The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - GOOD FOLLOW - Can UConn Repeat? Will MiLaysia Fulwiley Fit at LSU? Who to Watch & NCAA Preview with Autumn Johnson!

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

Today on Good Follow, Ros Gold-Onwude is joined by one of the top voices in women’s college basketball, Autumn Johnson! Together, they answer the hottest questions going into the women’s college basketball season 2025-26. Will Geno Auriemma and UConn be able to run it back with Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, and Serah Williams? How will Ta’Niya Latson fit into Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks? How will MiLaysia Fulwiley be challenged at LSU with Kim Mulkey? What are this season's expectations for Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams? Then, Autumn breaks down how UCLA and Texas can come back from disappointing performances last year. Lastly, Autumn explains how she got the title “bracketologist” and what it takes to build a bracket. Who are the sleeper teams to watch this season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to Draft King's Network. Hey, what's up? Welcome to Good Follow show, presented by Draft Kings. I'm Ross Goldonguette, and I am coming to you from our Los Angeles studios. And today we are joined by a very, very special guest, near and dear to my heart. Okay. She is one of the top voices in women's college basketball and is a host, reporter, and analyst for all of women's basketball, including NCAA March Madness's digital content. She's a part of ION Studios' WNBA coverage and is even an NCAA tournament brachatologist.

How cool is that? my little sis autumn johnson joins the show what's up sis what's up sis come on intro yes i mean it's it's so impressive all of the things that you are and how big and powerful your resume is because you know you i'm just so proud of you like you are the epitome of resilience of hard work paying off of conviction and this is what i want to do i want to be a broadcaster and also at times building your own table, you know, to take a seat at. And, you know, I remember you early in your career, Autumn, just asking a whole bunch of questions, you know, looking for shadow opportunities. And so to see where you are now, I truly couldn't be prouder.

Oh my gosh. Thank you, sis. This means the world to me because this is the first time we've been able to work together. And you were one of the first people ever, one of my first mentors, one of the first people that have been able to shadow. So to be able to have this moment with you, it's incredible. I always know I can hit you up whenever and call my big sis. So I just love it. I love sharing the space with you. Thank you, Roz.

I'm excited to get into these topics today and talk some hoops. Oh, you're the best. All the feels. I'm sending you a hug. Oh, girl. I love this. I needed this. Yes, we too.

Oh, my gosh. And actually, with you on the show, there's no way to do a show with Autumn Johnson and not have it revolve around women's college basketball, which you have honestly become the face of in broadcasting. And so with that, we are going to do a high level women's college basketball preview on Good Follow Show. And here is today's menu. So we will be previewing the biggest contenders, new look rosters, top players, and some sleeper teams that Autumn says we should watch out for. So Autumn, let's start right at the time. top, okay?

All right. The reigning champs, Yukon, AZ Fudd, Sarah Strong. They even brought in Sarah Williams from Wisconsin, a transfer. This is kind of like at the core of everything that they're doing. Let's keep it simple here. Do you feel like Yukon has what it takes to run it back? Absolutely. I actually think Yukon can take it all the way.

They have a tough non-con schedule as well. I believe they could be undefeated this season. And yes, it is a new era. They are turning the page without page back. who was the heartbeat of that championship team. And when you lose someone like that, yes, you're losing a lot of scoring, leadership. You talk about poised, someone who always meets the moment.

That's hard to replace. But I love the depth that the Huskies have. Like you just mentioned all those incredible names. They have size. They have skill. They have experience, depth, you name it. Headlined by Sarah Strong and Aisy Fudd. I feel like they have the keys now.

This is their team. You saw AZ Fud be the tournament MOP. and she upped her three point percentage. Adding Sarah Strong, though, to me is the game changer because she didn't have the limelight in a sense at Wisconsin. You know, they didn't have as much. Yes, Sarah Williams. Excuse me.

Sarah Williams. She didn't have that limelight on her because of Wisconsin's lack of success. But coming over to Yukon, I think it's the perfect success, as I'm combining both of their names with Sarah Strong. I think they're going to be incredible in that. Front Court and Kaylee Heckel as well. We'll see how they look with their new identity and these new look pieces. Yeah.

