Top coaches and players have descended on Albany this weekend for two NCAA Division I women’s basketball regionals.
Even with eight teams battling for two Final Four slots, there were more reporters in the building than basketball players before tipoff Friday.
The bracket is full of compelling storylines — the defending champion LSU is here, along with undefeated South Carolina. But so is all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark, the WNBA-bound Iowa superstar whose presence helped sell out the weekend at MVP Arena.
As her college career winds down, Clark reflected on the growth of the sport in recent years.
“You’re not just seeing with Iowa, you’re seeing it all across the country, it’s hard to get in the doors to get to women’s basketball games, and that’s exactly how it should be,” she said. “That’s how it should have been for a really long time. The game is great. There’s so many stars in our game, there’s a lot of young talent, people playing the game the right way, and I think that’s what attracts people to come and watch. They play with passion, they play with emotion, they’re fiery, they can score the basketball, they play good defense, and games are close. The parity is getting better and better in women’s basketball and people love that.”
Eighth-year Colorado coach JR Payne says the 24-9 Buffaloes are ready for the test against Iowa. And it comes with the regional in Albany serving as a last chance to celebrate the doomed Pac 12 Conference, with second-seeded UCLA and third-seeded Oregon State also in town.
“Those of us that have been in the Pac 12 love the Pac 12, we love the comradery, not just the excellence on the court but the comradery that we have amongst the coaches, the players, the teams,” she said. “It’s been an incredible thing to be part of that conference. I think in the very beginning we all wanted to make this the best year ever.”
The more-than century old conference is limping into 2024 after most of its member schools were poached by other power conferences.
Another hot topic this tournament is a public relations battle by LSU Coach Kim Mulkey against The Washington Post, which was reportedly working on an investigative piece about the colorful Hall of Famer. Mulkey has threatened to sue the newspaper but declined to comment as the Tigers got ready to play UCLA.
“All I am focused on is to try to win another basketball game. Thank you for asking, though,” she said.
LSU’s Angel Reese is another superstar giving the Albany regionals a high profile this year.
“Being able to be a part of this, being able to be a part of history, negative or positive, I’m really happy where we are right now and being able to grow the game, I know we’ll look back in 40 years and understand that we were trailblazers,” she said.
The regionals in Albany are also a chance for diehard fans to follow their favorite team through the bracket.
In town to cheer on the Hoosiers were Tim and Tina Robertson of Columbus, Indiana. They’ve had season tickets for about 20 years and say women’s basketball is as popular as ever this season. The Hoosiers preparing to face undefeated South Carolina later Friday.
“The thing is, you know, as we see all the time, there’s always upsets, so there’s always that possibility, that’s why you play the game, that’s what we always say,” Tim Robertson said.
Games continue at MVP Arena through Monday night.
The Final Four is next weekend in Cleveland.
