Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE LSU TIGERS
Back in the Elite Eight, LSU players drew rings with black markers to state their intentions: They weren't there to win a few games. They were there to win it all.
The Tigers made good on their bold proclamation in record-setting fashion, defeating Iowa, 102-85, in the title game to claim the program's first championship.
The 102 points are a women's championship record.LSU went 11-for-17 (64.7%) from 3 after going 7-for-38 (18.4%) from deep in the prior three games.Angel Reese finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. It was her record-breaking 34th double-double of the season, and she earned the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player.Reese was far from alone though: Jasmine Carson had 22 points (21 in the first half) after not scoring in the previous three games, Alexis Morris had 21 points (19 in the second half) and LaDazhia Williams had 20 (10 in each half).It's that last bullet point that stands out. When Reese struggled with early fouls, Carson came out of nowhere to provide a huge boost in the Tigers' record-setting 59-point first half. In the second half, when LSU had to close it out against Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark (30 points) and Iowa's explosive offense, Morris took over. Williams was a steadying force throughout.
Leading the charge was coach Kim Mulkey, who now has four titles. Only Geno Auriemma (11) and Pat Summitt (8) have more, but Mulkey is the first women's coach ever to win a title at two schools (Baylor, LSU). The Tigers arrived in full force in year two under Mulkey, well ahead of schedule, writes our Isabel Gonzalez.
Gonzalez: "Angel Reese -- who transferred from Maryland last season -- said she trusted Mulkey could take her game to another level, but she was still surprised by how the season ended on Sunday. 'I had so many goals coming into LSU, but I didn't think I was going to win a national championship within my first year at LSU,' she said. 'I'm just happy for this team. Coach Mulkey, I appreciate you. I can't thank you enough for this opportunity to play under you and get better.'"For more on the win:
This capped a truly remarkable tournament. There were huge upsets, late drama and Clark's record-setting run. It was a wonderful, game-changing past few weeks for the sport of women's college basketball, and with Clark, Reese, Paige Bueckers and plenty of other stars returning, the future is very bright.
Let's just hope we don't get those refs, like, ever again.
Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
The Trail Blazers, recently eliminated from playoff contention, are playing without...
Their leading scorer (Damian Lillard)Their second-leading scorer (Anfernee Simons)Their third-leading scorer (Jerami Grant)Their fourth-leading scorer (Jusuf Nurkic)Their fifth-leading scorer (Cam Reddish)Entering Sunday, they had lost five straight and 11 of 12. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, are right in the thick of the play-in race in the West and have everything to play for.
But Portland beat Minnesota, 107-105, on Sunday as 19.5-point underdogs, the largest upset since at least 1995 -- as far back as our data goes.
Let's not mince words here: This is an atrocious loss. The Timberwolves have lost three straight and blown double-digit leads in each. The only good news is both the Thunder and Mavericks lost, so Minnesota remains ninth in the West, one game ahead of Oklahoma City and two ahead of Dallas.
