This isn’t about NCAAW stats, but just a peek into what I saw yesterday. Excitement wears different clothes at different times. We all define it differently. From my viewpoint, the excitement of yesterday’s championship game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes was an exciting lesson in getting the job done with skill, commitment, and focus.
An Exciting NCAAW National Championship Game
There was never a moment when South Carolina was shaken, particularly after Iowa got off to such a hot start. South Carolina could have folded right there, but they didn’t. Rather, they stoked the engine, built up a head of steam, and by halftime, were running smoothly. Consider the conductor of this train, Dawn Staley, and the number of cars making up this particular train.
Unfortunately, Lisa Bluder’s train wasn’t quite as large, and even with a powerful engine Caitlin Clark, couldn’t build the steam to keep up and overtake. Every quarter showed us a South Carolina team that clearly knew what their destination was, and nothing was going to deter them. The stronger the Gamecocks became, the more the Hawkeye Express began to sputter. We saw how Raven Johnson was able to stymie Caitlin Clark with her wicked and confounding defense.
Clark may have scored 18 points in the first quarter but was held to just 12 for the rest of the game. No one was going to succeed in guarding Kamilla Cardoso, a player for whom I have a much greater appreciation after watching her tournament play. Sticking to my train metaphor, the South Carolina train didn’t really have a caboose, but more of a rear engine, otherwise known as The Bench, powered by Tessa Johnson, who played an excellent game.
South Carolina – Iowa Came Down to the Bench
Perhaps the greatest lesson every other team can learn from is that without a strong bench, you don’t win. This was Iowa’s biggest problem, no bench. Coach Bluder is not going to have her engine next year, and while Iowa has done some much for the women’s game this year, it may be a while before they will be able to come back to this level. It’s just a reality that has to be dealt with, and I have no doubt Coach Bluder will do everything she can to keep stoking the Hawkeye engine.
There is something to be said for a systematically well-played game. Fireworks can be overrated. I’d rather see well-executed plays and pinpoint defense than theatrics and circus dunks. That execution, as far as I’m concerned, is what South Carolina gave us; disciplined, focused, straightforward damn good basketball. This is not to say that Iowa just showed up for the hell of it. On the contrary, I have no doubt that their commitment to winning never waned. They simply were beaten by the better team yesterday afternoon.
CHAMPIONS 🤙 pic.twitter.com/ss4G4HpVOS
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 7, 2024
One must also consider the fact that when the Gamecocks stepped onto the court in Paris way back in November to face Notre Dame, they had never played a full game as that team. Then, to end up with a perfect season, culminating in a national championship, now that was and is exciting. On both sides, this game was truly a team effort. No one caved, no one retreated. Someone won, and someone lost. Sure, you can look at the stats and see how, what, when, and how, but the game is so much more than that.
Final Thoughts On This NCAAW National Championship Matchup
If there were no psychology to sports we’d be watching nothing more than robots. It is the human element that made this game exciting. What the human spirit is capable of is astounding, and when that is coupled with physical talent and prowess, well, that is what moves us far more deeply than acrobatics.
So congratulations to both teams for putting it all out on the court. We certainly didn’t get cheated out of anything. South Carolina now joins the list of teams with unbeaten NCAAW seasons. Whether they can repeat that or not, we’ll have to wait and see. I anticipate an even more exciting 2024-25 season. Who knows who the next emerging star will be and from where? It’ll be worth the wait.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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