Maryland's Late-Game Nonsense

I want to start this newsletter by once again speaking my truth: Women’s basketball is the greatest sport in the world. I need everyone to know that I mean that wholeheartedly.

Every week I’m awestruck by the performances (both individually and as a team), the storylines, the highlights and countless small details that make this sport so insanely fun to watch. There were so many moments from this week worth talking about: UConn being named the No. 1 overall in the committee’s first top 16 reveal, Duke defeating North Carolina in their rivalry game, South Carolina continuing to dominate the SEC and so much more. But today, I want to give love to five of those small things that I can’t stop thinking about. 

Maybe some people find it overplayed at this point, but I am still baffled that Aubrey Galvan managed to slip through the cracks of the ESPN recruiting rankings. I’m friendly with several of the people involved in the process and have immense respect for them, but when it comes to Galvan, I can’t believe they missed. Sure, she was the MaxPreps Illinois Player of the Year, but Galvan should have been a top 25 recruit and a McDonald’s All-American. 

What I love about this story, though, is how both Galvan and Vanderbilt remained committed to each other. While other SEC schools worried about her height (or lack there of) at 5-6, coach Shea Ralph saw something special in Galvan, and didn’t waiver even when her peers didn’t agree. As for Galvan, Vandy went all-in on the point guard early, and once she saw that level of commitment, Galvan stopped entertaining other schools. She knew she’d found her place. 

It’s paying off for both teams. Vandy is a top 5 team and Glavan is in the running for Freshman of the Year. Don’t you just love it when things work out?

Sometimes in basketball, I see a play so unbelievable that it actually stops me in my tracks. Last night, my husband and I were sitting on our couch (it’s gorgeous, vintage and made of burnt orange velvet, if you care!) when TCU’s Olivia Miles threw the above pass. I stopped talking mid-sentence and put my hand over my mouth. Then, we just kind of looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, before he said the following: “I’ve never seen anyone make that pass.” Neither have I. Passing is an art form, and Miles is a master artist. Frankly, I don’t even know how to describe what I saw, so I’m just going to watch the clip again. You should too!   

First, I want to give South Carolina its flowers. The Gamecocks managed to defeat LSU for the 18th-straight game and they are the only SEC team with just one conference loss (everyone else has at least three). But I can’t stop thinking about Kim Mulkey screaming “Who can guard Tess?” at her team during a timeout and freshman Bella Hines, who hadn’t played a single minute in the first half, raising her hand. That’s an insane level of confidence. Johnson scored 21 points in the game, with 16 coming in the first half. Hines backed up her confidence by playing great defense on Johnson, face-guarding the dynamic scorer and staring at her like a sleep paralysis demon no matter where she was on the court. If I’m Kim Mulkey, I’m about to give Hines an increase in minutes. She’s going to be a legendary LSU player.

I’m thankful I’m a journalist and not a fan whenever I watch Maryland because the Terrapins keep their fanbase on its toes. I’d be stressed 24/7 if I was a Maryland fan. It would be one thing if its 19-point comeback victory over Ohio State was the first time Maryland has done something like this, but it wasn’t. This is a normal Maryland activity. Remember when the Terrapins scored 10 points in less than a minute to top Minnesota in overtime? It feels like every time I watch the Terrapins they are up to absolute nonsense (complimentary). 

This time it was Oluchi Okananwa who led the way, with Okananwa recording 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. The comeback was all kinds of fun to watch, but Maryland, just win your next game by 20, OK? Your fans need a break. 

No matter how good your team is, you have to expect at least one or two players to hit the portal every season. That’s just the nature of college basketball these days. So the fact that Washington’s Tina Langley managed to keep her entire squad from last year (while also adding Avery Howell from USC, Yulia Grabovskaia from Michigan and freshman Brynn McGaughy), is beyond impressive. Other than new addition Grabovskaia, Washington’s four other seniors have been on roster for their entire college careers. And star junior guard Sayvia Sellers has also stuck it out. That’s wild when you consider that in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Washington didn’t make the NCAA Tournament, and last season, the Huskies lost in the First Four round. 

This group has clearly bought into Langley’s vision, and in her fourth season it’s starting to pay off. The commitment each Husky has to this team speaks volumes about the kind of person and coach Langley is.