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Post by hcpride on Apr 11, 2024 14:34:05 GMT -5
Also, not to be a cynic, but I think the attention and interest for WBB takes a step back to where it was in pre-Caitlin Clark days. Definitely. Iowa's not setting attendance and viewing records next year. Since the WNBA rarely misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity they won't make the shift to a more mainstream message and catch and ride the CC wave. The comments of a few WNBA vets and alums smack of jealousy regarding CC's current popularity and achievements. That won't help either.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 10, 2024 21:08:55 GMT -5
Women's NCAA final game viewership crushed the Men's final. Men's game - 14+million viewers. Women's game - 18+million viewers. Is this an indication of declining interest in men's college basketball? Or, is this more a leading indicator of the growth of women's basketball? Is this a one off? Or, as I suspect, is men's NCAA March Madness morphing into March Numbness? It is an indication of the growth in interest in women's COLLEGE basketball. Clark-sanity fully translating to the WNBA beyond her first circuit around the league still remains to be seen. I don't want to call it a one-off, but Caitlin captured a national audience like no other women's player ever did. America tends to fall in love with long-range bombing, high volume scorers who lead winning teams. Just like Curry. I think we'll see this year's Women's NCAA viewership matched again in the near future but not necessarily every year. But at least with star power and/or a good rivalry or storyline, you know people will watch. Star power drives the women's tourney when it comes to ratings and interest, and with the men it's all about the upsets and Cinderella stories -- David v. Goliath sells. I feel like if the Final Four ends up being a group of teams you're not that interested in, it can be easy to get jaded of the non-stop basketball. The first weekend is the crown jewel and what make it the best collegiate postseason event and possibly THE best postseason in all of sports. I agree. Fans of Caitlyn Clark and her University of Iowa team won't find much to like in the WNBA. On a number of fronts. As far as the college women's hoops scene goes this might have been a one-off perfect storm led by Caitlyn Clark and some very compelling story lines at some of the other very top basketball schools ( LSU, SC, UConn, Stanford, ND, etc.) resulting in a surge in viewing (a least for some of the games involving these very top schools). We'll see if next year's tournament draws these sorts of viewership numbers.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 10, 2024 8:34:43 GMT -5
I do like our FCS OOC (UNH, URI, BRY, Harvard, Yale) much more than Lafayette's FCS OOC (Monmouth, Marist, Columbia, Stonehill, and SHU).
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Post by hcpride on Apr 8, 2024 15:40:39 GMT -5
Also interesting to see if WNBA (and their veteran players and alums) will wisely bend over backwards to welcome Caitlin Clark and lure more fans to the pro game. There have been a few less-than-welcoming social media comments. I have my doubts as to whether she is a good fit in today's WNBA (not talking playing ability) and not at all sure the WNBA (and their veteran players and alums) realizes her success is their succe$$. I can't imagine intelligent basketball players would be so dense as to dismiss someone who might make them significantly more money. Don't know about the word 'dismiss' but it would be wise for the WNBA, veteran WNBA players, and alums to bend over backwards to be as welcoming as possible to Caitlyn Clark and her fans. Messages like this don't fall into the category of 'bending over backwards": "Reality is coming," Taurasi told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. "You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds but you're going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time."www.si.com/college/2024/04/06/diana-taurasi-blunt-message-caitlin-clark-wnba-careerWhy Taurasi thought it was a good idea to single out Cailyn Clark for this sort of comment is beyond me. In these social media times (and one suspects CC's fans are reading social media ) the wise memo to the field might be along the lines of "If you've got nothing good to say...".
