The most wonderful time of the year

March is magical. To me, this is the most wonderful time of the year, and I actually consider sending out holiday cards to celebrate March Madness every year. Though I don’t have any of those, I thought I’d deliver some of the magic of the season straight to your inbox. Conference tournaments got off to a wonderful, chaotic, intense start and I could not be happier about it. 

Here are eight things that caught my attention. 

I love the relationships Schaefer has with his players. He clearly cares deeply about them, and it’s evident in every interview. His relationship with Booker is particularly special. She believed in him growing up in Mississippi when he coached at Mississippi State, and kept the faith when he took over at Texas. Schafer has championed her as one of the game’s biggest stars since she came to college, and trusted her to take over the point guard spot as a freshman when Rori Harmon was injured. Seeing them celebrate the SEC tournament title together truly warmed my heart.

Anyone who knows me even a tiny bit knows I’m obsessed with my sisters. They are the two greatest humans to ever walk this earth – and I’m not exaggerating – but this is not about them. It is about Lauren and Sienna Betts, because seeing their love for each other play out over the season has been one of my favorite things. This exchange in particular, made me laugh. Sienna was unbelievable in UCLA’s beatdown of Iowa, finishing with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block. After one of her baskets, Iowa was forced to call a timeout. Then, over the airwaves, I heard the unmistakable sound of Lauren screaming in celebration.

Then this, apparently:

All followed by a fatherly stamp of approval:

It’s one thing for people like me to rave about Sarah Strong, it’s another for someone of Azzi Fudd’s talent to call her the “best player I’ve ever played with.” Especially considering she’s been in the USA system for years, and played with Paige Bueckers at UConn. Strong is special and so is the way her teammates show their appreciation for her.

West Virginia won the Big 12 tournament with an upset of TCU behind the play of Jordan Harrison, one of my favorite players in the country. She’s tough as hell, fast, scrappy, and has put her heart and body on the line for West Virginia for three seasons. She got her well-deserved moment in the sun on Sunday, after recording 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the 62-53 victory. What followed was one of the sweetest post-game interviews I’ve ever seen. Overcome with emotion, she blurted out: “I’m so happy, I can’t think.” Enjoy the moment, Jordan. You deserve it!

If you haven’t read Katie Barnes’ piece on Audi Crooks for ESPN, please do. The highlight for me was this quote: "Being strong is something that I'm proud of. Being big is something that I'm proud of," Crooks says. "I'm not going to shy away from those things." Athletic, healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes, and I’m thrilled to see Crooks advocating for that. There are so many more amazing tidbits in the story that you won’t want to miss!

Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to follow and write about the incredible NYU women’s basketball team, who have now won 89 games in a row. Since then, the Violets have been featured on SportsCenter multiple times, and even received praise from UConn’s Geno Auriemma. One of his teams holds the overall record that NYU is currently chasing. 

Last week I also wrote about a team who would not be playing in the postseason, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, who finished their season with just two wins. It’s a story of perseverance, dedication and a game that’s hard as hell. Please give it a read if you haven’t! And yes, I’ve done two shameless plugs for my work, but if you can’t do it in your own newsletter, then where can you?

South Dakota State continues to be the standard among mid-major basketball teams. The Jackrabbits won their fourth third Summit League tournament title on Sunday, and did it in heroic fashion. After losing to South Dakota and North Dakota State earlier in the season, South Dakota State defeated both teams to end the regular season and then did so again in the conference tournament for good measure.