Office Ladies - Introducing The Women's Hoops Show | Final Four Fever: Brackets, Battles & Bold Predictions

Episode Date: April 2, 2025

Women’s hoops is on the rise and The Women's Hoops Show is there every step of the way. Consider this your home for extensive coverage on all of the big moments in women’s basketball. In this special presentation, host Jordan Robinson is joined by Autumn Johnson for a jam-packed breakdown of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Elite Eight and a preview of the highly anticipated Final Four in Tampa. They revisit how each team punched their ticket—UConn’s dominance behind Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong, Texas’ defensive grit, South Carolina’s close calls, and UCLA’s balanced attack. The duo also dives into storylines worth watching, power ranks the Final Four teams, and discusses the surprise transfer portal bombshell from Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles. Plus, bracket talk, hot takes, and heartfelt admiration for the evolution of women’s basketball. Topics: -Final Four Big Picture & Storylines -Elite 8 Recap -Olivia Miles Will Forgo WNBA Draft?! -Previewing Final Four Games & Power Ranking Teams To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All right, lady, you know that Lee was just shooting his movie in Oklahoma City. And the movie gave him a place to stay because he was there for months. Right. But for two of those weeks, me and the kids came out to join him and the place he was staying in that the movie provided. It was just too small to your whole family. We're a whole family. He went on Airbnb, got us the most beautiful, spacious place to stay. With the nicest host. Well you know if you're planning a trip or you're working

somewhere and you want to stay at an Airbnb, I think you guys got to check out their guest favorite because those are the most loved homes on Airbnb. Oh! We were a guest favorite! We were in a guest favorite. You scared me. So sorry, it's true. You're so excited. I was. Well, yeah, I mean, you're actually getting a home other people have stayed in. Yes.

And you know it's been well-reviewed. Well, listen, we are huge fans of Airbnb for so many reasons. So for your next adventure, consider Airbnb. Hi there, everyone. Hi there. I feel a little spring in the air. Well, you're on spring break, Angela. I know, my hydrangeas are starting to bloom.

Don't even get me started. My family is on what I really believe is a well-deserved vacation. Lee has finished shooting New Year's Rev. Whoop, whoop. He is back from Oklahoma City. You know, I didn't make a big deal out of this, but I was solo parenting for like the last four months.

It is so nice to have him back. So anyway, everyone, we are on vacation this week, but we wanna use this opportunity to highlight a pretty cool new podcast. You guys know I am a big sports fan. I love going to sports games. I just, anyway, I just love them and I love women's sports. And that's why we are so excited to share a preview of the Women's Hoop Show, a new

weekly podcast about all things women's basketball. Cassie, I know you're very excited about this. That's right, Cassie. We're so excited to have you here in the studio with us to talk about this. Yeah, I listened to this show when it was Queens of the Court podcast last season. And I'm a huge women's basketball fan.

I'm always watching the WNBA. So every Tuesday, I'm downloading this podcast, and I'm listening to them talk about anything I might have missed or just having someone to talk about women's basketball because that's all I want to do constantly. That's so great. And this is the perfect show.

Jordan is so fun. She's such a great host and like is on the ground for a lot of the games. And oh, that's so exciting. So is she able to give insights that you didn't maybe necessarily pick up on? Yeah. And sometimes there's like,

online, there's like shade being thrown at by the different players. Like, it's all in good fun, but sometimes I just don't see it, so. She catches you up on all of that? Yeah, yeah. Well, what I really love about it is there's a rotating cast of other women's basketball experts.

There's gonna be players, coaches, commentators, and even retired legends. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Who are some of the guests that you've really liked? In the past, they had Courtney Williams on, who's like one of my favorite basketball players. She plays on the Minnesota Lynx right now. And she's so funny, but she was talking about how like she never envisioned herself becoming a professional basketball player. She thought she was going to join the military.

And she was just playing basketball, like street basketball, and then from there, got into college, and now is like one of the best players right now in the WNBA. And I didn't know that about her. I love that. You know, Cassie, my best friend in high school was six foot three, which is hilarious because I'm five one. And she was the basketball star. She got a full ride for college on basketball.

And I just love the support and comradery of that group of women and how they lift each other up. But then they also like give you a hard time. Yeah, yeah. Well, we're gonna take a break. And when we come back, we're gonna give you an opportunity to listen to the Women's Hoops show hosted by Jordan Robinson as she dives deep into the WNBA, college hoops, and the rise of new leagues like Unrivaled.

If you love women's basketball, this is your year-round home for the biggest stories in the game. Enjoy. Yay! Yay! Yay! Thanks Jenna and Angela for such a great intro. Hi Office Ladies listeners. I'm Jordan Robinson, the host of The Women's Hoop Show and a women's basketball journalist. I am so excited to share what a typical episode of ours sounds like.

We're in the full swing of March Madness. So this is our NCAA Women's Final Four preview. If you're already a hardcore women's basketball fan, you'll love it, I promise. But if you're new, I hope you learn something and become a fan by the end. And by the way, I just rewatched my favorite episode of The Office, which was the basketball one, of course.

I'm a huge fan of the show. I love, love The Office. We know Stanley wouldn't be able to hold a candle to these ladies that we're about to talk about, but Phyllis, she was a baller. Throw her in the post against Lauren Betts and see what happens. I would put some money on Phyllis.

Okay, that's enough of me. Enjoy the show and thank you for listening. Welcome to the Women's Poop Show. Last week, I sat down with a Texas and WNBA legend, Fran Harris, to talk about her undefeated season at UT, winning the very first WNBA championship and her takes on March Madness and more. She DM'd me as soon as Texas won and said, how about the Longhorns? So make sure to go back and listen to that episode. It was so fun. But on today's show, I'm joined again by my amazing co-host, Autumn Johnson, to preview the final four. I can't believe we're here already.