Actually, one way to think about it is Sarah Squared. I'll see myself out. I'll see myself out. No, no, no, I like that because now I won't get confused. I'm like, they're going to be a duo together. Let me not combine their names. Sarah Square, we can rock with that. I like that.

I think that's catchies. Yukon fans, let us know. Let us know. But, you know, to talk about Sarah Williams, this is somebody coming out of Wisconsin who is great around the rim can help with rebounding. She's six, four, certainly helps with the size and size. This is someone who averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds, two and a half assists, two blocks, one steal last season for Wisconsin. That's what's coming into the defending champions. And with Sarah Strong, I mean, that'll be a formidable front court. It's just, I'm just so

impressed with her freshman year, her poise as a freshman. Her stoic nature, super mature. And oftentimes as freshmen, people really struggle on the defensive end. She was great on defense. She was really good on offense, too. Like, can you imagine season two? So I'm like, I get why there are some people who are saying Sarah Strong's the best player in college basketball right now, which it's bold. She's a sophomore. And you got AZ Fudd on your team. You know, so were you surprised to see some of that? Or you feel like this is revolve more around Sarah? Or is it a combination, A, Z, Sarah, whatever? I think it speaks to both.

I think both can exist. Lauren Betts is along that list as well. The greatest in the nation. And Sarah Strong right now is sitting at the top, rightfully so. What she was able to do in our freshman year, it seemed like she's already been here on both ends, how she was able to quietly and dominantly make her name known in her first year. It's only going to be up from here in Gino-R-A-Mist system and how she's going to continue to

evolve. on both ends. I'm excited to see the growth. She's getting Maya more comparisons as well. Her inside out attack is going to be scary. And I really think to make that push, it's going to be on the back Sarah Strong along with the AZFud. So that's why I think both are going to coexist. And don't forget, one thing that really stood out to me from Media Day with AZFud was just her gratitude and also the confidence that comes with. She was like, I've just now put together a full healthy season, a full healthy year. Like she was like, this time last year at Media Day or whatever it was, I was just getting

healthy. Like, so now that you can put some consecutive like seasons together of healthiness, remember what that did for Paige Beckers. Like that's going to, I'm excited to see a very strong mechanical shooter in AZ Fudd, maybe show even more depth and perhaps looseness to her game as well. But one more thing I'll say, because you mentioned Gino, there's the Yukon way, even when I was playing ball against Yukon at Stanford.

There's just something that's consistent over the decades with Gino Oriama at the helm. It's Yukon Pace, Yukon execution, Yukon conditioning. And that showed itself in the final four where they pretty much easily powered their way through all of their opponents.

And there was just clearly a gap. So let's move on and see if other teams have closed that gap. Let's go with the team that they saw in the championship final. Last season, it was South Carolina, Dawn Staley, and those Gamecocks, just to set up the scene for South Carolina, they lost six of their eight top scores last season due to injuries, transfers, or graduating. For reference, returners coming back, Joyce Edwards, Youngen, building off about 13 points per game, Tessa Johnson back, and Raven is back for a fifth year as well. Oh, and I forgot, I buried the lead.

Tenaya Latson has transferred in from Florida State. She averaged 25 points per game last season. So what do you make of all of this and the impact tonight. Latson will have probably the most coveted transfer of all of the offseason? Well, we were just talking about Yukon. And quite frankly, they exposed South Carolina that need for that consistent perimeter scoring in that 23 point NCAA championship loss. And what do you do?

You go out and get the nation's best in the leading score in tonight Latson. and she averaged about 25 points per games. Like, she isn't just a score. She's a bucket getter at all costs. And her ability to just create her own shot, attack off the dribble, finish through contact. That gives Don Salie a new dynamic weapon. And I'm excited.

