The college basketball season has officially ended, but not in the manner many people thought it might. Last week’s national championship victories by the LSU women and the University of Connecticut men clearly showed they were the better teams in downing Iowa and San Diego State, respectively. Winning the titles as #3 and #5 seeds capped off a wild and wacky March Madness Tournament where stunning upsets busted most folk’s brackets following the first week of play.
Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies captured the fifth national championship in school history, ranking them behind only UCLA, Kentucky, and North Carolina and tying Duke and Indiana in men’s titles won. For flamboyant and controversial LSU coach Kim Mulkey, it was her fourth national championship but the first in school history for LSU. Mulkey had previously won three titles while coaching at Baylor.
It was a tournament season that saw women’s basketball make great strides in attracting eyeballs (television ratings established record-setting numbers), and particularly across the Big Ten, the women’s game may have been played at its most competitive level in league history. Regular season champion and number one seed Indiana along with Iowa, Maryland, and Ohio State, were ranked among the best teams in the country.
Unfortunately, the aftermath of LSU’s 102-85 championship win over Iowa has left tongues wagging and sour tastes in the mouths of many after some questionable officiating and player trash-talking took away the spotlight from what had been a talent-filled tournament most entertaining for the fans.
Officiating sports, particularly the fast-paced game of basketball, is a difficult task. Game officials at all levels are all-too-often criticized, and it seems the stands are always full of second-guessers expressing opinions of calls made or not made on the court. But, for me, it is hard to recall so much criticism raging on as to how this game was officiated. While not a record, 37 fouls were whistled, 21 in the first half, causing star players from both teams to be forced to the sidelines.
It was an enormous disappointment for fans who didn’t get to see the top players on the court for good portions of the game because of a series of what was perceived to be ticky-tac fouls. While social media was ablaze, John Adams, former NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating, offered his educated opinion on the subject.
“Having that level of officiating in that type of a game, I think, really hurt the meteoric rise of women’s basketball. There is not perfect officiating anywhere ever, but man, that was awful.”
While calls that were made drew criticism, some things that were not called may have been even more disturbing.
While demonstrably working the sidelines, Mulkey was often on the playing court expressing her displeasure and, at one point, even touching a referee to get her attention, all without any penalty being assessed.
In the final seconds, with the LSU win well in hand, Tiger star player Angel Reese followed Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (herself no shrinking violet) with a taunting display of un-sportsmanship, again with no call being made regarding her actions.
Reese, who transferred to LSU from Maryland and is one of nine new players on LSU’s roster, remained unapologetic for her actions.
“All year, I was critiqued about who I was. I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. But when other people do it, y’all say nothing. So, this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in.”
Since arriving in her home state last year, Mulkey has been drawing a lot of attention for her chosen coaching wardrobe. For the championship game, the ostentatious coach strutted the sidelines like a proud peacock in a sequin tiger print suit showing off her feathers meant to draw attention. For those interested, the outfit is currently available online for $550.
“I’ve got outfits, man. They give me outfits to wear, and I’m just loving it, so I don’t have to spend a dollar.”
The 60-year-old coach kicked off the tournament on March 17 in an all-white look, complete with “Kiss Me, I’m a Queen,” stitched in green across the front. In the team’s second game, she wore a long, sparkly, rainbow sequin duster with black pants and a pink cami.
In her Final Four game against Virginia Tech, the chosen ensemble was a pink jacket with large pink flowers going down the arms, white slacks, and heels.
All of this, the bad officiating, Reese’s actions, and Mulkey treating the coaching box as if it were the runway at a chic fashion show provided a side-show atmosphere to what had been a coming-out party for women’s basketball, inching it closer to the attention long paid to the men’s game.
Indeed, LSU and UConn have every right to let Queen’s 1977 hit “We are the Champions” blare across their respective campuses. But, at the same time, they should be aware it wasn’t meant to be confused with Judy Collins’s 1973 hit “Send in the Clowns.”