We'll break down the matchups, share our predictions, and we'll start by giving a big picture overall of the season and what it all means as we head into the final weekend of college basketball. Let's get into it. I can't wait. All right. Autumn, you are already in Tampa. You are already getting your mind right for the Final Four. How are you? How's your bracket doing?

But mostly, how are you? I'm great. I'm in Tampa. The sun is out. I mean, it's warm, great weather. The beach is near and Final four teams are coming in. I'm here already to catch up with them tomorrow, but super excited to finally be here. This is what all teams work for.

My bracket on the other hand, it's not too shabby. I have a majority of my teams in. I predicted South Carolina, UCLA, a Yukon as well. Just that one team, Texas, defeating, you know, just able to come into the final four. Yeah, I had Notre Dame, as we know. I said that on here, but I'm very excited of the four final teams we have. Yeah, we're gonna talk about that in Notre Dame.

We're gonna talk about that a little bit later, a little bit later. I also joined your bracket challenge, and I am in eighth right now, because we all know I went hard for the upsets in Spokane 1 and Harvard, you let me down. You let me down. You were gonna make me look like the smartest person

in the world. I think everyone picked Harvard though. Everyone was writing for Harvard. You're not alone. Yeah, that didn't work out. That didn't work out for me. Florida State also, I looked so great in that first half against LSU. And then I have no idea what happened in that second half.

But it's okay. I'm sitting eighth out of 16. I haven't even checked, honestly. Not eight out of eight. No, that's all that matters. I haven't checked. Like, how am I doing? You're above me. You're above check like you're doing you're okay

You're doing pretty good. You're a third right now tied for three I was nervous because I picked a lot of upsets as well. I had Harvard I also selected Norfolk State defeating Maryland. Yeah, and Yeah, let me know even Cheyenne Sellers before I pressed record on the interview, she was like, Autumn, your bracket is busted. I was like, heard you. I will be a part of the villain story. It's cool. It's fine.

And they almost defeated South Carolina. That was a great game, but hats off to them. Brenda Frese, she knows what to do on March every single time. Like she's one of the greatest for a reason. Oh, I didn't even think about this idea of you making your bracket, telling us all your bracket and then having to go and sit across from the person that you said was going to get upset. It's fine, though.

Has to be, you know, probably the hardest part of the job. You literally put out your fix and you're vulnerable for these reasons. And it just makes a great story at the end of it. You know, I live for it. It's fine. I'll take it. I love that for you. I love it. I love it. OK, so let's talk big picture because we're going to go matchup by matchup.

But just overall, we kind of talked about these four teams heading into the final four. UCLA, UConn, South Carolina and Texas. If this was November and it was preseason, beginning of the season, you are already starting your bracketology, were these four teams in the mix that you thought would be here at this moment? 100%. I mean, these final four teams, it's not shocking that they're here because in the preseason rankings, we saw South Carolina sitting at number one,

UConn at two, USC was at three, four Texas and five UCLA. So my final four predictions, if you would have asked me my first bracketology overall, it would have been South Carolina, USC, UConn, Notre Dame in the final four. But what's still shocking to me is that we still don't have a clear cut champion. And that's just due to all the parity that we've seen, but we've definitely got the best four in the country, duking it out Titans versus Titans. So we could have saw multiple combinations, honestly, like LSU had a great run. Notre Dame, as I mentioned, was my final four team.

They were right there. And then USC, unfortunately without Juju Watkins, that's easily a final four team, possibly a Four team. They were right there. And then USC, unfortunately, without Juju Watkins, that's easily a Final Four team, possibly a championship team. But these are definitely our Final Four that we got, and kudos to them because they deserve it. They sure do. And yeah, don't make me pick a champion. Maybe by the end of this episode, we will have to pick one. But my gosh, I love that we don't know.

I love that going into Tampa, we're flying in and we're like, ooh, I can't wait to see who plays big because it's really gonna come down to those little things. I think they're all great teams. They're all teams that could win it all, which makes it super fun. We'll talk matchup by matchup, but just storylines. What are some of your favorite storylines

from these teams heading into the final? There's so many. Like where do I start? South Carolina, obviously they're looking to run it back and defend their title. That's huge right now. Because of the parody, like I said, there's not a clear cut champion.

It would be the first time that a team went back to back since UConn did it four straight with the last one being 2016. Speaking of UConn, Page Becker's last ride, obviously they want to restore that success, that legacy that Huskies are known to have. You expect them to win a national championship, but there's been a drought for quite some time,

but with Page Becker's leading her team to a final four, again, you want to be in the building for this one, for Page last possible, you know, she has possibly two ahead of her. You want to be there for those games. I'm sure and tune in if you aren't here in Tampa, UCLA first final four. And, you know, this is in the Corey Close era. I think they have the potential of getting it done.

They have the balance outside of Lauren Betts. So they can definitely make a run for their first ever and bring a championship back to LA, which that's been quite some time too since the eighties. And then for Texas, we have Vic Schaefer who has done it again. I mean, doing what he does best, leading multiple programs to a final four. And this will be Texas first final four since 2003. So a lot of storylines we'll find out May Smith player of the year, coach of the year DPOY on Wednesday. And I want to talk feel good stories too, because I think so many players have great stories as well.

Like Rory Harmon, she, for ACL 10 months later, here she is in the final four. Gabrielle Haka, she grew up wanting to go to UCLA and here she is helping her team to that. And you got the hometown kids and Mylaysia Fulwyle and Joyce Edwards putting on for their city. So it's storylines galore. You want to tune in and just see people win, you know? Absolutely. I mean, we're totally biased because we are in the storytelling business, but it also just makes for a great TV product. It makes for a great sitcom, a great dramedy. Like, I feel like that's what all of this is heading into the Final Four,

besides the basketball being really, really good, the stories. And it makes any team really easy to root for as well, because I think there's not this... When I look at these teams, I don't see a villain origin story or necessarily an underdog mentality. Like, these are teams that have the best players, have worked hard, and have the feel-good stories mixed in with the program history as well to carry it on.

