There were no losers in this weekend’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four. The men can only hope Monday’s night’s national championship game is as exciting as the women’s finish. Baylor overcame an injury to starter Lauren Cox and withstood a furious Notre Dame rally to win its third national championship with an 82-81 win that went down the wire.
I was riveted in watching the action, admiring how players on both sides played as if they had the proverbial “ice water in their veins.”
Friday night’s semifinals were no less scintillating, as Baylor outscored Oregon, 72-67 and Notre Dame dropped Connecticut for the second straight year in the semis, this time by an 81-76 score. The Fighting Irish unleashed a relentless attack, after trailing by nine points with 7:52 left in the game, as these two schools continued their heated rivalry.
With Baylor’s thrilling win in the title game, UConn remains the last school to defend its national championship. Notre Dame was attempting to make it back-to-back titles.
But here is the bottom line. There were no losers this weekend. I know that sounds trite, but it is the truth. Pull out any cliche in the books. They all apply to this weekend. All the schools provided entertaining basketball. What more can you ask for?
