The South Carolina Gamecocks just wrapped up an undefeated season after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes, 87-75, in the NCAA championship game on Sunday afternoon.
South Carolina (38-0) was undoubtedly the best team in America and they put that on display against Caitlin Clark and her Hawkeyes.
The best team in the nation was led by a freshman, Tessa Johnson, who scored a team-high 19 points off the bench. Kamilla Cardoso, though, was the heart of the team, flexing her two-way prowess, scoring 15 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Clark’s illustrious collegiate career has officially ended, finishing as the leading scorer in men’s and women’s college basketball. She scored 30 points against the Gamecocks but couldn’t leave with the dub.
Regardless of who won Sunday, this was bigger than one game, though it was the championship. This meant everything to women’s basketball. As I mentioned on social media a few times, “Women Saved College Basketball.”
Yes, I said it and meant that with no asterisks included. Men’s college basketball is trending in the wrong direction, while the women’s product is thriving. If the men want to save their product, they need to take a page out of the ladies’ handbook, by simply getting back to the basics.
What’s the biggest problem in men’s basketball?
The one-and-done rule. It’s as simple as that, and I shouldn’t have to go in-depth with an explanation. If you tell a high school senior that believes they’re one season away from playing in the NBA, do you think they’ll be invested in the university? Their teammates? Will they play with the same passion as a three or four-year player does? Or go through the motions to get to the ultimate goal?
This doesn’t apply to everyone, obviously, but that same kid that’s going through the motions may have a dynamic freshman season, putting up spectacular individual numbers, but we’ve seen it constantly––the team aspect isn’t there. The passion isn’t there.
The proposal
The remedy is simple. Either go play professionally after high school, whether that’s overseas, the G-League, or the NBA, or play at least 3 seasons in college, be three years removed from high school, or have a four-year college degree.
These restrictions would still be looser than women’s basketball where the WNBA requires players to be at least 22, completed their college eligibility, graduated from a four-year college, or be four years removed from high school.
Spending more time doing something promotes a deeper emotional impact. Being in a program with the same people, ideally the same coach, for three seasons and two offseasons, compared to one season and no offseason, promotes more passion for the college game, the institution, and teammates.
If men’s college basketball wants to improve their brand, they’ll take a page out of women’s basketball.
Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, Paige Boeckers, Hannah Hidalgo, and Dawn Staley have put women’s basketball on the map during this 2023-24 season and set a clear example to their male peers.
