It took until 2026 for ABC to air a women’s college basketball game in prime time on a Saturday. After the fireworks of No. 3 South Carolina versus No. 6 LSU, the network might want to dip into that well again.
Even if you don’t believe the Gamecocks and Tigers played the game of the season (arguments can be made for Michigan versus Michigan State and Kansas versus Iowa State, among others), what transpired Saturday was inarguably the event of the women’s college basketball season. It was the kind of spectacle that left those watching on television envious of those in attendance.
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The Pete Maravich Assembly Center was packed and uproarious. At the helm were two Hall of Fame coaches responsible for five of the last eight national champions. Two rivals vying for SEC supremacy, with the Tigers finally believing this was their shot to end a 17-game losing streak in the matchup. MiLaysia Fulwiley, a national champion at South Carolina, had transferred to LSU during the offseason, and the ovation when she entered the game for the first time seemed deafening.
The game itself was outstanding. Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson was so hot from the field that LSU coach Kim Mulkey had to ask her bench, like a children’s classroom, if anyone was capable of guarding her. Freshman Bella Hines raised her hand and proceeded to shut down Johnson for the entirety of her six-minute stint as the only Tiger to record a positive plus-minus (plus-5) for the evening. Seniors Raven Johnson and Flau’jae Johnson traded blows all night, and it was the South Carolina guard’s runner with 1:53 remaining that proved decisive, while the LSU star lost the game for her team at the foul line.
After South Carolina’s 79-72 victory, Flau’jae Johnson’s reaction — holding back tears after the final buzzer — underscored what this game meant to everyone involved. During Flau’jae’s college career, she has won a national championship and a gold medal and been named an All-American. But she hasn’t beaten the Gamecocks. For four years, she has helped the Tigers win 118 games and counting, including 12 wins in the NCAA Tournament, while Raven Johnson and South Carolina continue to have her number.
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In the transfer portal era, it’s so rare for two senior leaders to have spent their entire careers at one school and facing the same foes year after year. It was a gift to see Raven and Flau’jae go at each other for 40 more minutes, treating it as more than just a regular-season game.
What the Gamecocks have accomplished in this matchup with 18 straight wins — earning Dawn Staley her 500th career coaching victory in the process — deserves remembering, no matter how the season ends. LSU and South Carolina gave everything they had, the kind of showcase this sport needs.
|
Rank |
Team |
Previous rank |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
UConn |
1 |
|
2 |
UCLA |
2 |
|
3 |
South Carolina |
3 |
|
4 |
Vanderbilt |
5 |
|
5 |
Texas |
4 |
|
6 |
Louisville |
6 |
|
7 |
LSU |
7 |
|
8 |
Michigan |
9 |
|
9 |
Duke |
11 |
|
10 |
Ohio State |
8 |
|
11 |
Oklahoma |
10 |
|
12 |
Maryland |
15 |
|
13 |
TCU |
17 |
|
14 |
Kentucky |
16 |
|
15 |
Michigan State |
12 |
|
16 |
Ole Miss |
13 |
|
17 |
Iowa |
18 |
|
18 |
Baylor |
14 |
|
19 |
Tennessee |
20 |
|
20 |
Alabama |
21 |
|
21 |
West Virginia |
24 |
|
22 |
Washington |
22 |
|
23 |
Minnesota |
NR |
|
24 |
UNC |
NR |
|
25 |
Columbia |
NR |
Dropped out: Princeton (19), Texas Tech (23), Richmond (25)
Also considered: Notre Dame, Georgia, Oklahoma State
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Maryland’s comeback train strikes again
How do the Terrapins keep doing this?
After losing four rotation players to season-ending knee injuries — including last season’s leading scorer, Kaylene Smikle — a four-game losing streak in Big Ten play seemed to signal the beginning of the end. But Maryland has no quit. Not in individual games, and certainly not in the big picture.
