The GIST - The grand finale

Happy tears ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
The GIST
#532 4.4.2022

Good morning!

And an extra good morning to your 2022 NCAA champion South Carolina Gamecocks. What an end to an incredible season. Let’s get into it…

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Quote of the day

It feels amazing, and honestly I’ve been thinking about this since last season because everyone had a picture of me crying at the end of the Final Four. (...) But today we’re national champions.

— South Carolina Gamecock Aliyah Boston on the team’s championship win — the program’s second-ever national title. Coached by legend Dawn Staley, the Gamecocks defensive strategy stymied the UConn Huskies’ electric offense. Let that confetti fly.

Aliyah Boston #4 of the South Carolina Gamecocks holds a national champions sign after defeating the UConn Huskies 64-49 during the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 03, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Source: Elsa/Getty Images

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🏀 Women’s March Madness: A team of destiny

Kamilla Cardoso #10, Zia Cooke #1, and Victaria Saxton #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate with teammates after defeating the UConn Huskies 64-49 during the 2022 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship game at Target Center on April 03, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Source: Elsa/Getty Images

The GIST: After 19 straight weeks at No. 1, the South Carolina Gamecocks fulfilled their destiny last night, defeating No. 2 UConn 64–49 to win their second program national title. What a season.

Game recap: South Carolina got off to a red-hot start, limiting UConn to just eight points in the first quarter — the Huskies’ fewest points scored in a quarter all season. And while UConn made things interesting, pulling within six points in the third quarter, South Carolina dominated the entire game, especially on the boards, hauling in 21 offensive rebounds.

What’s next: South Carolina will (likely) lose Henderson and a handful of other key seniors to graduation (and the WNBA), but with Boston and legendary head coach Dawn Staley (now the only undefeated coach in national title games) still at the helm, the Gamecocks aren’t going anywhere.

  • And neither is UConn. With a healthy Paige Bueckers (pronounced BECK-ers) and Azzi Fudd, expect the Huskies to come howling back next season.

Zooming out: Record-breaking viewership and attendance, upsets aplenty and a lot of fun along the way — the first women’s tourney under the March Madness branding was one for the books.

  • It seems brands, networks and the sports world in general are finally taking notice — women’s sports are the moment.

🏀 Men’s March Madness: The grand finale

Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots the ball over Mark Williams #15 of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the semifinal game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Source: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The GIST: All of the madness will end after tonight’s 9:20 p.m. ET game when No. 1 Kansas and No. 8 UNC battle for the men’s national championship. Miss you already, college basketball.

Final Four recap: Saturday’s first semifinal was a snoozefest, as Kansas routed No. 2 Villanova 81–65, but the nightcap brought the drama. UNC guard Caleb Love etched himself into Tar Heels’ lore when he hit a crucial three-pointer to help lift UNC to an 81–77 upset win over archrival No. 2 Duke.

  • And, as much as he says it wasn’t about him, UNC rejoiced in handing legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski (pronounced shuh-SHEF-ski) his final loss. A heartbreaking ending to an incredible career.

Tonight’s championship: These squads are no strangers to success: Kansas already has three program titles while UNC boasts six.

  • Despite being a No. 1 seed (and the winningest men’s team in NCAA history), Kansas hasn’t received much attention this March Madness, quietly rolling through the tourney while averaging 77 points per game.
  • UNC has been similarly dominant, also upsetting No. 1 Baylor and No. 4 UCLA to become just the fourth eight-seed to ever advance to the championship contest.

Players to watch: For Kansas, it’s Ochai Agbaji. The Big 12 Player of the Year netted 21 points in the Jayhawks’ semifinal tilt, boosting his stock ahead of June’s NBA draft.

  • As for UNC, in addition to Love, keep an eye out for junior forward Armando Bacot, who pulled down a whopping 21 rebounds in the Final Four. Bacot rolled his ankle at the end of the game but says he’s “ready to play” in tonight’s blue blood battle. Game on.

⛳️🎾 Quick hits

American golfer Jennifer Kupcho smiling with a golf club in her hand
Source: Golf Central/Twitter

🏌️‍♀️ LPGA: American Jennifer Kupcho won her first LPGA tourney and first major of the year yesterday, nabbing the Chevron Championship with two strokes at hand. She of course ended her life-changing weekend with the traditional (and final) leap into Poppie’s Pond. Splish splash.

  • A bonus for the red, white and blue? Countrywoman Jessica Korda made eagle on her way to a second-place finish.

🏌️‍♂️ PGA: Yesterday, four days ahead of the iconic Masters, Tiger Woods said he’ll make a “game-time decision” as to whether he’ll compete at the major he’s won five times. Imagine if Woods’ first PGA tour event after his life-threatening car injury happens on golf’s biggest stage? Shivers.

🎾 Tennis: Iga Świątek defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets in Saturday’s Miami Open final to win her third consecutive WTA title and will officially take over the world No. 1 ranking today.

  • The victory comes just two weeks after Świątek won the BNP Paribas Open (played in California), giving her a rare Sunshine Double. What a serve.

The GIST's Picks

🎓🤸‍♀️ What to mark on your cal:

April 14th’s NCAA gymnastics championship semifinals. Michigan, Missouri, Florida, Auburn, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Utah and Alabama all advanced from this past weekend’s regional competitions and are ready to floor the national judges.

Who the USMNT will be playing:

England, Iran and either Wales, Scotland or Ukraine in Group B of November’s men’s FIFA World Cup. The world No. 15 Americans will be challenged by the No. 5 English and No. 21 Iran squads, but should be able to easily top the winner of the final play-in match.

  • Reminder: only the top two squads of each group advance to the knockout round.
📺 What to watch:
Title IX: 37 Words That Changed America. Two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker uses her experience as an athlete to delve into how the introduction of Title IX has influenced the trajectory of gender equity in sports. A slam dunk.

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