LOUISVILLE, Ky. – This women’s basketball foursome is no stranger to playing under bright lights on big stages. But it's Paris this time.
The City of Light will be a completely different venue and experience when No. 3 USC, crosstown rival and No. 5 UCLA, No. 17 Louisville and No. 20 Ole Miss take the court Monday in the Aflac Oui-Play doubleheader to open the women's college basketball season.
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Several months after a thrilling Olympic gold medal game between Team USA and host France enhanced the game’s rapidly growing appeal, this ranked quartet are eager to maintain that momentum.
“It’s a really good opportunity for us,” Ole Miss guard Kennedy Todd-Williams said. “Big lights, you know, really big game. We came here to compete and showcase who we are. First game of the season, so we’re just really looking forward to this opportunity for everyone to compete on a high level.”
Ole Miss and USC, which features Associated Press preseason All-America selections JuJu Watkins and Kiki Iriafen, will meet in the opener in Adidas Arena. UCLA takes on Louisville in the nightcap. The doubleheader follows last year’s debut between South Carolina and Notre Dame, which the Gamecocks won 100-71 to start an unbeaten run to their third national title.
They claimed the championship against Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark, a showdown that generated a bigger TV audience than the men's championship amid record attendance for the NCAA Tournament. Watkins’ breakout freshman season helped the Women of Troy earn a No. 1 seeding before falling to UConn in the Elite Eight.
“There’s just a sense of urgency to go further than where we went last year," Watkins said during the team's media day. “It’s just exciting to open and be the first game on TV. The main thing is to win, that’s always the main thing. I’m excited to get that first dub (win) with the team.”
The WNBA also reaped dividends from the presence of Clark and Angel Reese, culminating in an audience of 2.2 million for the decisive fifth game of the WNBA Finals between the champion New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx and at least 1 million for the other four.
Louisville coach Jeff Walz appreciates the increased attention, especially compared to what it was not long ago. The 18-year Cardinals veteran has also seen hearty interest overseas while coaching various U.S. women’s national squads during the summer and relishes being on that stage with a game that counts.
“Our women’s game has grown exponentially here this past year and a half or so, and a lot of it is obviously because of talented players,” he said last month before jetting off to France soon after. “It’s great now because people are able to see how talented and gifted these players are. … I think it’s going to continue to grow because of that internationally. It’s fantastic. I love the opportunities I’ve had to coach internationally, (with) just a little bit different style of basketball.”
Though other marquee matchups await all four after returning stateside, they want a good performance as a springboard to bigger things in a landscape reshuffled by realignment.
USC and UCLA, for example, have moved from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten. Louisville’s Atlantic Coast Conference grind now includes Pac-12 transfers Stanford and Cal, and SMU from the American Athletic. Ole Miss has to deal with Texas and Oklahoma moving into the SEC from the Big 12 in addition to getting past the Gamecocks.
UCLA coach Cory Close looks forward to Louisville pushing her Bruins on both ends of the floor.
“It sets the stage and a standard for us," said Close, who has worked with Walz in many national programs. “We have a very talented team but we are not playing with that level of excellence yet, and they are going to hold us accountable.”
The games will be played at the fairly new 8,000-seat home for the Euro League's Paris Basketball. That will wrap an experience featuring Parisian sightseeing staples such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Arc de Triomphe.
“This is something you dream your whole life about,” Louisville graduate guard Merissah Russell said. “It’s everybody’s dream to play in those top-notch games. … It’s going to be fun to not only play in Paris, but have this experience to see what’s going on in the rest of the world.”
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This corrects story in 9th paragraph to show Louisville coach Jeff Walz is 18-year veteran at the school.
AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball