Watch your back, Pistol Pete
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome to the most wonderful time of the year!
Is it a coincidence that March Madness begins during Women’s History Month? We think not…and neither does Caitlin Clark.
— No. 6 Iowa women’s basketball head coach (HC) Lisa Bluder on her star point guard, the inimitable (and officially WNBA–bound) Caitlin Clark, breaking Kansas alum Lynette Woodard’s Division I career scoring record (set in 1981 before women’s hoops was an NCAA sport) on Wednesday. No notes.
Women’s basketball
🏀 Finished the job
The GIST: The NCAA women’s basketball selection committee released their final pre-tournament Top-16 list last night, which means one very important thing: The Madness is near. Plus, the final Power Six regular-season titles were officially locked up this week, so here are the top dawgs heading into next week’s conference tourneys.
The Wednesday winners: No. 20 Oklahoma sealed the Big 12 title in the most dramatic way: With just four seconds remaining, guard Lexy Keys drilled the go-ahead three-pointer to top Red River rival No. 3 Texas 71–70, stamping an exclamation point on the end of an instant classic. Chills.
- In the Big Ten, No. 2 Ohio State rolled to the outright conference crown by defeating blood rival Michigan 67–51 in front of a home crowd. With the trophy in the case, the only things on the line in this Sunday’s blockbuster at No. 6 Iowa are a 15-game win streak and team pride.
Thursday’s throwdowns: Even though No. 5 Virginia Tech fell victim to No. 17 Notre Dame freshman phenom Hannah Hidalgo and her Fighting Irish in last night’s 71–58 upset loss, the Hokies still clinched sole ownership of the ACC title thanks to No. 12 NC State’s 75–71 overtime (OT) win over VT’s only challenger, No. 19 Syracuse. Even when they’re losing, the Hokies still win.
- No. 4 Stanford also protected their spot atop the Pac-12 with last night’s crucial 67–63 road win over No. 11 Oregon State, placing them officially out of reach for the Beavers, No. 8 UCLA, and No. 7 USC.
Together With The GIST
👕 Did somebody say…slay?
Looking for the perfect piece to update your wardrobe? You’ve come to the right place. Our GIST capsule collection has something for everyone.
If you want to make a statement: Try our bold and bright “Leveling the Playing Field” hoodie.
If you're having a bad hair day: Cover it up with one of our baseball hats.
If you have too much to carry: Grab a GIST tote to go hands free.
Plus, with unisex sizes from XS to 3XL, everyone’s welcome to this leveling the playing field party. Shop our full collection now.
🏀 Women’s basketball
Lynette Woodard’s aforementioned record isn’t the only one Caitlin Clark surpassed Wednesday: She also set the women’s NCAA record for single-season three-pointers. It’s easy to see why her squad’s monster Sunday matchup with No. 2 Ohio State is the most expensive ticket in women’s hoops history (college or pro) as she closes in on Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring mark.
- But the move that broke the internet yesterday? Clark’s announcement that she’ll forgo her fifth and final year of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft, where she’ll likely be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever. So much greatness ahead.
🥍 Women’s lacrosse
Yesterday, No. 3 Northwestern doubled down on their 2023 national championship rout by bagging a huge 14–11 road win over No. 1 Boston College. Three Wildcats scored hat tricks in the dub, with reigning Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane leading the squad with a blistering five goals.
🏒 Women’s hockey
Conference championships are officially underway, and Hockey East already served up a nail-biting treat. On Wednesday, Merrimack forward Allison Reeb’s OT game-winner pushed her Warriors to a 2–1 win over Maine, advancing them to tomorrow’s 7:30 p.m. ET quarter-final bout with defending champ No. 14 Northeastern. But first, hugs.
🤸 Women’s gymnastics: No. 4 Utah Utes (9-3) vs. No. 3 Cal Bears (12-3) — Tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET — Pac-12 Insider
- Both squads hit the NCAA excellence benchmark of 198 points last week, so expect immaculate performances tomorrow — especially on beam. Cal’s eMjae Frazier and Mya Lauzon each have a perfect 10 this season, and Utah’s Maile (pronounced MY-lee) O’Keefe has three.
🥎 Softball: No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (13-1) vs. No. 10 Stanford Cardinal (10-4) — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — Stanford Live Stream
- Georgia’s been a scoring machine with three Top-10 wins this season, but the Cardinal boasts one of the game’s best pitchers in sophomore NiJaree Canady. Plus, it’s Stanford’s home-opening weekend, and you know what they say about the home team…
🏀 Men’s basketball: No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers (22-6) vs. No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-8) — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — ESPN
- Tennessee and Bama are tied atop the most competitive men’s basketball conference, the SEC. A win here won’t seal the regular-season title, but it would go a long way in the hardware hunt.
🥍 Men’s lacrosse: No. 3 Maryland Terrapins (4-0) vs. No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1) — Sunday at 12 p.m. ET — ESPNU
- A standoff between the two most recent national champs is always fun, but considering last year’s matchup was decided in triple-overtime, this game is elevated to “must-watch” status.
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
✈️ How to travel
With this cord organizer. Headed to Paris this summer? Don’t make finding your charger an Olympic sport. Très magnifique.
🍲 What to eat
Beef rice, a hybrid, sustainable protein source that’s set to revolutionize diets.
📖 Where to meet
In your inbox for The GIST Book Club’s discussion on February’s book of the month, Us Against You by Fredrik Backman. Subscribe to The GIST Book Club’s newsletters to keep the conversation going.
Today's email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster, Karissa Dzurik, Emma Fernandez, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Molly Potter and Isabella Troia. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Lisa Minutillo and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Lauren Tuiskula, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Dee Lab. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.