capitalize on this renewed energy and finally build all the way back up to another championship, which would be Frese’s second. At best, we’d win it next year and it’d be 20 years later, which would be similar to Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw’s 17-year gap between first and second. (Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer had a 29-year gap between second and third.)
Someone who’s been eliminating gaps lately—and not just in Aflac commercials—is Dawn Staley. Staley has won three chips in the last eight years and her South Carolina program seems like it’s going to be the go-to destination for recruits for the foreseeable future. Does this mean she could chase Tennessee’s Pat Summitt (eight titles) and UConn’s Geno Auriemma (11)?
Frese is a third-tier all-time coach who is hoping to boost her legacy. Geno and Pat make up the first tier. The second tier includes Kim Mulkey (4), Staley, VanDerveer and McGraw. Though she doesn’t have the long-term body of work of these others, Linda Sharp is the other multi-championship coach, having taken USC to the promised land twice over her 12 years (1977-89) at the helm. Frese is one of nine coaches with one chip.
Seeing if Frese and the Terps can capitalize begins next year, when hopefully McDaniel, Smikle and Poffenbarger will be back. That’s not bad for a big three, especially since they now have experience playing together.
And who knows? Maybe we’ll see some new Maryland heroines emerge from the transfer portal once again.
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.
Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O’Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, Olympic diver Kassidy Cook, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women’s sports headlines.
And in today’s episode, the crew catches up on March Madness action as the NCAA tournament blows past the Elite Eight ahead of Friday’s Final Four.
“The first team I want to review is South Carolina,” O’Hara says, opening up the conversation. “They beat Maryland and Duke both by four points. Thoughts on South Carolina’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight showing?”
“As I said last week, they’ve made me incredibly nervous, to a point where I have doubts right now,” answers Diaz, admitting she had the 2024 NCAA champs going the distance for a second straight year.
“Especially if they face a UCLA in the in the final, who is who’s going to cover Lauren Betts?” she continues. “They don’t have that that 6’7” Kamilla Cardoso that they had last year. And having that presence by the rim is super important, offensively and defensively. I just think that they’re small.”
“That’s their biggest weakness,” agrees O’Hara.
“And sometimes their bench shows up, sometimes they don’t. And for me, that’s a big problem. You need depth,” Diaz says.
‘Sports Are Fun!’ hosts debate the NCAA transfer portal
Next up, the crew sounds off on the NCAA transfer portal as more top players opt to leave their programs in search of a new home. They subsequently ask the question: What matters more, team loyalty or an NIL payday?
“The women’s basketball transfer portal is very much so alive and heating up,” starts O’Hara, switching gears. “And we’ve seen some big names, including Taniya Latson from FSU and Cotie McMahon from Ohio State enter the portal.”
“Obviously none of us experienced the transfer portal, but I’m curious what everyone’s group thoughts are,” she asks.
“Every year it gets crazier and crazier, but there’s money to be made now,” says Diaz. “So listen, go where the money’s at. And as a coach, who am I to say, ‘They’re offering you $500,000. I don’t got it.’ Go make the bread.”
“It would stress me out,” says Cook. “When you start making money, all you can think about is, what if I could be making more? But some of these people are still teenagers — 19, 20 years old — and they’re making these big decisions.”
“Back in the day, you also had an allegiance to your school — you were playing for your school and playing because you love the sport,” she adds. “Now you’re playing where you can get the most money.”
“Audi Crooks at Iowa State, she said ‘The grass is greener where you water it. So quit asking,'” says O’Hara. “Because people were asking, ‘Are you going to enter the transfer portal?'”
“I love that because I feel like I would have done the same thing,” the proud Stanford grad continues. “If I was operating in this day and age, and had the opportunity to go make a ton of money, I think that my heart would still win out over my head.”
‘Sports Are Fun!’ places Kelley O’Hara at the intersection of women’s sports and fun. (Just Women’s Sports)
About ‘Sports Are Fun!’ with Kelley O’Hara
‘Sports Are Fun!’ is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women’s sports in the first place.
Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O’Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they’re talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.
From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams “Sports Are Fun!”
With Texas and UConn winning on Monday, the 2025 Final Four is set. The Longhorns and Huskies join UCLA and South Carolina in Tampa Bay as the last teams vying for the national title.
Here is how Texas and UConn were able to win their Elite Eight games:
Texas toasts TCU
No. 1-seed Texas defeated the No. 2-seed TCU 58-47 to advance out of the Birmingham 3 Regional. It is the first time Texas has reached the Final Four since 2003.
Longhorn star Madison Booker was elite in this contest, scoring 18 points, grabbing six rebounds and earning two steals. Rori Harmon also came up big as the only other Texas player to score in double figures, scoring 13 points in the win.
For TCU, it was all about Hailey Van Lith. She did the best she could and scored 17 points. As she struggled from the field, shooting just 3-for-15, she did most of her damage from the charity stripe, going 10-for-11 from the free throw line. While HVL’s and TCU’s tournament run ends in the Elite Eight, it has to be considered an overall success since this is the furtherest the Horned Frogs have ever advanced in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas controlled the game from the opening tip. They never trailed and led by as many as 14 points, ending the game with a double-digit victory to earn (another) matchup with South Carolina in the Final Four.
UConn ends USC’s run
No. 1-seed USC valiantly competed without JuJu Watkins, but the underdog story died when No. 20-seed UConn defeated them, 78-64.