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Post by hcpride on Apr 8, 2024 11:13:07 GMT -5
Getting back to NCAA tournament ratings, I don't know how the formula for distributing revenue to leagues or teams Works but hopefully it's a fortunate year for Holy Cross to have played two games in this tournament. ... It will be very interesting to see if this is a ratings blip from Caitlin Clark's publicity that will return to norm in the future, or if this is the start of a trend to greater interest in women's college basketball Also interesting to see if WNBA (and their veteran players and alums) will wisely bend over backwards to welcome Caitlin Clark and lure more fans to the pro game. There have been a few less-than-welcoming social media comments. I have my doubts as to whether she is a good fit in today's WNBA (not talking playing ability) and not at all sure the WNBA (and their veteran players and alums) realizes her success is their succe$$.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 8, 2024 5:58:32 GMT -5
Cardoso was named the MVP on the podium but Holly Rowe interviewed other players but not Cardoso. Wonder why I was struck by that as well...wonder if it was a language issue, but I wold find that a little hard to believe She actually has a very funny (very lively) personality and interviews really well. She was part of the post game interview panel.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 7, 2024 16:34:21 GMT -5
Watching this morning on multiple angles, it was certainly a foul. Too bad, I would have loved to see Bueckers take the shot for the win. I think SC wins the final by 12. 87-75 👍👍
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Post by hcpride on Apr 7, 2024 14:27:24 GMT -5
Since it is on ABC (v ESPN) this game (SC v Iowa) might smash the viewership of Iowa’s previous two games.
Watching the game now, SC’s tall center looks very tall out there in the middle.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 7, 2024 9:52:22 GMT -5
It's funny that all the replays last night showed the upper body view of both players and it really looked like either a player-contact non-foul or if it was a foul it looked the sort that is usually not called at crunch time. Even if it enabled Paige to get open for a last-second bomb. But folks have since got a look at the fuller view (in real time) and looks like Edwards clearly was not set, Edwards' left foot was clearly very outstretched, and Edwards' elbow/shoulder clear collision with the defender - knocking her off of her defense on Paige. And all of that was just six or seven feet from the referee's clear view. Ref doesn't hesitate. (See my twitter post, above.) Off the topic, but as the clip shows this was actually an attempt by Edwards to set two screens on the same defender in about three seconds (AKA re-screen) and that is a very big ask of Edwards given the quick defender. I'm not sure Paige took the best angle because Edwards really had to move/extend out try to block Paige's defender a second time. All true. I would also point out that the shot Bueckers would have had was 26 feet with a hand in her face. I would have loved for her to have the chance, but the odds of making it were probably 10%. Yes, and solid D all game by Iowa. By now Geno and Bueckers have seen the replays but they are not going to throw Edwards under the bus for her foul. Color analyst and UConn grad Rebecca Lobo saw the replays and now seems to think it was the right call by the ref ( www.on3.com/news/iowa-uconn-call-rebecca-lobo-100-percent-was-a-foul-aaliyah-edwards-illegal-screen-final-four-espn/ )
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Post by hcpride on Apr 6, 2024 14:11:06 GMT -5
Looked like a basketball play in real time. I like Paige's response and generally get sick of people blaming the refs, but the call was a tough one to absorb in the moment. Fantastic conditioning of the UConn players. The few who played gave intense defense all night. A great game for WBB. It's funny that all the replays last night showed the upper body view of both players and it really looked like either a player-contact non-foul or if it was a foul it looked the sort that is usually not called at crunch time. Even if it enabled Paige to get open for a last-second bomb. But folks have since got a look at the fuller view (in real time) and looks like Edwards clearly was not set, Edwards' left foot was clearly very outstretched, and Edwards' elbow/shoulder clear collision with the defender - knocking her off of her defense on Paige. And all of that was just six or seven feet from the referee's clear view. Ref doesn't hesitate. (See my twitter post, above.) Off the topic, but as the clip shows this was actually an attempt by Edwards to set two screens on the same defender in about three seconds (AKA re-screen) and that is a very big ask of Edwards given the quick defender. I'm not sure Paige took the best angle because Edwards really had to move/extend out try to block Paige's defender a second time.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 6, 2024 10:14:45 GMT -5
UConn robbed at the end with a phantom offensive foul on Edwards when UConn was one point behind with the ball. Iowa 71-69 Where "blatant" may be too strong of a description, it was clearly a moving screen and not "phantom" in any way.
