Associated Press
SAN ANTONIO – Dawn Staley, from South Carolina, wants the only narrative surrounding the NCAA women’s tournament to be about playing and winning a national championship, rather than having to defend a level playing field with men.
Staley and others continue to address the differences and inequalities between women’s and men’s tournaments. Of course, as a coach, she prefers to spend her time talking about her next opponent and basketball strategies.
“Here’s the sad part,” said Staley this week. “I have to answer questions about this at the most exciting time of the year. We have been through a pandemic, but we are still in a position where we have to talk about equality ”.
Staley’s Gamecocks, sown at. 1 in the Hemisfair region, he continues his quest for the title against fifth-placed Georgia Tech on Sunday for a spot at Elite Eight.
Staley has spoken openly about equality and encouraged players to talk about issues that they consider important. During this season, nine of the 11 Gamecocks sat during the national anthem to draw attention to racial equality.
While Staley supports the actions of her players, she stood up during the anthem this season.
Staley is grateful to those who support the quest for equal treatment for tournaments.
“I hope that in my coaching career things will change,” said Staley on Friday. “But if not, we will continue to fight for the next generation of coaches, players and committee members and for all those good people who want our game on an equal footing.”
After further review: Louisville and the other remaining teams in the NCAA women’s tournament will be able to go hiking outdoors.
Cardinals coach Jeff Walz said on Friday that he was told that when teams switched hotels in San Antonio, they could no longer walk outside – something the teams did to get fresh air and health mental in the bubble of the tournament.
Walz said Louisville had not taken a tour of the area since Wednesday.
“The only time we see the sun is when we walk to the convention center for a COVID test or when we get on the bus to practice,” he said.
The NCAA sent updated guidelines on Friday, telling teams to coordinate walks with hotel volunteers to stay away from crowds and other Sweet 16 teams doing the same thing.
Second division cardinals face Oregon with sixth division on Sunday.
Words to live by: Geno Auriemma waved to Caitlin Clark for a quick chat after the game, after his UConn Huskies defeated Iowa and the nation’s top scorer.
He had a simple message for the Iowa freshman: “Very good.”
Clark said he enjoyed listening to the Hall of Fame coach after a game in which so much attention was focused on Clark and his own freshman All-American, Paige Bueckers.
“He was like, ‘It’s a shame that there had to be so much pressure on you and Paige. I could say that the two of you were so impatient in the first half, ‘which I think is kind of true,’ said Clark. “I think we were both a little bit, we kind of felt that pressure in a way. I made some forced shots, but I think the two of us kind of calmed down there in the second half. “
Clark finished with 21 points, below his usual average of 26.7 points per game. She hit 2 out of 11 in the first two quarters for seven points.
Coronavirus tests: The NCAA women’s tournament bubble seems to be working well.
The latest test results until Thursday were released. With 14,100 tests performed, no new positive results came for the COVID-19. There were two positive results on Monday’s tests on players, coaches and others working in the tournament using daily antigens tests.
All false positives are quickly retested using the PCR test, which is considered to be more accurate.