All of these are big time programs with big time names when you think about it. But it's still been so long between UConn, UCLA and Texas. And then South Carolina is like, hey, don't forget about us. We the new kids on the block in this dynasty type of thing. But we want to be here and we also have some things to talk about.

So when we think back, when we think back to the 2024, 25 season, what do you think will be that defining factor that would have defined this college basketball season? Ooh, that's a really great question. Right? No, that's deep. That's deep. That's deep. Honestly, you know, we think about the viewership in that 2024 WNBA draft class with Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Rekia Jackson, Cameron Brink, Camila Cardoso, Kate Martin. I can go on and on and on. So Kate Martin, I can go on and on and on. And it didn't stop.

So if I would put into a couple of words or maybe define it in one word, it's like continuation, like a season of continuation and no sign still of slowing down because there is more. We're still talking about Paige Becker's, Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo, Madison Booker, Juju Watkins. Like the talent is endless and women's basketball is here. It is here to stay. And it's exciting. Like people are so excited. I have, you know, you know, my friends texting me, calling me, telling me about the games. I'm like, okay, y'all are locked in.

And these are casual fans. You don't have to be locked in. You don't have to be a diehard. It's people who are truly invested in what's going on. And it's so exciting. It's so refreshing. And they deserve that. Like we talked all season long about Unrivaled. We talked about the W. We talked about these professional athletes who are performing at the highest level. And thank God people are finally waking up, you know? So, it's been really cool. About time, Autumn, you can say it.

About time. But also, for the newness, I love... I was gonna say the exact same thing. I love everything that you said. And especially because you can follow this path of this new fan. You can... Maybe Caitlin Clark was that name that brought you in. And you came in during the end of her college season last year, and then you watched her Final Four.

But then you got to watch South Carolina, you got to watch LSU, you got to watch NC State. So you were introduced to all of those programs and you're like, oh dang, okay, who are these? They ballin' out. Then you watch the championship game and you're hooked. And you're like, oh my gosh, I can't wait. Wait, I don't have to wait, I just wait a couple weeks

and then the WNBA season starts. Like you can see this through line of the fandom and how maybe it started last year, but you are definitely coming back. And maybe you bought tickets to Tampa because you're so excited from last season. So that has been my favorite part. And I definitely think that people maybe were,

maybe the doubters were expecting a huge drop-off, but there was not a drop-off. And that is so exciting to me that it's continuing to build, that we have been seeing all the commercials, all the opportunities, all the investment. Like, I loved... We were watching the ESPN halftime report. Some rounds, it was sponsored by Degree.

And then it turns into a new sponsor. It's sponsored by Shane Moisture. Me and my husband were like, okay, we're doing, you know, ads by rounds now. Like before there was no sponsors for the women's events and the women's March Madness. So there is this overwhelming sense of investment and it has not slowed down. If anything, it's picking up more steam. And when we get to the Final Four and the biggest stage, again, I'll say it, the basketball is super good and exciting and the stars are starring. And then we have the eyeballs to go with it.

So that's just what gets me super excited heading into this final four. But enough of the big picture, we're gonna get down to the teams. Let's pay some bills real quick, but we'll be right back. Some people play it safe, but that's never been my style. I'm Soraya, and this is Roll Breakers, the podcast where we celebrate the rebels, the misfits and the ones who make their own way.

Every week I sit down with athletes, entertainers and industry disruptors who don't just push the boundaries now. They shatter them. We talk about the wildest risks they've taken, the lessons they've learned and the moments that made them who they are. No fillers, no BS, just real talk with people who refuse to follow the script. And we don't just talk about breaking the rules now,

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Welcome back to the Women's Hook Show. And before we get to our Final Four preview, let's, let's, how did we get here? For each of these teams, how did they earn this spot? Let's give a little recap of how they got here. And let's start with UCLA against LSU. That was their Elite Eight matchup. This was a rematch from last season. UCLA lost to LSU and it was a winnable game last year.

So I know they had been thinking about this all year long. There was also some drama around this last year. Maybe you remember about the LA Times article that came out and really pitted the two teams against each other, essentially saying that one team was better than the other because of, I don't know, overall vibe, I guess you could say, Autumn. It was a poorly written opinion article

that the writer has since apologized for. But that's all to say, there's some extra animosity heading into this game. And Flage Johnson wanted all the smoke and she wanted it. But UCLA was able to win it 72 to 65 over an LSU team that was coming back. But what did you kind of see in this game to get UCLA over the hump of LSU? Yeah, well, just looking at UCLA, like in the region they played in, you looked at it

and said, okay, no one can match up the foreign bets at six, seven in the skill that she possesses. But LSU truly challenged them. I mean, Flage Johnson coming out with 28 points and Nisa Morrow having that main challenge down low. It didn't matter. Like she pulled the ball out, was knocking threes down, was knocking 10 footers, no matter what, getting in transition, banging down low. Nisa Morrow is going to go down as one of the greatest we have seen in this game. And she said it herself, like, no one has done what I've done in my college career. Miss Double Double with 104 Double Doubles overall, that's insane to say.

Like, what? That's crazy. 104 is crazy, and she's consistently leading the nations in Double Double. So I had no questions or concerns going ahead, going up against Lauren Betts or just anyone in the paint, how she altered shots at 6-7. It didn't bluster or bother Anissa whatsoever. But the thing about it, when we look at UCLA, we always talk about Lauren Betts. But here's the Bruins saying, hello, there's more. And I think this tournament alone is showcasing the balance

that UCLA has. This has been all season long. This isn't just a coming out party for Gabriella Hocka. She is the unsung hero of this team. And if you have been watching them closely, she's had games like this. She's had timely moments like this. 18 points to lead her team team four for five from deep.