Raven Johnson and Tenai Latson already have that chemistry together. They played high school AAU ball together. They've won state championships together. But I think what's intriguing the most and interesting is how she's going to fit in this new system and adapt right away because we know Don's daily system. It's built on depth. It's built on defense. It's built on just balance overall and endless rotations. Tenaya averaged about 30 minutes per game at Florida State. And so now South Carolina, they don't just rely on one player. They grab from different pieces at all costs and rotate constantly. No one average more than 25 minutes

per game last year on that roster. So I'm excited to see how she'll evolve to being that that solo attack to now a balanced championship ready, two-way player that Don Staley's going to mold her to be. That's really well broken down. And, you know, don't forget, too, this is somebody who took 20 shots a game at Florida State. So this is super high volume. In addition to everything you mentioned,

where it's like she had to do a lot for Florida State. I think she's going to have to do a lot for South Carolina. And, you know, the thing about Dawn Staley is she's had very different looking rosters over the tenure of greatness that she's began to build at South Carolina. Sometimes it's been about great postplay. Sometimes it's been about, you know, great perimeter players. Sometimes she's had rosters that have been absolutely stacked with talent and some with like more limited talent, but she found a way to get the most out of everyone and do

it by committee. Even last season's run to the championship game was very much like a by committee unit. And so one of the things that South Carolina has going for them, they have Dawn Staley at the helm. Never bet against Dawn, ever. That part. I will never do it. But you know someone who did through their actions bet against Dawn Staley? Malaysia Full Wiley.

She went to LSU. So let's take a look at LSU and Malaysia Full Wiley. This is one of the biggest storylines in Women's College Hoops. This is a huge star despite coming off the bench, essentially. This is someone who's been on magazine covers. He's gotten a stamp of approval from Stefan Curry. And she's going from South Carolina to LSU from Dawn Staley. She'll be coached by Kim Mulkey.

How do you like Malaysia's fit at LSU? I love it because LSU is Showtime Basketball, and Myelasia Full Wiley is just that, Showtime Basketball. So I think she fits perfectly in this system, fast, quick, her handle is lay with the butter. If you know, you know, she's smooth. She's explosive. She gets to her spots. And just her layup package overall is so fun to watch. For me, the question is how can Myelasia keep that creativity and that composure leading the entire offense? Because Kim Mulkey is going to ask her to be the point guard and play more on the ball. She was off the ball at South Carolina. So what does that look like for this team with more minutes, more composure, more responsibility? and decision-making when you think about getting your teammates organized and getting them into their right spots where they're successful. So I think, honestly, this is really good for Malaysia to be challenged and stretch, but when you

pair her with a Flagee Johnson and also Michaela Williams, easily this is the most explosive offense in college basketball. And I think they can make a pretty deep run if it clicks right away with Milasia Full-Wiley running point. Right. And I think that was the whole point of coming to LSU is that South Carolina seemingly got really crowded with Raven Johnson coming back for a fifth year and to Nia Latson joining the team. And not to say that it couldn't have worked for her, but I think the whole goal was she wanted to be a more focal point starter and play at that point guard position. And that opportunity showed itself at LSU.

And I too think like she had a role that she was really, you know, good at, but also maybe it was the only role presented to her. where she would come in and change the game with explosive play, explosive speed, really great going to the rim or in transition, just fast break opportunities. That is a very different skill set than having speed in a half court set or being in charge of running the offense or being somebody who can set up plays or slow the game down. And we will have the chance to see if she can combine all of that to your point real quick. Though some of the biggest names in college basketball are in LSU, what can we expect from Flagee Johnson, who's one of the biggest stars on and off the court and also Michaela Williams as well? Well, Michaela Williams, don't leave her open at all cost.

She is a three-level score that could knock it down. Flagey Johnson has an incredible layup package as well, but she's going to be asked to lead this team. This is Flage's team at the end of the day, and she has that championship experience. They are looking to her to put this team on her back and carry them. So for her last year, her last ride, it's going to be based off of a vocal leader, which she's already had to do as a freshman coming in right away as a champion. But them meshing together and buying in and trusting other teammates is going to be important, meshing new pieces together.

They got a really great big in Kate Kovall, also a great freshman class coming in as well. They're going to be looking at both all of these players, first things first. but Flagee Johnson, most importantly, has to be the leader of this team. We've got to take a break. We'll be right back with more. Women's College Basketball Preview on Goodfellow Show.