You can argue whether it should have been called at that moment but certainly not that it was not a foul.
Looks pretty blatant in wider view:
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Post by hcpride on Apr 6, 2024 9:04:08 GMT -5
Last night Bueckers had an OK stat line (17 pts, 3 assists, 4 rebounds) as did Edwards…but 69 points isn’t likely to get it done v Iowa. Geno mentioned that fact a few times after the game.
Did anyone predict Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke as the game’s leading scorer?
Ratings for the semis are an unknown but it seems there was more ‘buzz’ on the women’s side of the tournament than the men’s this year. Thus far.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 6, 2024 5:23:40 GMT -5
Looked at the late foul call replay several times and Edwards definitely moves into Marshall as she is trying to get past her. Yes, and with the contact being up high (on Marshall’s body) the refs are even more apt to call it. Considering their injury-plagued circumstances, UConn had a very good year.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 6, 2024 1:08:19 GMT -5
Good game. UConn trailed most (all?) of the 4th quarter after winning the 1st half. Lots of turnovers by Iowa but overall a good team effort (Stuelke was their scoring leader). South Carolina looked excellent in their game and will be the favorites in the championship.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 5, 2024 6:27:04 GMT -5
I am elated that graduating from Holy Cross was a priority for Matt Sluka. I am so happy for him. Now he can join Crossports and tell me that I am an idiot for writing the stuff I write. Of the big three, Sluka, Coker & Hansen. Will all graduate with a highly sought Holy Cross degree? CJ has already graduated. Coker and Sluka graduate in May. All players playing their 5th years somewhere else (Newman - Michigan State, Schon - Duke, Spence - JMU) will also graduate in May before reporting to their new destinations in June. Purdy and McMurtrie (both JMU) played their max years at HC and like CJ graduated in December. Listening to my favorite Notre Dame podcast , I learned that Notre Dame has a couple of graduate transfers in the Sluka/Coker category (finishing undergrad degree at another school this semester). BUT they are on the Notre Dame campus observing spring practice (not permitted to participate in team practices and workout) while doing the remote option with their undergraduate schools. Of course they can work out on their own, bond informally with future teammates, and chat with football coaches at Notre Dame all semester.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 4, 2024 9:47:18 GMT -5
Iowa-LSU sets women's NCAA hoops ratings record with 12.3M viewers
Caitlin Clark can claim another record -- the most watched women's college basketball game in history.
Iowa's 94-87 victory over LSU in the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA tournament Monday night averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen.
The viewership surpassed the 11.84 million who watched the 1983 NCAA championship game between Southern California and Louisiana Tech.
Iowa-LSU outdrew all but one of the five games in last year's NBA Finals, along with the clinching game of last year's World Series (11.48 million).
Last year's LSU-Iowa national championship game on ABC drew 9.9 million viewers. Monday's LSU-Iowa rematch, on cable, crushed that number.
It was also the most watched men's or women's college basketball game ever on ESPN, more than doubling the prior largest audience.
www.espn.com.au/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39862514/iowa-lsu-rematch-shatters-tv-ratings-record-123m-viewers More than any MLB game last year, more than any NBA game last year except the clinching game in The Finals, more than any regular season college football game last year except OSU-Michigan, more than any Thursday night NFL game last year. And, not on free TV......Stunning While Friday night 9:30 on ESPN may not be absolutely optimal in terms of viewership, the UConn - Iowa game should also get big ratings. (Whether Geno is going to flub a defensive plan for Caitlin Clark is another matter).
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Post by hcpride on Apr 3, 2024 3:50:32 GMT -5
Iowa-LSU sets women's NCAA hoops ratings record with 12.3M viewers
Caitlin Clark can claim another record -- the most watched women's college basketball game in history.
Iowa's 94-87 victory over LSU in the Elite Eight of the women's NCAA tournament Monday night averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen.
The viewership surpassed the 11.84 million who watched the 1983 NCAA championship game between Southern California and Louisiana Tech.