Those were game changing threes. And she also did it on both ends. She had to guard Lajay Johnson, Michaela Williams, like two of the best guards we have seen in this game as well. That's not an easy feat whatsoever. And she does it on both ends. She still has the energy to knock down those big shots. But you also had Tania Gartner coming off the bench. 15 points. You're talking about pieces you got in the transfer

portal that are now coming into play. And she's been able to break out as well throughout the course of the season, but in a timely manner, 15 points, including five threes. That was difference-maker. I think the balance has been that all season long, and it's definitely gonna help as they try to pursue a championship. Absolutely. 41% from the three-point line for UCLA, and when they're knocking those down and having Lauren Betts inside, you...

Good luck. What do you choose? I don't know. Good luck. Kim Mulkey, the head coach of LSU, said that that game was won or lost in the second quarter. And to put it in perspective, Lauren Betts gets two fouls early, which by the way, she has never done before. This was her first DMP in a quarter of her career.

She did not play the entire second quarter. And, you know, for this other show that I'm doing, Unlocked on Women's Basketball, we talked about kind of the difference between her and Cameron Brink as a post player and how Cameron Brink at Stanford, that was her detriment. She would get in foul trouble,

and Stanford had to like really know how to play without her because it happened so often. Lauren Betts does not foul. She is so smart and has body control and as a shot blocker at 6'7", that is really hard to do. But she sits out the entire second quarter and everyone's like, uh oh, this is where LSU is going to turn up. No, that's where Tamiya Gardner makes three threes. That's where Gabrielle Jaquez has five points.

Kiki has two points. And it's like, oh, they have other people that can show up. And LSU did not take advantage of those minutes when bets were not on the floor. And that's what the coach said. It didn't even matter what happened in the third quarter. Didn't matter what happened in the fourth quarter. They did not take advantage and go on a run

and force Cory Close to put Lauren Betts back in. And that was a huge difference maker. Would you agree? I would agree. I mean, 22 and six in that second quarter, would you have pictured that without Lauren Betts Jordan? Like to me, that's, to me, that's, that says a lot about the Bruins and they are not peaking

at the right time, but they're just playing their best basketball at the right time. And their teammates are stepping up in the moments that are needed the most. And even before that, Lauren Betts had a 30 and 10 game. Like she's coming in and she's not being denied at this moment. We saw that in the big 10 championship game too, willing her team to a win that want to and you have all the pieces.

I think this year compared to last year, they have the experience, they have the pieces, they have the depth, they have the balance. Now it's like that extra grit to them. That extra confidence, that swag, that just want to overall. That I will not be denied. And I think that is what separates you from other teams. Yeah, for sure.

Well, LSU, they're gonna try to figure it out. The one stat that really stuck out to me was coming into this Elite Eight game against UCLA. LSU was 16 and 0 when Flage scored over 20 points and she dropped 28. She played amazing. She's only a sophomore. She is eligible to go into the WNBA draft,

but my guess is that she's going to come back because I think there's other parts of her game that she can continue to grow. I also, I think a part of these guesses are I think she's coming back to LSU, but we'll see. We'll see. I don't know. Who knows? But Flage, she balled out. We know what she's going to do with LSU. Let's move on to the next number one team. Who's in the Final Four, South Carolina versus Duke in that Elite A game. Oh my goodness. This was such a good game. It was a very low scoring affair.

54 to 50. South Carolina barely hangs on to win that game, which we talked about the last game being in the second quarter. This game was one or lost in like the last two minutes, I would say. Duke had all the momentum, kind of fell apart with a few decision-makings towards the end there. And to me, Autumn, this was experience. This was experience over, don't panic, don't panic. Oh, we panicked. That's how I felt Duke kind of looked 100% in there. But South Carolina did not play their best against Maryland, barely won that one.

Then they come in and they barely went against Duke. I don't think we expected this type of performance this late. Especially when we see other teams who are, you know, blown out by 20 or more points. That's what South Carolina used to do. But now these, these are a little close and I was, I was a little nervous. Were you a little nervous? I was definitely nervous.

I was screaming at the TV and honestly, Jordan, I think we're all spoiled at this point because Yeah, we are. We are used to seeing South Carolina dominate. And I want to read you something because I thought this was very interesting. During last year's run to the final four, South Carolina trailed for a total of one minute and 10 seconds.

One minute and 10 seconds. One minute and 10 seconds. This year, the Gamecocks were behind for a total of 36 minutes and 27 seconds, which was still really good. It's still a low number, but one minute. South Carolina was blowing through teams, flying colors throughout this whole championship pursuit. And now we're so used to that, so accustomed to it. It's like, whoa, hold on now. Like these are some tight games and we haven't had to hold our breath like this for a minute for South Carolina.

So when I looked at that game, Duke had plenty of opportunity to make it happen and shake the world. But like you said, that experience really played through. Like they've been here. We talked about this last episode. They've been here before. A lot of these players, I think it's like eight players overall on this current roster, were here last year.

And then they bring on some new pieces. They have that bench. For me, it has been the bench in these close stretches. In the first round, we saw a record breaking 66 points. Indiana, it was 19 points. That was a really close nail biter. Maryland was 40 points, but in that Duke game, guess how many bench points?

Nine. This is a team that leads the nation in bench points. It's about 40 on the regular season, 33 coming off the bench during this NCAA tournament run, around that average, but nine points coming off the bench versus Duke. Whoa. That is such a good stat.

Malaysia Pauwai is that main person that is coming off the bench. Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, all single digits. Yeah. Wow. And they still manage to get the win. And so I think it says a lot about that. I will say, and this may come off a little harsh, but I'm okay. I could take it. We talk a lot about how you don't want to bet against Dawn Staley. And you can't bet against Dawn Staley. And you can't bet against Dawn Staley. But at the end of the day, Dawn Staley can't go out on the floor

and play for her team. She can't be the point guard, she can't put on a jersey and run the show. And I question effort in an Elite Eight game. Duke was getting every 50-50 ball, every loose ball, every offensive rebound, flying in. Toby Fournier played amazing, 18 points. Ashlyn Jackson had 13 points. It was, you know, we talk about the halftime speeches,

being goaded. It can't take a half time speech at this point to light that fire again. And this game specifically, I didn't see that third quarter South Carolina team. Like it wasn't this miraculous turnaround that we were kind of all expecting because they have slow starts.

