Randy Smith: A Very Different Big Dance Tuesday, March 16, 2021 - by Randy Smith
Randy Smith
March Madness is underway this week and thanks to COVID-19 this year s NCAA Tournament is looking a lot different. The men are gathering in Indianapolis for all games, while the women are in San Antonio. Games are being played at different venues around each city, with very few spectators allowed in to watch. That means that TV ratings should be at an all-time high.
Our country is hungry for the college basketball tournaments because last year right after the coronavirus took hold, March Madness was cancelled. No national champions were crowned and we sat and waited for spring sports to begin play, which they didn t. Even Major League Baseball waited until July to begin play in front of empty stadiums, heading toward a 60-game schedule.
Middle Tennessee women beat Rice 68-65 for C-USA title Associated Press Text size Copy shortlink:
The Blue Raiders earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2016.
Anastasia Hayes had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Middle Tennessee (17-7).
Deja Cage who had made just one of her last 17 from behind the arc hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 1:12 to play to end a 7-0 run by Rice s Nancy Mulkey and make it 66-60. Lauren Schwartz answered with a 3 just 11 seconds later and Jasmine Smith made a layup with 13 seconds to play to make it a one-point game. Rellah Boothe made 1-of-2 free throws for Middle Tennessee to make it 67-65 with nine seconds remaining and then stole a pass before Alexis Whittington made a foul shot to cap the scoring.
Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
“Around the NCAAW Weekly” highlights the notable events of the week. Check out the milestones, surprises, best games and outstanding performances for games played through Sunday, March 14:
Conference championships
No. 6 Baylor Lady Bears
NaLyssa Smith was named Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player as the Lady Bears took home the title with a 76-50 win over the No. 17 West Virginia Mountaineers on Sunday.
Baylor won the Big 12 outright for the 10th time and has 23 total Big 12 titles now between the regular season and tournament. It has won 17 games in a row.
On Saturday, the Lady Bears defeated the Texas Longhorns in the semifinals and held superstar Charli Collier to just three points and one rebound. Collier amassed just 17 points against Baylor this season after three meetings.
Lady Raiders capture C-USA Championship Mar 13, 2021 at 09:55 pm by WGNS
In a rather abnormal year, the Middle Tennessee Lady Raiders returned to a sense of normalcy here Saturday night.
Middle Tennessee (17-7) captured the Conference USA Championship with a riveting 68-65 win against defending champion Rice at the Ford Center at The Star. It marks the Lady Raiders third C-USA championship in four title game appearances and their first since 2016.
Overall, it is the 16th conference tournament title in program history and the eighth in head coach Rick Insell s 16 seasons. The Lady Raiders punched their ticket into the NCAA Tournament for 19th time in program history and the 10th time under head coach Rick Insell.
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