1 South Carolina vs. Louisville/Stanford winner
6 p.m. Friday, ESPN
■ Bueckers receives co-freshman of the year honors.
UConn women’s basketball’s Paige Bueckers and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark duked it out in anepic Sweet 16 battle earlier this week. Now, they’re sharing the stage as they’re recognized for their stellar freshmen seasons.
Both Bueckers and Clark were are the co-winners of the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year award, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday.
“Freshmen Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark thrilled college basketball fans throughout the 2020-21 season. Both exhibited the energy, enthusiasm, effort and effectiveness that are the hallmark pillars every coach hopes their first-year student-athletes will contribute to the team,” said WBCAexecutive director Danielle Done he win a statement .“I am pleased to announce Paige and Caitlin as the co-winners of the WBCANCAADivision I Freshman of the Year award presented by adidas. We look forward to watching these two phenomenal players for years to come.”
Bueckers averaged 19.7 points, 6.1 assists and2.3 steals per gameaswellasa47.4 3-point field goal percentage in the regular season. In San Antonio, Bueckers is averaging 22.5 points on47.0 percent shooting (36.8 percent on 3s), 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and just 2.0 turnovers per game. Clark finished her season — which culminated in a 92-72 loss to UConn in the regional semifinal — averaging 26.6 points on47.2 percent shooting (40.6 percent on 3s), 5.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. Asafreshman, she wasthenation’s top scorer.
Bueckers has previously been named Big East Player and Freshman of the Year, Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player, Associated Press First Team All-American, Wooden Award All-American and finalist, Naismith Trophy finalist and NCAA Tournament River Walk Region Most Outstanding Player.
Mulkey calls for end to testing for Final Four:
Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mul key made headlines Monday night—and not just for her team’s 69-67 loss to UConn in the Elite Eight. In the game’s virtual postgame press conference, Mulkey was asked about the resiliency of her team before she — unprompted — offered thoughts on the NCAA’s COVID-19 testing policies.
“I want to say this to all of you. I don’t think my words will matter. But after the games today and tomorrow, there’s four teams left I think on the men’s side and the women’s side. They need to dump the C OVID testing ,” Mulkey said.
“Wouldn’t it be a shame to keep COVID testing and you’ve got kids that end up test positive or something and they don’t get to play in a Final Four? Soyouneedtojust forget the COVIDtestandlet the four teams that are playing in each Final Four go battle it out.”
Earlier this season, Mulkey tested positive for COVID-19 after close contact with a family member on Christmas, leading to a two-week shutdown of the Baylor program and the cancellation of the Bears’ Jan. 7 nonconference matchup against the Huskies, among other contests.
“The season will continue on. It’s called the almighty dollar,” Mulkey said upon her and her team’s first game back, a conference loss to Iowa State on Jan. 16. “The NCAAhas to have the almighty dollar from the men’s tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and welfare of me, the players or anybody else.
“Oneconference does this, one conference does that. The CDC says this. Everybody is confused. I’m confused. I’m uncomfortable coaching. I understand, COVID is real. I’ve hadit — cometalk to mesometime. ButIdon’t know ... all the calls and procedures, that’s gonna go on and make it unusual, uncomfortable for every program. We’re no different at Baylor.”
At the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio, all Tier 1 individuals (which includes all team members and support staff ) are tested daily for COVID-19 and wear contract tracing devices. With the final set of Elite Eight gamestipping offTuesday, noteamshavehad to withdraw from the women’s tournament. On the men’s side, VCU had multiple positive tests early on and had to forfeit their firstround game against Oregon.
According to ESPN, there has been two confirmed positive tests at the women’s tournament as of Saturday with over 15,400 administered, the last one popping upMarch 22.