So I don't know, I want this little break before this next game that they really, really realize that they are a great team, that they can beat teams, but it starts with themselves and it has to start the game that way. I think as we are getting to the final four, they have played really good teams and they barely inched it out. Now they are going to play final four. They have played really good teams and they barely inched it out.

Now they are going to play a great team in Texas and they are going to play a great team in either UCLA or UConn. And those little mistakes or those second effort plays, it is going to come down to that. So South Carolina, I plead you to be the team that we know that you are. And that starts from within. It can't always come from your head. Great point. That's an amazing point. And to your point, teams are coming in hungry. We've talked about, oh, since 2003, this is the last time, first time in program history. These teams are coming in here and South Carolina has been here for a fifth year straight.

Teams are coming in hungry, starving for this moment. And when you look at Texas, they've already battled them three times. We're going to get this a fourth time. They've cracked the code once. It is hard playing a team multiple times because they have you figured it out. And then on the other side, either UCLA and Yukon, they both have wins over South Carolina. Everyone in the Spinal Four has a win over South Carolina. And now you're facing them possibly again, if you get past Texas and then have to

face either or you have that scouting report, you know what needs to be done. It could get sticky. That is a great point. I didn't even realize that. That's probably their worst nightmare. They only have three losses, right, on the season. Is that correct? It's to all these teams. Yes.

Yeah. I mean... Talk about a storyline. That makes it interesting. Give me all of it. I need it. Ugh. Let's go. Okay, well, moving on from Duke, had a great season. The Cara era is live and well They have a lot to be proud of again. It really came down to just those final minutes They were almost there to upsetting South Carolina, but they'll clean those up. I do think coming into next season

There's a couple names in the portal that are offensive threats. They need to get an offensive threat who loves to play defense as well. And that player is out there, and I think that is that one piece that Duke is missing to put them over the edge. But to be able to win an Elite Eight game for South Carolina at 54 points is absolutely insane. And that was their lowest point scored all season.

So that's what Duke Defense does to you. All right, Texas, TCU, holy crap, the Battle of Texas, that was so much fun. I knew that this was going to be fun. We talk about defense, Texas, all defense, TCU, all offense, led by Haley VanLeth, and then Texas led by Madison Booker and Rory Harmon. But Texas came out on top. They said, it's all about the burnt orange. Hook them. 58 to 47 in their Elite Eight matchup. This is the first time, like you mentioned,

Autumn Texas is going to the Final Four. Since 2003, Maddie Booker balled out 18 points. 14 of them were in the second half. Rory Harmon, to me, was the star because she doesn't typically score as heavy, but she was like, I'm calling my number today and 13 points, 11 of those were in the first half. So what stood out to you from this Texas team saying we are the inferior Texas school?

Well, you knew coming in, Texas was going to hang its hat on defense. And TCU is a great offensive team and not just great, they're super efficient. When I think of, you know, in terms of scoring inside and out, they got three ball, they can work off ball screen actions. Like they are constantly moving and you have to, you have to be on your P's and Q's when you're facing them. And that's exactly what Texas did. They looked uncomfortable.

They looked sped up. They looked, and times were like in discomfort for a full course of 40 minutes that they really couldn't get anything going. You know, Madison Booker shining as she always does, Rory Harmon as well. These two together are a nightmare. But honestly, I thought the unsung hero too

was Kyla Ode for two. Like she came in and did what needed to be done inside. She had some impressive game changing moments, some energy plays as well. Just, just Hank, like just really holding down the paint. So I love the effort on all ends, both ends for this Texas team. And, and it took them a minute to get going for TCU and in an elite eight game, like you can't have that, but they were like, they should be proud of what they were able to do and stay close with them. With Sedona Prince, obviously with foul trouble, she ended with like four points. That hurts you because that's a main piece of your big three. But credit to the Longhorns defense. Like that was true Texas fight.

And it was really cool to see how, you know, a lot of people, including myself, was saying like, I'm going to put that out there because it's on the record. Like I would say that too. Like, it's all the record. Come on, let's be real. Like a lot of people. You weren't thinking it. You weren't thinking they were going to make it this far.

And they said, we're winning this for Autumn Johnson. No, I'll thinking it. You weren't thinking they were going to make it this far. And they said, we're winning this for Autumn Johnson. Only because, no, I'll take it. Because the only reason I said that is because I'm like, hey, you know, I want to see if they can get some threes to go to like, you know, that outside shot a little bit more. They get to the rim constantly. They get in the mid-range, but will that be enough? They said, yeah, because teams still have to score on us. Like, yes. Heard you. Big Shaper, a legend.

And truthfully, honestly, if they can hang their hat on defense and make teams like just search for offense like that, they're a problem. They've been a problem and they've constantly shown us that game after game. So funny. I love how you've been doing the threes because they went two for three from the three point line. They don't shoot threes. Meanwhile, they don't shoot threes. They only make three a game as a team, which is just unheard of, especially in this day and age of basketball. Also a stat that jumps out to me from this box score, 21 to 8, and that is turnovers. TCU turned the ball over 21 times. A lot of that was in that first quarter, the first half, where they were getting five second violations, half court, shot clock

violations, throwing the ball out of bounds. It was, I'm uncomfy with this pressure. Like, please back away. And Texas was like, no, we're not. We're gonna keep coming. That was a fun matchup to watch. And talk about stories. TCU is such an incredible story. For those who don't know,

CCU was, they needed tryouts, open tryouts last year. And the year before that, they were one in 17 in conference. Just an incredible story for them to be at this level and Hailey Van Lyft to take another team to the Elite Eight. We wanted that, I did come around to it like, okay, this would be kind of cool if they went to the Final Four because this is an unexpected group to get this far. But Texas was like, no, no, no, no. It's our time to go to the Final Four. So we're going to take that. I did want to go back one game real quick and how TCU even got to this point is that they beat Notre Dame.