Iowa-LSU outdrew all but one of the five games in last year's NBA Finals, along with the clinching game of last year's World Series (11.48 million).
Last year's LSU-Iowa national championship game on ABC drew 9.9 million viewers. Monday's LSU-Iowa rematch, on cable, crushed that number.
It was also the most watched men's or women's college basketball game ever on ESPN, more than doubling the prior largest audience.
www.espn.com.au/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39862514/iowa-lsu-rematch-shatters-tv-ratings-record-123m-viewers
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Post by hcpride on Apr 2, 2024 9:17:29 GMT -5
I'm most concerned with winning all three CAA games and hoping at least two of those would be considered quality wins. We'll see. In 2022 lightning struck, going 11-0, beating an FBS team, beating H&Y in the same season for the first time ever, Fordham being ranked when we beat them, then earning an at large bid, and HC was coming off three straight playoff appearances which led to the last seed and bye. Going forward, to paraphrase General Douglas MacArthur it's the auto-bid, the auto-bid, the auto-bid. However, the stronger our opponents and the better our record the better chance for a home playoff opener and an easier route to go deeper in the tournament. And if good FCS teams move up or current leading FCS programs falter HC could be seeded again, no rule against it. And HC isn't a novelty act any more in FCS. Yes. The assumption (of course) is a one-bid league with quality wins getting us a seed. (With a secondary assumption the PL wins aren’t quality wins).
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Post by hcpride on Apr 2, 2024 7:50:51 GMT -5
I'm most concerned with winning all three CAA games and hoping at least two of those would be considered quality wins. We'll see.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 2, 2024 7:44:59 GMT -5
Taking a peek at the women's bracket, and how the teams got to where they are today. Quick quiz question: What was the closest scoring of the four #1 vs. #16 games? Everyone gets three guesses, but the first two don't count. One clue: The team that won that first-round game earned its Elite Eight spot over the weekend by beating its opponent (the #5 seed) by a wider margin than they won their first round (vs. #16) game. Bogus clue. Iowa beat us by 26 and beat Colorado by 21. I was wondering what the point was since Iowa beat Holy Cross even more decisively than they beat Colorado or West Virginia. Which actually makes sense since the HC game was a 16-1 matchup. On the bright side and if that margin of 26 points is depressing, we did hold CC to 'just' 27 points. Well below her average and well below the 41 LSU gave up last night. UConn v Iowa matchup looks to be another case of Iowa's opponent having the better starters (minus Caitlin Clark). The way they are playing, I'm leaning UConn.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 1, 2024 20:40:16 GMT -5
LSU did not score at will from down low tonight LOL. The LSU coach literally said they were scoring at will down low during her half time interview. The problem is they lost patience with working v the smaller Iowa bigs…especially with CC bombing threes in the 3rd QTR and pulling away.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 1, 2024 20:09:09 GMT -5
While Caitlin Clark detractors can certainly find fault with her game, she’s having a pretty good one now. LSU scores at will from down low and blocks and rebounds really well.
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Post by hcpride on Apr 1, 2024 17:28:31 GMT -5
Tonight’s 7:15 LSU v Iowa matchup is interesting in that Iowa’s starting five (minus Clark and maybe Steulke) is weaker than LSU but LSU has a pretty thin bench if there are foul issues.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 31, 2024 6:25:09 GMT -5
Terrific passing display by CC (29 pts, 15 assists) in Iowa’s easy win over Colorado in the Sweet Sixteen. LSU also won. Their game Monday will draw plenty of viewers.
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Post by hcpride on Mar 29, 2024 16:36:35 GMT -5
Considering the huge hits Notre Dame took in the injury department this year, their recent run thru the ACC tournament and opening games of the NCAA Tournament is very impressive. Their lack of offensive firepower and size, given the injuries, finally caught up to them. (Shooting percentage and rebound stats were particularly lopsided in favor of Oregon State). Played only six women due to roster issue.
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