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I'm Roz. She is Autumn Johnson and is a great analyst covering Women's College Basketball as we continue on with our Women's College Basketball preview show. There's so many teams to talk about, but we are still at the other two teams we haven't even talked about from last season's Final Four. That would be UCLA and Texas and where they're going this season. And for UCLA, personally, Autumn, I feel like they're one of the top contenders for this chip. Like, I feel like they could, I think they're right there.

You know, last year's Final Four, they played against Yukon and they lost by 34 points. I mean, there was a clear, maybe it's a gap. But for me, it was more just a learning experience of like what it took to be in the Final Four. There's almost a skill set to that as well. And Yukon's experience there showed. It was the first time ever that UCLA had like ever been to the final four. And, you know, coming into this season, there's a lot of loss, but it's interesting. It's all of their freshman class from last year.

And then some contributors, London Jones, Janaya Barker, transfer portal, madness. But they're stacked with talent, with experience, with veterans. I'm going to just say the names and then we can get into a discussion. Lauren Betts is arguably the best player in the country, depending on who you ask, and is the reigning defensive player of the year nationally. Kiki Rice. Gabriela Hakez, they add Gianna Neepkins, who's been, you know, a longtime great contributor in what was the Pact 12 at Utah, coming through the transfer portal. They add Lauren's sister, Sienabets.

Plus, they have Angela Dugelich back and healthy Charlize Ledger Walker will be playing for the Bruins this season. So what do you make your expectations for this UCLA squad? I love how you brought up last year, obviously, coming off of a final for both. I know we'll get into Texas, but for both UCLA and Texas, I really think this is going to be like a dominance over a rival year. Like when you arrive to the moment, what are you going to do? Can you meet the moment? And that all goes back to experience. They have that experience with each other. And yes, UCLA lost a lot, but they also gain a lot. You mentioned Gianna Nikon. She's a lethal three-point shooter. Charlie Sledger Walker also gives them another ball handler alongside of

Kiki Rice, who's so explosive and a downhill player. And Gabrielle Hawkes, I don't think a lot of people talk about her enough. She's an X-Factor and unsung hero. And Lauren Betts and Sias is a problem inside at 6-7, a mismatched nightmare. No one has an answer for her. So this is one of the deepest teams. I'm excited to see who matches up with them in the Big Ten going on, because obviously we saw USC banging with them.

Maryland might have something to say about that this year. but this truly could be a year for UCLA's dominance to now put the pieces together last year and really run away with it. So it all goes back to a healthy team, an experienced team now making its push forward coming off that final four run. I think going a long way for UCLA will be depth, experience, and you said it, health. Let's go to Texas. This whole thing's going to revolve around Madison Booker. but you know this is somebody a rising junior last season average 16 points about seven rebounds on 46% shooting from the field and 40% from three efficient shooting we get it she's good

but what else is is texas going to be able to bring to the table tell us autumn it has to be scoring because that's what we saw in the final four we already know it's texas toughness texas fight texas defense but the offense has to catch up with it and that's something that couldn't meet the moment in the final four when they went up against South Carolina. So it's all about maturity and also experience at the end of the day. Where is that perimeter scoring going to come from? They're a downhill team that tries to get into the paint at all costs. Madison Booker is lethal in the midrange as well, where he Harmon is back.

And I'm expecting maturity from other players with Brianna Preston, Jordan Lee. They had incredible freshman year. So now how can they take that experience and translate it into dominance instead of just arriving, like I said, for UCLA as well. Those are the teams that we're going to get to in this episode, but I think we've got to take a moment to focus on you. That's annoying. What?

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Okay. Me. You have personally had one of... the most exciting journeys in your career covering women's college basketball. And one of the coolest titles on your resume is Bracketologist. Autumn Johnson, the Bracketologist. Who would have thought? Who would have thought?