Paige Bueckers continues to write her storybook ending, scoring 31 points in the win. Sarah Strong was unstoppable inside. She had 22 points and a whopping 17 rebounds against the Trojans. With that performance, Strong became only the second Husky to score more than 600 points as a freshman; the other UConn alum to have achieved the feat is the great Maya Moore.
Rayah Marshall did her best to keep USC in this one, leading the team with 23 points in the loss. Kiki Iriafen played every minute, but struggled offensively; Iriafen had 10 points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Without Watkins, USC didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with UConn. But despite the obvious disadvantages, the Trojans didn’t just roll over and die in this game. They went on an 11-0 run to end the third quarter, giving them a fighting chance in the fourth. However, in the final frame, UConn showed its dominance, starting the quarter on an 11-2 run. Bueckers and Azzi Fudd spearheaded the run, and USC was unable to make it a game again.
It’s been a long road for Bueckers, who has dealt with injuries and disappointments at UConn, but now she is just two wins away from her main collegiate objective: a national title. To get there, she and UConn will have to take down top-seeded UCLA in the Final Four.
Key takeaways
The Final Four is set. This weekend will be one for the ages.
On Friday, April 4, No. 1-seed Texas will play No. 1-seed South Carolina (7 p.m. ET, ESPN), followed by No. 2-seed UConn competing against No. 1-seed UCLA (9 p.m. ET, ESPN). The title game then will take place on Sunday, April 6. With the quality of teams remaining, we’re sure to get some great games.
Set to open in 2027, the complex will eliminate the need for Liberty players to share facilities with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
“We are a player-first organization and investing in health and wellness has always been a priority for us. The New York Liberty deserve a facility of their own: one that reflects their tremendous talent, work ethic, and ambition,” said Liberty governor Clara Wu Tsai.
“This facility is a sign of our commitment to the team, to the city of New York, and to the advancement of women’s sports.”
“The New York Liberty strive to be the standard on and off the court and this facility will be a game changer as we continue our relentless pursuit of excellence,” said Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb.
“A key part of this process has been the active involvement of our players in creating a year-round home for themselves and their families, and the collaborative effort to redefine the standard of player care and experience. When our athletes step into what will be the crown jewel of the WNBA, they will see themselves and their insights reflected throughout.”
Instead of a traditional locker room, the Liberty will offer private player suites. (New York Liberty)
Liberty expand facility offerings beyond top-tier WNBA standards
In addition to common amenities like dining, workout, and recovery areas, the facility will forgo a traditional locker room and instead provide every player with a private suite. Each suite will be stocked with a wardrobe and sneaker storage, a vanity with face-illuminating lighting, and a seven-foot daybed.
In addition to interior comforts, the center also features an outdoor basketball court. The court will host both practicing players and community-based clinics, allowing for greater neighborhood integration.
The new Liberty practice facility will be located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. (New York Liberty)
“I am grateful to be a part of an organization who recognizes the power of investment in their players, and ensures we have everything we need to be at top of our game at all times,” said star Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu.
“It was amazing to sit down with Populous and walk through what is most important to us as athletes to be successful in all aspects of our lives. This facility is a massive next step for the New York Liberty.”
“One of the main things that drew me to the New York Liberty organization is the level of investment in us as athletes,” added center Jonquel Jones. “We just won a championship, and in the same way they expect us to level up and step up our game, our ownership group and leadership continues to raise the bar, and this facility is a perfect example of that.”
The Barclays Scottish Women’s Championship and League One have split into their top and bottom halves for the final rounds which will decide the respective promotion and relegation battles.
East Fife are in pole position for automatic promotion to SWPL2, after a 2-1 victory over Falkirk put the Methil side 14 points clear at the top of the Barclays Scottish Women’s Championship with only 15 points still to play for.
Only a single point separates the next four sides in the race for the promotion spot in second, however, with Stirling University on 42 points and Glasgow Girls and Women, Falkirk and Renfrew Ladies all on 41. Glasgow Girls in third have the same goal scored and conceded as the Bairn, and with the two previous league meetings between the sides ending in a draw, Glasgow are third due to a greater number of away goals scored. Inverness Caledonia Thistle make up the top six only two points behind.
The top of the Barclays Scottish Women’s League is also competitive, with leaders Bonnyrigg Rose and second-placed Armadale Thistle only separated by a point, and both recording 4-1 victories over Kilwinning and Queen of the South respectively. Inverurie Locomotive Works in third beat basement side Dundee West 13-0, while a Claire Hutton hat-trick helped Dunipace confirm their top six status with a 4-0 win over second-bottom Giffnock Soccer Centre. Airdrie held St Mirren to a draw at home.
While the side finishing bottom of League One will be relegated to their local SWFL division, the side finishing second bottom will enter a play-off against the winners of SWFL South. That league saw a top-of-the-table clash this week, with leaders Cambusdoon moving eight points clear with a 4-3 victory over Giffnock’s development side. The SWFL North also saw a big game, with Elgin City beating title rivals Ross County 5-4 in a nine-goal thriller to go three points clear at the top.
The ScottishPower Highlands and Islands league kicked off its 2025 season, with Buckie Ladies running out 8-0 winners at Clachnacuddin, Caithness beating Sutherland Women 4-2 and Orkney Women winning 2-1 against visiting Nairn St Ninian.
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