While the men certainly get most of the attention, including the media, packed arenas and TV coverage -- let's not forget about the ladies. They have a tournament going on too and, like the boys, some of these girls are really good. It's a shame more isn't written and said about them, so few people seem to show up at the arenas, and what little TV coverage they get is on an obscure cable station or two.
Sure, the boys are taller, stronger, can run faster, jump higher, and they often feature a lot of dunks. But the girls -- at least those of the really good schools -- have something else going on. The ultimate in fundamentals and overall team play. No, one won't see too many dunks in a girls' game, but they make up for it in other ways. Their discipline, precision, and how they execute as a team is a joy to watch indeed. Shooting? The girls are just are adept as the boys, even from 3 point range. Plus, as a whole, they're a heck of a lot more deadly from the "charity stripe" than their male counterparts. While the boys work on their alley-oops and spectacular dunks in practice, the girls shoot hundreds of free throws -- and it shows. And when you stop and think about it -- which is more important? There might be 8-10 dunks over the course of a game, but there's likely to be at least 30-40 free throws as well. Defensively, the boys have nothing on the girls. The fairer sex long along ago learned how to seamlessly switch coverages in a "man-to-man" defense when picks happen, quickly rotate to the ball, help out on the "weak side" when necessary, or even fall back into a zone if they think it will be more effective against their opponents. It's hardly a bunch of cute little girls with pigtails running around trying to score an occasional basket. The ladies are flat-out good these days, know exactly what they're doing, and are every bit as talented as the men -- though in different ways.
But besides the on-going popularity gap -- there's another huge difference between the ladies and the men when it comes to NCAA tournament hoop time -- at least for now.
The men's field features several teams that could potentially become champions. Certainly no one can discount Florida. They remain the top ranked team in the nation and have looked to be as formidable as ever during their first two tournament games. Many have picked Michigan State and Louisville to meet in the championship game. But Louisville has to get by Kentucky, and MSU by #1 seed Virginia in their bracket. Arizona still lurks in the West, as does under the radar Wisconsin, and who's heard a ping from San Diego State lately? It could even be a team such as Michigan makes another magical run as they did last year.
In other words, it's wide open. A key injury here, a cold shooting night there, those pesky refs botching a critical call at a critical moment -- and anything can happen. Parity is alive and well amongst the boys.
The ladies' tourney would appear to be quite the opposite. Like football back in the days of Bo, Woody, and 3 yards and a cloud of dust, there was Ohio State and Michigan. One of them was going to win the Big 10. The other 8 schools were nothing more than also-rans to fill out schedules.
And this year, it looks to be much the same in NCAA ladies' college hoops. There's the Big 2, and everybody else. UConn, Notre Dame, and the other 62 teams that started the tournament. Either team getting upset before they eventually clash is highly unlikely. This is not meant to be disrespectful to excellent teams such as Stanford, South Carolina, Tennessee, and a few others. But, across the board, the girls haven't yet reached the parity level of the boys.
This could be attributed to a couple factors. Much like John Wooden's UCLA teams of yesteryear that won so many championships, once a school becomes known as "elite", the bluest of the blue chip prep stars want to go there. Success breeds even more success and the beat goes on. And unlike the boy collegiate super-stars that often jump early for the riches of the NBA, the college girls typically stay for their full 4-5 years of eligibility. It only makes sense. Even if they're good enough to "go pro", no such millions await them in the WNBA. The minimum salary in that league is $36K, the max $105K. The average -- $72K. In the whole scheme of things, not a bad wage, but they won't be buying yachts, mansions, and Lamborghinis either. Better to stay and get their degree just in case the pro roundball thing doesn't work out. This also has the built in advantage of upper-classwomen tutoring the new kids on the block to make them even better along the way. And again, the beat goes on.
Still, methinks this year's tournament is all about Notre Dame, UConn and 62 wannabes. The Lady Huskies versus the Lady Irish. The insufferably pompous mini-Italian stallion Geno, versus the equally insufferable pseudo fashion plate and whiny Miss Muffet.
Taking a closer look at those teams -- and the coaches -- next time. Stay tuned.
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