Women’s College Basketball will forever be changed after this season. From Caitlin Clark dominating the league with her logo threes to the University of South Carolina being crowned two-time National Champs after an undefeated season, the 2023-2024 season shattered the stigma that surrounded women’s sports.
The excitement was not reserved for the final championship game. All season, players like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Kamilla Cardoso drew millions of eyes to women’s basketball in numbers that had never been seen before. For the first time, more viewers tuned into the women’s tournament championship game than the men’s, peaking at 24 million viewers.
On April 5th, the Final Four battled it out. Historic powerhouse and three-seed UConn faced one-seed Iowa in a neck-and-neck game that ended in a close score of 69-71, advancing Iowa to the final championship. The final score was determined by a controversial offensive foul call on UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards with 3.9 seconds remaining. Fans tore the referees apart for the skepticality of this call, claiming the outcome would have been different in the absence of the call. Despite the controversy, Iowa advanced to the final.
Iowa’s final opponent was determined by the face-off of the Carolinas. South Carolina and NC State battled it out hours away from home, after State’s unpredicted tournament run. However, despite their success earlier in the season, the Wolfpack remained the underdogs to undefeated South Carolina. Kamilla Cardoso was an unstoppable force and claimed the Gamecocks’ spot in the final after beating NC State 78-59.
On April 7th, undefeated South Carolina faced off against the Hawkeyes in the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. At the end of the first quarter, Iowa led 27-20, but their lead didn’t last. The following three quarters were won by South Carolina, ending in a Gamecock victory of 87-75, and solidifying their undefeated season. 24 million viewers watched both teams make history, shattering the men’s championship game’s viewership of 14.82 million.
One of the most notable attractions of viewership was Iowa’s prodigious point guard, Caitlin Clark. All season long, Clark made her presence on the court known with her three-pointers from behind the arc, naming her the leading scorer across the entire NCAA.
Even with the fame, Clark has remained focused. In a post-game press conference, Clark said, “I don’t want my legacy to be, ‘Oh, Caitlin won X amount of games,’ or ‘Caitlin scored X amount of points.’ I hope it is what I was able to do for the game of women’s basketball.” The predicted first-round draftee led her team through a remarkable season to the final championship, but they weren’t powerful enough to stop undefeated the powerhouse of USC.
South Carolina is only the tenth team and fifth women’s team to go undefeated for an entire season and bring home the NCAA championship trophy. Head coach Dawn Staley led the team to never ending success, defeating every opponent that stood in their way. The Gamecocks have held a record of 109-3 over the past three seasons.
The hype isn’t just for the collegiate level. With the recent WNBA draft, anticipation for the upcoming season is building. Clark was the number one overall pick, selected by the Indiana Fever, who have built an entirely new WNBA stadium in preparation for the predicted masses of fans coming to watch Clark play. LSU’s Angel Reese and USC’s Kamilla Cardoso changed from rivals to teammates after both being drafted by the Chicago Sky.
This past season will go down in history as the most influential not only women’s basketball- but women’s sports as a whole. From leading scorers to record-breaking viewership, the popularity of women’s sports is just beginning.