Women's College Basketball Is In Its Best Position Ever

For decades, women’s college basketball toiled in the shadow of men’s college basketball, never quite managing to garner the same attention. It certainly didn’t help that arguably the most popular amateur sports tournament in America, the men’s college basketball playoff (aka March Madness), has run concurrently with the women’s tournament for years. It seemed that there simply wasn’t enough oxygen for both the men’s and women’s tournaments to breathe comfortably — that is, until 2023.

Women’s college basketball didn’t only breathe comfortably this year; it was triumphant. Thanks to the perfect confluence of great competition, star power on the women’s teams, and a completely lackluster men’s tournament, women’s basketball enjoyed its most watched final of all time, boasting 9.9 million viewers. The men’s final, however, was the lowest viewed ever.

But while it was a historically disappointing year for men’s basketball, viewers didn’t turn to the women’s tournament simply out of desperation and boredom. The women’s games were must-see TV in their own right this year — not only because of talent but also because of drama.

While many sports rely on the prowess of their athletes to garner viewership, basketball has always had the unique ability to imbue drama that stretches beyond metrics and statistics. Basketball stars are some of the most marketable athletes, thanks in no small part to their bodies and faces not being obscured by helmets and pads while they play, giving the audience the feeling of a lack of barrier between them and the players.

In years past, women’s college basketball seemed to lack these kinds of characters — but that changed this year; the roster of stars in women’s college basketball is more enthralling than ever.

To understand how this happened, it’s important to know that for nearly two decades, the women’s tournament was dominated by the University of Connecticut, which won 10 championships between 2000 and 2017. Since 2017, though, more programs — including those at Stanford, Baylor, Notre Dame, and LSU — have been able to creep out of their shadow and compete for the title.

What’s more, since the NCAA’s “NIL” deal, which allows college players to earn money based on name, image, and likeness (NIL), came to pass in June 2021, programs can offer student athletes more than just their facilities and an education; the top recruits are also weighing which schools will allow them to market themselves best.

There arguably aren’t two more marketable women’s college basketball players today than Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Clark, who plays guard at the University of Iowa, finished the season as the winner of the Naismith Award, which is awarded to the best player during the season. She followed that up by scoring the most points in both men’s and women’s college basketball playoff history. Anyone mildly paying attention to sports in March of 2023 was aware of Clark’s prowess, especially after she led the Hawkeyes to the title game, knocking off South Carolina, the top team in the tournament, to do so.

Angel Reese, nicknamed the Bayou Barbie, met Clark with her LSU team in the final. Reese was a star heading into the championship game but not quite in the same stratosphere as Clark. However, by the time the final buzzer sounded, Reese’s team had prevailed. Reese was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Reese’s accomplishment, however, was quickly overshadowed by a controversy surrounding her team’s win. In the game’s closing moments, Reese sought out Clark and began waving her hand in front of her own face. Reese was mocking a taunt that Clark, herself, had done earlier in the tournament. To make matters spicier, Reese pointed directly at her ring finger, touting her new championship hardware.

Even Clark herself came to Reese’s defense. “I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” Clark told ESPN. “I’m just one that competes, and she competed. I think everybody knew there was gonna be a little trash talk in the entire tournament.”

Though the issue seemed to be put to bed, First Lady Jill Biden inadvertently added some fuel to the simmering blaze by saying she’d like to invite LSU and Iowa to the White House. The White House invitation is an honor typically reserved for the champion, and Reese balked at the idea. Despite Biden’s apology, Reese told the I Am Athlete podcast, “I don’t accept that — I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t accept that apology because she said what she said.” She added that LSU might just go see the Obamas instead.

Perhaps the best part of this drama is that Reese and Clark are both returning to school for the 2023-24 season. Unlike the NBA, which requires players to be 19 years old to be draft eligible, the WNBA requires that their draft entrants must be 22 years old to be eligible. This typically means that the NBA siphons college talent before they have a chance to make their mark in college, whereas the stars of the women’s ranks can grow a following and reputation throughout several seasons. It’s the reason why men’s college basketball has to rely on the strength of program names, whereas women’s basketball can market their players — there’s simply not as much turnover.

All of this means that when the NCAA inevitably schedules Iowa vs. LSU in the upcoming season, it’ll be must-see TV. The women’s ranks simply haven’t had this much momentum and anticipation in recent memory. While the mundanity of the men’s tournament may have given the women this opportunity, they certainly delivered. Reese and Clark may be at the forefront of women’s basketball, but for once, the sport’s draw extends beyond one or two names. Fans can look forward to players like UConn’s Paige Bueckers, the Cavinder twins of the University of Miami, or even South Carolina’s revenge tour after their tournament heartbreak. Women’s college basketball has always had the skill, but now it has the characters.