And there's so few people who are actually like put it on their lower third Brackatologist. Like what is it, how did you become one? And what does it take to do Brackatology? Girl, literally it came with a job. If I could just be honest with you, I had no idea what this meant and what all went into it. I just remember going after this really cool job with the NCAA being the face and the head of the women's basketball digital team covering these incredible athletes and coaches and

their stories. But along with it came Bracketology. And I did not know what this meant or how to do it. I reached out to LaChina Robinson to try to get some answers. And she connected me with Charlie Kreme, who is the exonerated. expert of all of this. So just finding information and resources to help me provide the best bracket possible and my predictions leading up into Selection Sunday. That's what it came down to be. And it's been a very tedious process, but so rewarding. I've learned so much. I watch games

constantly, not just on one conference, but everywhere, mid-majors as well, making sure I have a pulse on everything that's going on with women's basketball. And there's a lot that goes into it for sure. If you want me to break a dad, I can. It's a lot. What are the like methodologies or constraints that you consider when making a bracket? It starts with resume and metrics and watching games. And that means like net rankings, quad one through quad four wins, strength of schedule, how you've performed against other tournament caliber teams. You've got 32 automatic conference champions. everyone who wins their conference tournaments, and then the 36 at-large bids that are up for grabs based on overall resume strength and how teams have performed.

So once the field is set, you got the 1 through 68, and that determines the seed lines, the regional placement and balance. You're considering travel and geography, avoiding early conference rematches in the first and second round. So you think everything's set, and it's like, no, actually, I've got to move everything around because this team has already faced this team. So you're taking a lot into consideration in bracket principles as well to keep things there. And there's also a human element to it as well, like who's hot at the right time, who's missing key players, injuries, who passes the eye test.

There's a lot that goes into it, but it's so much fun. Like when you get to put it together and you see the final bracket, especially when you see when the selection committee releases there, you're like, okay, I was on check. We were cooking about something here. It's nice and rewarding for sure. You know, I will be following Autumn's Bracketology. Please do. And it's a highly coveted and like, I don't know if covet is the right role, but it's like very, there's very few people doing this.

You're right. Charlie Cream is a longtime Brackatologist. And now yourself as an up-and-comer, very, very cool, my good sis. So part of being a Brackatologist, you've got your eyes on some sleeper schools, teams maybe that, you know, people should be watching out for. Could you list a couple of those sleeper? Keep your eyes on type schools this season. Like I said, I'm watching all conferences, but mid-majors as well.

One mid-major you need to keep your eye on is Richmond. I feel like if they had a different draw last year going up against UCLA, they made a Sweet 16 run. Magda Dugan and Rachel Olstrom is coming back. They are dynamic scoring punch together. Oklahoma as well has a four-out, one-in system. Reagan Beers is phenomenal and efficient inside. Tennessee. It is year two of the Kim Codwell system. I love that unorthodox, like, kind of system that she runs with the hockey substitutes in and out. And they also have Janaya Barker as well, which is going to be exciting. Old Miss has Cody McMahon. And you already know Coach Yo is bringing that defense as well. Maryland, the transfer portal jackpot. And Brenda Freez always knows a great way to mesh it together. Michigan, Silas Swartz, and Olivia Olson. I mean, they're sophomores now.

We were saying, like, this freshman duo is something serious. They're grown up now and they're ready to make a punch for sure. And the last team I would say is Iowa State. Like, they have a new point guard in Jada Williams and Adi Crooks and Addy Brown. They're so dominant inside. Those are my sleeperers. More people need to be talking about them. I'm pretty sure there's more and the season's going to reveal that.

But for now, I think their name needs to be in the conversations a little bit more. Ooh, thorough. Love that. Teams to watch. Sleeper teams from Brum. Racketologist, Autumn Johnson. We absolutely will keep an eye on that list of teams to watch. And it has just been a pleasure to kind of have this, this, this, this, this,

women's college basketball preview show on Good Follow with you. Thank you for joining us, sis. You are doing great. Keep crushing it. Thank you, sis. I will be back whenever you need me to talk hoops. We are here. College basketball is back.

I'm so excited. Let's go. We are back. Bring it on. I don't know. I don't know. Oh, man, man.