UNDATED (AP) — Caitlin Clark raised her arms as she walked across the court, pumped her fists and made a heart with her hands as she bid farewell to her adoring fans who came to see her play one last time at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The clock had just hit zeroes on No. 1 seed Iowa’s hard-earned 64-54 win over No. 8 West Virginia in the women’s NCAA Tournament, and she wanted to thank them. She said she's forever grateful for the support shown by Iowa fans. She scored 32 points in her final game at the arena.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark scored 32 points and No. 1 seed Iowa survived one of its worst offensive performances of the season to beat No. 8 seed West Virginia 64-54 on Monday night in a women’s NCAA Tournament second-round game. The Hawkeyes (31-4) advanced to play No. 5 seed Colorado in Saturday’s Albany 2 Regional semifinal. Sydney Affolter’s three-point play with 2:03 to play, the Hawkeyes’ lone field goal of the fourth quarter, gave Iowa a 55-52 lead. Clark and Hannah Stuelke closed the game with nine free throws to clinch the win. As time ran out on the final home game of her career, Clark, who became the NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring leader this season, circled the court, making a heart-shaped symbol with her hands as the sellout crowd cheered.
UNDATED (AP) — The NCAA Tournament could be heading toward expansion. The tournament field is currently set at 68. That number could bump up to 72 or 76 schools in the coming years. There are several factors at play, including how to divide up the increased number of at-large bids in an expanded field. There's a concern that expansion would lean heavily toward awarding teams from power conferences and not deserving schools from mid-major conferences. Oakland coach Greg Kampe says he's OK with the tournament growing provided it doesn't turn its back on small schools that he believes help make the tournament special.
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The job of coaching in college sports has drastically changed. Switching schools is easier than ever via the transfer portal and the lure of better compensation deals can now be a factor for athletes looking to cash in on their celebrity. That has left many coaches frustrated and some even contemplating leaving the profession. Before the NCAA Tournament began last week, the portal opened up and the floodgate was open: Some 748 Division I men and 594 Division I women entered in just the first week, even while many teams were still playing games.
UNDATED (AP) — March Madness arrived with visions of chaos. The only surprise so far has been the lack of pandemonium. The top two seeds from each region are still alive. One double-digit seed will join them in the Sweet 16. Top seeds UConn, North Carolina, Houston and Purdue advanced. So did No. 2 seeds Arizona, Tennessee, Marquette and Iowa State also advanced. It is just the fifth time that has happened since the start of seeding in 1979.
UNDATED (AP) — Reigning national champion Connecticut has rolled through the regular season, the Big East Tournament and now two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies entered March Madness with top-tier efficiency ratings on both sides of the ball from KenPom. Those figures align with profiles of past champions and Final Four teams. The Huskies are one of seven teams in the top 25 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency. That applies to 15 of the last 22 NCAA champions going back to 2001. The list includes fellow No. 1 seeds Houston, Purdue and North Carolina. There's also a strong candidate in second-seeded Arizona.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Mackenzie Holmes scored 29 points, including six in a row in a crucial stretch, and No. 4 seed Indiana rallied past fifth-seeded Oklahoma 75-68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Sydney Parrish added 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Hoosiers, who advanced to their second Sweet 16 in three years. Next up is undefeated South Carolina in Albany, New York. Big 12 Player of the Year Skylar Vann led the Sooners with 20 points and eight rebounds, but the Sooners lost their fourth straight second-round game. Oklahoma led most of the night but never could pull away — or put Indiana away — and Holmes came up big late.
UNDATED (AP) — Washington has hired Utah State’s Danny Sprinkle as its men’s basketball coach. The Huskies are hoping Sprinkle’s success at smaller schools and lineage to the university can revitalize the program as it moves into the Big Ten starting next season. His hiring comes after Utah State was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with a second round loss to Purdue. Sprinkle spent just one season at Utah State but it was a massively successful year winning the Mountain West regular-season title. Sprinkle says “it was going to take something special for me to leave Logan, and the University of Washington was it.”
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