NCAA (Women’s) Basketball

Now I understand that many of you may have been watching the slightly more popular version of March Madness. You may therefore need a run-down on the women’s NCAA bracket, if nothing but to reassure your feminazi date that, yes, of course you love women’s basketball. Here’s the quick and dirty:

The NCAA Women’s bracket will culminate in a championship in my mountainous homeland, Denver, this Tuesday at 8:30pm (Oregon time). While major upsets have not rocked the final four- all of them were the regional No. 1 seeds- the final game promises to be dynamic and hard-fought. These final four were: Baylor, Stanford, Connecticut, and Notre Dame. None of the four can lay claim to last year’s title; Notre Dame ceded the final to Texas A&M 70-76 (a team that never deserves to win again after coach Gary Blair chose the “TheDougie” as his courtside victory dance).

The Baylor Lady Bears were 38-0 as of Sunday, giving them the opportunity to be the first team ever to go 40-0. The team is led by resident badass Brittney Griner, noteworthy for her ranking as No. 1 high school women’s basketball player, AP Player of 2012, her ability to dunk (only the seventh to do so in women’s basketball), and her shoe size (17. Mens.). Griner and Co. will face Stanford’s Ogwumike sisters, Nnemkadi and Chiney. As any competitor knows, facing any team starring siblings is a headache, especially when they are leading their team on a 32-game winning streak and have their own viral YouTube rap video.

On the other side of the bracket, Notre Dame prevailed over the UCONN Huskies Sunday night in a back-and-forth game that ended in the first overtime. This win has garnered them their second chance in two years to take it all. Notre Dame will make this bid led by trash-talking point guard Skylar Diggins, who may be less decorated than Griner but who certainly does not lack for scrappiness or drive.

Baylor may be one of the best teams that the women’s NCAA has ever seen and 40-0 season would set a record for both men’s and women’s basketball. That being said, they have one more worthy adversary before the finals and Notre Dame is certainly not expecting to roll over to either Baylor or Stanford.

This championship might get its upset afterall.