And when I say beat, they beat them. Notre Dame played terrible. I think we all watched that. They did not shoot the ball well around 31% from the field, if I believe. 31% from the field, if I believe. The only other team that held Notre Dame to under 37% prior to that was TCU. So I thought, because I also picked Notre Dame to win that game, I thought it was going to be this, rah rah, they beat us earlier in the season, but we're better now. And then they proved that they were not better, actually, in this moment.

And TCU just won that game. Hailey Van Lyp went on for 26 points. But we got to say bye-bye to Notre Dame, and we didn't expect to so soon. We all picked it. We did. I mean, it was that back-to-back loss experience in the beginning of the season. We're like, oh, it's the Cayman Islands.

Like, it's behind them. And they went on, I think it was like a 19 game winning streak, so I was like, okay, cool. Like, this is a different team that stumbled down the end. They're gonna get it together with this break coming into the NCAA tournament. TCU said, no, this is our year. We're gonna ride it.

We're the dark horse here. And just shout out to that program. Like you said, just turning things around. It was a historic season. You know, you look at all the starters they had, like what it was like 21 seasons at 12 different schools combined. It was their first season together. It was the greatest turnaround that we have seen.

They were 26 wins better than, you know, when Mark Campbell took it over two years ago and you're here at the Elite Eight, like you can't ask for anything better. And just shout out to Haley Van Lyth for being so vulnerable throughout this entire journey, sharing her story, because the internet and social media was not nicer. Like, let's be so for real.

And at the end of the day, she is a human. At the end of the day, yes, this is basketball, but like these are 18 to 22 year old women, young women. And I'm just so proud of her, of how she's been able to just rewrite her story. It is not done yet. It's been so cool to see like, you know, who she is as a person and how she leans on her faith. And how TCU just poured into her. Like, she was the perfect piece at the right time. And I'm so glad that she got to experience that. For sure. Such a great story for Hailey Van Leth. And on the other side of that coin, though, for Notre Dame,

whoo, rough, rough shooting night for their superstars. Hannah Hidalgo, Sonia Citron, Olivia Miles, I would say is their big three. They go 10 for 44 from the field. You're not going to win a lot of games like that. I think it was shot selection. I think it was lack of ball movement. It just didn't, it wasn't the Notre Dame that at one point was the best team in the country.

So it was disappointing. I do think that season as a whole, for them not being in the final four, not being in the championship game is an under performance for that whole team. And Olivia Miles had a decision to make. She was number two projected pick in the WNBA draft. Seattle Storm could be heard crying if you really listen.

Because they traded, they were like, yes, this is our player. And Olivia Miles said, no, I'm not only not coming to the WNBA, but I am entering the transfer portal. Autumn, where were you when this news broke? Because I know that I screenshotted this so fast and sent it to my husband with red sirens, like 20 red sirens. Like, did you see this?

I can't even send this as a DM. I am texting this to you because what? I was shook. Shook. I was on the plane so I couldn't scream. Thankfully, I had my Wi-Fi turned on because I wouldn't have gotten it until I got off the plane. So I was locked in. You know, when it dropped down, it was like, oh, she foregoed there, her WNBA draft, that

part. And I'm like, okay, cool. Like, like she's going to come back for another year. And I saw a transfer portal. I wanted to scream. I was like, what? I think that's the part that's so shocking. Like, okay, cool.

Like she wants to come back. Didn't end off on the note that she wanted to. Has the perfect pieces around her for a championship run. Niel Ivey is like an iconic coach that has turned, just kept the ball rolling after the Muffin McBraw era. This team has everything. And it's Notre Dame. Like she has started there.

You look at players and it's like, okay, they're gonna start and finish there. They are Notre Dame through and through. But this one shook me because of that reason. Like I thought she was gonna start and finish there and just with everything around her, she was gonna end her final chapter there. So that's why it shook me.

Crazy. Crazy. Wild. Woo. Last thing I'll say on this before we move on is, you know, we were all excited coming into this season on how Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles were going to play with each other. And I think a lot of people forget

that it was Olivia Miles Miles team by herself before. And then she got injured. And then it was Hannah Hidalgo's team by herself for a season. And then it was like, yay, we're coming together. We're going to see this. And they're so young, so we could possibly see this for multiple years.

I don't know. I don't want to speculate. I have no idea. I don't have any reports of what's going on behind the scenes. It could be personal, it could not be. It could be that there's not enough basketballs. It could not be.

I just know that both of those players are really, really good, and we got to see it shake out together. But now what excites me is that this is going to continue this parody conversation and that now it's not this front-loaded, you know, back court on one team, but now Olivia Miles is gonna go to another team and immediately make them better.

Or she's going to go to another team and she is going to be the superstar all on her own. But we know what she can do. So it's not like she's going somewhere else to prove anything. We already know that she's a baller. She just maybe has one other year and wants to see what's out there. I can't wait. And she'll still be a top pick for the WNBA next year.

Absolutely. Absolutely. Can't wait to when we get on with these microphones and when she announces where she goes, which, by the way, is happening very quickly. They are entering the portal and they're making decisions. And I have no idea where she's going either. Like, I'm trying to think, okay, where would she go?

And I don't know. I'm like, who needs a point card? NIL, there's so much. I have no idea. Okay, last one of the roundups real quick, because it was pretty quickly and obvious. UConn as a number two seed playing against the USC team was a number one seed, but like we mentioned before, Juju Watkins, their superstar, goes down with an ACL injury in the round of 32. So this was a USC team that had to kind of make the impossible happen and go up against not just any team, but a UConn team that is playing really,

really well, firing on all cylinders with a Paige Becker who's playing out of her brain right now. The UConn ends up winning 78 to 64 over USC, and they advance to their 24th Final Four. So we're talking about other teams where, oh, it's been so long. UConn is like, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is the standard. Actually, this isn't even the standard.