Before Sunday’s 76-75 win at Ohio State, the Terrapins had already authored two of the season’s more stunning comebacks: winning after trailing 99-90 with 54 seconds to play in double OT against Minnesota, and forcing overtime despite trailing by 17 to Iowa with 3:15 left in regulation. Coming back from 19 down in the first half against the Buckeyes was almost child’s play, even though it tied the largest comeback in program history. Maryland had the lead by the start of the fourth quarter and didn’t require any late-game shenanigans.
The Terrapins have a frenetic energy on the court. Their pace is tops in the Big Ten, as are their steal percentage and offensive rebounding rate. They always find a way to manufacture more possessions to keep themselves in games. Against Ohio State, Maryland had 14 more offensive rebounds and four more steals, against a team that full-court presses on every possession. Add in the Terrapins’ prolific 3-point rate — they average 24.2 per game but took 35 against the Buckeyes — and it’s no wonder that no lead is safe against coach Brenda Frese’s squad.
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UCLA wins without ‘easy’ baskets
As UCLA cruises to a conference title with the country’s best offensive rating, it has a fascinating offensive profile. The Bruins don’t take a lot of free throws; their free-throw attempt rate is 276th in Division I, per CBB Analytics. They don’t take a lot of 3s, either, sitting at 240th in 3-point attempt rate. And they’re not running up the score in transition; UCLA is 241st in pace.
The secret sauce for the Bruins: Get the ball into the paint, and don’t turn it over. Essentially, every good possession for UCLA starts with Lauren Betts (or, increasingly, Sienna Betts) running the floor and sealing her defender in the post. Sometimes Betts gets rewarded with a post touch, and when she gets doubled, she kicks the ball out — that’s why spot-ups are the most common play type for the Bruins, per Synergy. All of UCLA’s perimeter starters are making at least 50 percent of their 2s, and only Charlisse Leger-Walker is making less than 40 percent of her 3s.
Let’s say the Bruins don’t deliver the ball into the post; after all, entry passes and post-ups have high turnover rates, and UCLA wants to value the ball. Betts’ seals create space regardless, whether that’s via cut (the Bruins score 1.275 points per possession on cuts, per Synergy) or drives. The reason Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez can get to the basket is because the rim protector is occupied by a 6-foot-7 rebounding threat. Oh, and Betts happens to be very good at creating second chances if her teammates miss; her offensive rebounding rate of 16.8 is in the 97th percentile nationally, and UCLA scores the sixth-most second-chance points.
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In the Bruins’ 23-point victory over Michigan State, their latest ho-hum win against a ranked team, UCLA had fewer free throws, fast-break points and 3s than the Spartans and still crushed them. The Bruins have a formula, and the Big Ten hasn’t been able to solve it.
Georgia’s defensive stand
Georgia has been a challenging team to get a handle on this season. The Bulldogs are not in the SEC’s top tier, but they have collected wins against Ole Miss, Kentucky and now Vanderbilt. They also needed overtime to beat Texas A&M at home, which makes no sense.
This young Georgia squad is inconsistent because of its inexperience. But its sophomore trio of Dani Carnegie, Trinity Turner and Mia Woolfolk offer exciting flashes of what’s to come. Up 2 in the final minute against the Commodores, watch how Carnegie and Turner stay attached to Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan. Vanderbilt’s screens don’t create any separation as the Bulldogs guards fight through and force the Commodores to eat up the clock. Woolfolk almost creates a jump ball but doesn’t reach too aggressively to avoid conceding free throws, a great understanding of time and score.
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Georgia won 40 percent of its games in each of the last two seasons, the first two under Katie Abrahamson-Henderson with her own recruits. The Bulldogs probably won’t double that figure this season, but winning 75 percent of their games isn’t out of the question. Defensive stands like the one against Vanderbilt are part of the growth curve, which is why they remain on the top-25 bubble.
Games to watch
All times ET
• UConn at Villanova, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Peacock
• Oklahoma at Georgia, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, SEC Network
• Michigan at Iowa, noon Sunday, Fox
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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Maryland Terrapins, UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Vanderbilt Commodores, Connecticut Huskies, LSU Lady Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Women’s College Basketball
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