The Weight of the Target
It's always tough when you're number one. When you're UConn, LSU, or South Carolina, that target is already big. The university's stature. The reputation of your head coach. It all comes with the territory. And this year, UConn is the defending champion, which means every game carries extra weight for everyone else on the court.
You don't have the luxury of a bad half against a decent team on the road, because there's always that chance. If you're UConn, you do not want a game to get close.
And look, I am a conspiracy chick through and through when it comes to officials. Get on the wrong court, let the game get tight, and suddenly the officials have a say? You do not want to put your fate in their hands. You want to be in control of your destiny, down to the last shot.
UConn’s head coach Geno Auriemma knows that. For them to maintain this kind of focus all season, and I'm sure he's had to pin their ears back and dial up practice a notch, they have remained steady. They haven't shown any weakness. And that's what's scary.
The Burden of Winning
There's so much angst that comes with being at the top. You have to always be on, always be ready. It's relentless pressure, and you rarely get to just enjoy your success. So I was genuinely stunned when I heard Geno say that something had shifted for him, that if they didn't win back-to-back, he'd be okay with that.
What? Really? That kind of peace only comes from a coach who has multiple championships under his belt and has earned the right to say it.
Here's the other side of that pressure: if you can make your opponent think, even for a split second, "Oh no, we could actually lose this" - that's all it takes. Fear is what loses games. Make your opponent feel it, and you can advance to the next round.
Setting the Record Straight
Officially, my USC team was the first to win back-to-back NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984, but I know the truth. It was the team we were always chasing: Louisiana Tech. They won the AIAW championship in 1981, and then when women's basketball moved to the NCAA, they won again in 1982. Technically it didn't count as back-to-back. And you know how they love to hit us with the "technically" in women's sports. But a back-to-back is a back-to-back. The Techsters were first. We were second.
What the Tournament Teaches You
That first title at USC in 1983, we were wet behind the ears. No tournament experience, none of us. I was a freshman; I certainly didn't know what I was walking into. The expectations were enormous, because we'd been trading the number one and two spots with Louisiana Tech all year.
We'd split during the regular season. We went down to Louisiana and beat them at the grand opening of their new arena in front of a packed house. The atmosphere was electric. We came running out like, "How you like me now? Cut this ribbon!" Young and dumb. But then, in the national championship game, we found ourselves down by double digits at halftime, eyes wide open.
Coach Linda Sharp walks into the locker room, looks around, and says, "Well, I guess we're not going to play a perfect game" and starts laughing. I'm sitting there thinking, she's lost it. We're down by double digits on national television, and she's laughing.
How we came back and won that game is still a blur to me.
But we got them. And we learned how to handle that pressure. That's what I love about this time of year, you get to see who handles the moment. Who rises to the occasion.
The pressure is real. But the great thing about the NCAA Tournament is that anything is truly possible.