This is just one step to go to the championship, which is the standard. Actually, this isn't even the standard. This is just one step to go to the championship, which is the standard for us. But Pagebeckers, whoo! You are a baller. 31 points, nine of 18 shooting for this time. She had a 40 piece the game before that, and another 30 piece the game before that. The last player to have three games in a row with 30 points. Do you know who it was?

Paige Becker herself. Yes. She's her. Our freshman season. Like come on. So we know what Paige can do. She is so, so good. But Autumn, I also want you to talk about Sarah Strong

and how the freshmen came into this game knowing that she did not have great outings the games before. But this was her first tournament. She was in high school last year. People forget she's only a freshman. How does she just turn the gas all the way up in this game? Not only that, but to have that mind shift and confidence

knowing that you're going up against a lottery picking Kiki Area Finn too, to battle against her and still have that same dominant performance is unheard of for a freshman. And Sarah Strong continuously night in and night out provides such a consistent effort that just has you in awe. Like we're like, wait a minute in another life, is she a freshman? Like what?

This girl is special and you see, you know, her parents and everything where she came from, like, like obviously that's been built in her. It's in her DNA, but she's going to be something special. Yes, Paige Becker's is about to leave, but you have Sarah Strong, who is coming in, knocking down threes. She's so versatile, like the spin move she had, just the composure, the body control. She is one of one and she does everything, just like the little things that sometimes don't even show up in the box score as well. Her efficiency, her consistency, her ability to like work off the dribble or footwork. It's unmatched and it's just going to be really exciting to see that. Okay, this

was your freshman year. How do you keep growing from here? Because that's scary. That is scary. She finished with 22 points and 17 rebounds plus four assists. For those that don't know, that's really good. Those are, those are really good stats. And people- Especially as a freshman. Right. People have been comparing her to Maya Moore.

And I see it. And that's a great comparison. That's a lot to live up to, but she's creating her own paths. She's playing her own game. She can do so many different things at 6'1", like as an undersized post. Again, any tomorrow, it doesn't matter. Like that's just built in you. Man.

So just being the same sentence as Maya Moore. Like I'm trying to think what sentence I'm gonna same sentence as Maya Moore. Like I'm trying to think what sentence I would be in as Maya Moore. I think only if we were in the same room. Like, okay, yeah, who's all in this room? Oh, Jordan Robinson and Maya Moore. Literally, that's it. And they probably wouldn't even be next to each other in our... Then our names wouldn't even be next to each other in a sentence like that.

So for Sarah Strong to be compared, I think it's because of her versatility and her efficiency. Maya Moore was a player who could get a bucket at any single spot on the floor and is a forward, but also has guard skills. You see her bringing the ball up, but then she could also post you up. And it doesn't matter.

She can score at any level. So, UConn, you are always spoiled and have a plethora of riches. And now I am so jealous that you get Sarah Strong in a UConn uniform for three more seasons, regardless of what happens this weekend. She is still going to be able to fall out for you. Real quick on USC, they tried their hardest.

It was going to be a huge load on freshmen. Like we talked about, maybe in Yukon's case, that was okay because the freshmen turned up, but freshmen who were used to playing the backseat to a Juju Watkins and a Kiki Iriyapin all season long were asked to do a lot. And it was a very, very heavy task, but it was actually the senior, to a Juju Watkins and a Kiki Iriyapin all season long, were asked to do a lot. And it was a very, very heavy task,

but it was actually the senior. It was Rhea Marshall who had such a great game for the Trojans, 23 points, 14 rebounds, seven for 12 shooting. One of her best games of her career comes in her last game of her career. So super proud for Rhea Marshall. And this USC team has to be very, very proud.

Juju sent a message on Instagram saying she wished she was in the building. She is so proud of her team. Just heartbreaking, but I know that this is not the end of their story. Like, they have really solid pieces to get them back here. Yes, they had the number one freshman class come in. This is now the place to be that Juju has kind of like, not even kind of, she has just rejuvenized this program and what she was able to do in her freshman year, carried over to her sophomore year, just praying that

she comes back stronger and healthier than ever, which she will. Just the human element of it, again, like she is a human. She loves basketball. Basketball is her everything. So you just, you just pray for her during this time, hoping that she's well and just taking time for herself because it is a long process. But it was really cool to see like her teammates step up for her every single way. Like the shirts, the Funko Pop, like everything about it was just incredible teammates. But again, they're not done. They're still writing their story. Juju is so young, this freshman class will have a year of experience under their belt.

And the transfer portal is alive and well, so who knows what pieces they'll grab. Sure is. Whoo! Alive and well. And I think people are gonna want to come and play with Juju. I think that's also what's on full display. Shout out to Funko Pop getting all this free promotion. Maybe it wasn't free, maybe they paid for it,

but man, we know what a Juju Funko Pop looks like. And the bun, maybe it's a bobblehead, but the bun still did not move. I loved it. I love it so much. Edges and all. Never does. I love it. Okay, we're gonna take a break

and we'll be right back to talk our predictions for the Final Four on the way back. Welcome back to the Women's Hoop Show. Final Four, Final Four. I can't believe that it is here. I can't believe that it is here. I can't believe that it is here. I can't believe that it is here.

I can't believe that it is here. I can't believe that it is here. I can't believe that it is here. Welcome back to the Women's Hoop Show. Final Four. Final Four. I can't believe that it is here. March was a very long month, but it is now over. And it is April. And if you make it through the trenches of March, then you get to get to Tampa in April.

And that is where we are headed. Games are Friday and the championship game is on Sunday coming up. But let's go through these and give our one thing that we would look out for. If you are watching these games, as you should, you better. Here's the thing that you should be watching. So let's start with South Carolina and Texas. Both number one seeds. They're going up against each other for another time. This is gonna be number four, right?

