A Weekend at the Center of the Women’s Basketball Universe
Los Angeles hosted a Final Four quality double header over the weekend and I was lucky enough to be there in person. There are couple thoughts that have stuck with me…
I sit here writing this in the Los Angeles airport, uncomfortably close to everyone around me as I await my flight and leaving behind what was an incredible weekend of women’s college basketball.
Los Angeles was the center of the basketball universe. Two Final Four quality matchups that lived up to the importance of the two games. I gave my immediate thoughts for both the Notre Dame/USC and South Carolina/UCLA matchups on their respective No Cap Space Postgame Shows but, after getting to exhale just the slightest bit, a couple things have stuck with me from the two games.
Hannah Hidalgo belongs in any conversation
This was my first opportunity to see Hannah Hidalgo play and it was electric.
I put this thought out on socials but the energy that she plays with is only comparable to Russell Westbrook when it comes to players I have personally seen up close. Even her celebrations are filled with energy with most including running and jumping as if she has an unlimited stamina bar like a video game hack.
I lost count of the amount of times that Hidalgo came up from behind a USC guard bringing the ball up just to poke it away and send the possession arrow the other way.
Here’s the thing. Those types of energy plays aren’t necessary. She could just get back on her defensive assignment and get ready for the possession. And yet without fail it felt that if there was an opportunity for Hidalgo to attempt to do *anything* on the court, she did it.
That’s a type of quality you’d love from a glue player. Unmatched heart and effort.
Notre Dame has it in one of the most skilled players in the country.
If you didn’t have Hidalgo in your top tier of college basketball players before you should have but you undoubtedly do now. I couldn’t have been more impressed.
UCLA is a problem
Lauren Betts is an issue for any team in the country. The shooters UCLA has surrounding her are an issue when they get hot. The defense caused issues all over for South Carolina.
And when you got that many issues? Folks you got a problem. And UCLA is a PROBLEM.
It can be very easy to have one of the best players in the nation and feel comfortable with them becoming your end all be all. Lauren Betts fits that criteria.
In a game where South Carolina actually did a solid job keeping Betts calm despite the score, UCLA did not fall into the mental trap of forcing it. This allowed players to succeed off of the gravity of Betts, such as Londynn Jones catching fire for 15 points all coming from a perfect 5/5 from beyond the arc.
But also because of avoiding the habit of forcing it inside, we discovered a brand new issue for opposing teams that I’m not even sure UCLA were aware they had on hand: freshman Elina Aarnisalo.
Aarnisalo was initially forced into the starting lineup due to the injury to Kiki Rice at the start of the season but quickly built a solid individual foundation to stand on.
That foundation stood incredibly strong against the Gamecocks. In the postgame press conference, Betts was asked who the most underrated player on UCLA was, and she named Aarnisalo.
She finished that answer with “she shouldn’t be underrated anymore” and I couldn’t agree more (and I know Andrew does too, go read today’s Five Out!).
UCLA has so many different individuals that are issues for opposing teams and Sunday displayed how big of a problem they can be when clicking on all together.
This is where the fun begins
The nation watched these two games and have come away with more questions than answers, and I wouldn’t have that any other way.
These were the first big matchups of the season and the more generally “known” and favored teams came away with glaring things to fix going forward.
How does USC figure out how to make life easier for itself? Can Lindsay Gottlieb crack the code to the Kiki Iriafen and JuJu Watkins duo?
Now South Carolina, is this new formula of play without featuring a dominant post like we have grown accustomed to viable enough for this roster to go and win another championship?
I don’t have the answers to those questions, and right now the teams don’t either. This weekend felt almost like a cliffhanger to end season one of this college basketball season.
We have met our “characters” with the story exposition almost out the way as we learn who these teams are across the nation, and we got left with a big twist of the USCs going down.
These are unfamiliar positions we have found the “characters” of this show in. I just can’t wait until the next episode.