Yes, number four. That they played each other. Fourth time they played each other. Whoo! And South Carolina is winning that three wins or two wins to one for Texas. Got him one time. What is Autumn Johnson? Your one thing that you will be looking in this matchup defense for both teams. Both teams play sound defense. And when you look at South Carolina in particular, trying to run it back, it's going to have to be, you know, coming down to trying to clog the paint with Texas.

I mean, they have a lot of size, their guards try to attack the rim or get in the mid range. It's all going to be about neutralizing the size and side and clogging the paint. So for me, it comes down to that. And if you compare that with some offense, all teams, like we just mentioned it, Texas, not really being big on the three ball, but South Carolina as well struggling beyond the arc. So I think that's going to be the difference maker. That's so good. I love when teams know each other so well and they're just going to be like, OK, we can scheme, we can scheme, we can scheme.

We can watch game film of ourselves playing against them and what went wrong, what went right. But at the end of the day, to me, it's going to come down who wants it more. I know that's a little generic, but based off of what I said about South Carolina earlier, who wants it? I want people diving on the floor.

I want box outs on the floor. I want box outs every possession. I think this is going to come down to a possession, maybe a few possessions, but that's... Also, both of these teams, this is gonna be another low scoring game. If you want offense, maybe this isn't the matchup for you because this is going to be a low grinded out game,

which is really fun, especially at the final four level. Okay. Love it. Love it. Next one is UCLA, a number one seed, the number one overall team going up against a number two seed in UConn. This is the first NCAA Final Four appearance for UCLA. They did win a championship in the NAIAW

with Anne Myers-Driesdale, just have to throw that in there. But for UConn, we mentioned it, they're 24th. So you have this program, if you have the whole program on your back for both of these teams, one key as you are watching this game, UCLA versus UConn. Yes.

I spoke to Paige Becker and I asked her what separates teams from the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 to break into the Final Four. And she said you have to be connected. And I trust her with everything because she has got her team to a final four every single year she has played. And UConn's one of the most connected, efficient teams. They go in with the one and O mentality. UCLA has been preaching the same thing, not getting ahead and making the moment too big.

But if I can add in a bonus key, you got to neutralize both stars. Like Lauren Betts has been going off, Page Becker has been on a tangent. You have to neutralize the stars if you're looking at both respective teams. That's what it comes down to. Are they going to be able to cancel each other out? They might cancel each other out at 30, but are they going to be able to cancel each other out? Lauren Betts versus Page Becker, they don't guard each other.

They don't play the same position. So it's gonna still be a team effort. But I'm very curious if Gino watched that last game, sees Lauren Betts on the bench for a whole quarter, and he says, let's see if the rest of UCLA can do it again. We know that Lauren Betts is consistent. Let's try to get her in foul trouble early, see if she has to sit again, and if Gabriella Hawke scores 18 points

again. If Tamiya Gardner, like we are going to make that bet to see if the others show up again. I would be curious to see if that is a game plan that he rides with. But either way, I love what you said, neutralize the superstars. Good luck with that. Glad I'm not gonna be out there. You can't stop them. Just neutralize them. You can't stop them. Just try to slow them down.

Just try to slow them down. I love it. Okay, before we leave, this is a little bit of a tricky one. Let's power rank these final four teams based off of number one, you would be least surprised if they win the title, to number four, that would be super, super surprising if they win it. I feel like this is hard because we just said any of these teams could win it, but what is your ranking as I think about?

OK, I see what you're doing here. Let me go quick. No. OK, so one, UConn. Obviously, the way they've been playing their victory is super efficient. Azee Fudge, she did have a rough game last time, but like, I don't expect that going back to back. Two, I'm gonna say UCLA. Ooh! Oh gosh.

But, all right. I like it. Hold on, actually, no, no, no, no, no, no. Okay, see, that's, the middle of the pack is hard because do you do South Carolina? That is hard. Do you do South Carolina or UCLA? Because honestly, I feel like the only reason I put South Carolina at three is because they've

been scaring me. I'm just going to be honest. That's fair. This is fair. We are the same so far. That's the only reason. There's too many close calls, Maryland, Indiana, and now Duke, like at some point where, where does it break? And that's what scares me.

Yeah. And then for Texas, they don't hurt you offensively as much. And if South Carolina figures it out, they can on both ends. But again, other teams have to score, like we said, versus TCU, they flustered them. Their defense has always been their solid foundation and that can help you win championships. They're a great rebounding team as well. So that could give them the edge,

but they're gonna have to go up and get South Carolina who has seen them for the fourth time. All right. I agree with you. I agree. I was going through that with you. We have UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas. I agree.

I think Texas would have to have an incredible shooting night to be able to, two shooting nights to be able to win it all at the end. Not saying that they can't, but I think they have the hardest climb so far. But we said that about Texas getting out of this hard bracket. And they did it. They are here and they made it to the Final Four.

It doesn't matter. These are going to be really, really great games. It is only Tuesday. I wish it was Friday immediately because then they would be on my TV screen. But this was so much fun. Autumn, I can't wait for you to be on vacation after all of this because you deserve it.

You've been working, my friend. So have you. Booked and busy. Booked, busy and blessed. Booked and busy. We are both in hotel rooms right now. I'm in Dallas, you're in Tampa, but I'll be joining you in Tampa in a few days

because that's where the party's gonna be at and that's where the good basketball is. Thank you, Autumn, this was so fun and happy Final Four to you. Happy Final Four to all. I can't wait to see you. Safe travels here and this is fun. It's always fun.

It's always a vibe. Yay! The Women's Hoop Show is an Odyssey original podcast hosted by me, Jordan Robinson. Today, our co-host was Autumn Johnson. Our producer is Phil Swietek. Our video team is led by Kirk Courtney and includes Tim Meikle, Evan Cox, Allison Jeffrey, and Lauren Vieira. Our executive producers are Greg Holtzman, Asha Saluja, Danny Friesinger, Maddie Sprunkizer and Leah Reese Dennis.

And special thanks to Moira Karan and Josephina Francis.