Heartbreak, The Dance, and Eminem

March Madness is here, but not everyone got an invite—Stanford’s historic NCAA tournament streak is over, and I’ve got thoughts. Plus, we dive into the origins of “March Madness” and “The Big Dance,” break down Cinderella stories and bracket busters, and hand out this week’s Buzzer Beater, Airball, and Flagrant Foul Awards. 

Spoiler alert: Eminem is stepping up for women’s basketball, and Unrivaled’s coaching choices? Not so much. 

Tap in for all the madness! 

Here's a link to the music video I made about March Madness "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"  

https://youtu.be/G-g2sHE-Azw

“Big stories, little episodes—amplifying the voices shaping the game on and off the court." - Her Game Her Voice Podcast by Kaari Peterson

Transcript

Kaari 0:00

Hi, I'm Kaari Peterson, and welcome to another episode of Her Game, Her Voice, the podcast where I get to amplify the voices shaping the game both on and off the court.

Kaari 0:12

Today, I am feeling extraordinary. This is the time of year when I clear my calendar for three epic weeks of basketball.

Kaari 0:20

There is something that's taking my mood down a notch right now, and that's Stanford women's basketball.

Kaari 0:26

I am in mourning.

Kaari 0:27

Okay. Maybe not that dramatic, but I definitely feel down about it. For the first time since 1987, Stanford did not make the NCAA tournament. Their 36-season tournament streak was the second longest in NCAA history, behind only Tennessee, who had 42 straight appearances.

Kaari 0:47

With Stanford's streak ending, UConn now holds the active record, tying Stanford at 36 straight appearances as of this year.

Kaari 0:54

The next closest streak? Baylor with 21 consecutive appearances.

Kaari 0:59

So yeah, I'm feeling disappointed. It's going to be strange not seeing Stanford in the tournament this year, but honestly, I'm not surprised.

Kaari 1:07

This was Stanford's first season without coach Tara Vanderveer, who retired last spring after 38 seasons leading the program.

Kaari 1:15

Let's do some fast math on that. Tara was there for 38 seasons, and Stanford women went to the tournament 36 times in a row.

Kaari 1:24

That means in her entire coaching career at Stanford, she only missed the tournament twice.

Kaari 1:30

What a phenomenal record. Under Tara, Stanford became a powerhouse. Three national titles, most recently in 2021, 14 Final Fours, and 26 Pac-12 regular season titles. Enter the post-Tara era.

Kaari 1:47

Former assistant coach Kay Paye took over as head coach.

Kaari 1:51

Despite a 7-1 start, Stanford lost five of its next six games and didn't beat a ranked opponent all season. They were knocked out in the first round of the ACC tournament by Clemson. Final season record, 16 wins and 14 losses.

Kaari 2:08

And so, the streak is over. And that's disappointing. But while this first year without Vanderveer was rough, the future is still bright.

Kaari 2:16

Stanford's incoming recruiting class is ranked third in the nation by ESPN. They're bringing in three five-star recruits, Haley Swain, Lara Somfai, and Alexandra Eschmeyer. To play for Stanford, you have to be a great basketball player and a great student.

Kaari 2:33

So congratulations to these three incoming Stanford freshmen.

Kaari 2:37

Rebuilding Stanford's historic winning streak will take time, maybe even decades, but I'm confident they'll return to the tournament at some point.

Kaari 2:46

In the meantime, I'll be rooting for my Michigan State Spartan women who are seated seventh in the Spokane region. Go Green!

Kaari 2:54

Now, let's dig into some March Madness history.

Kaari 2:58

March is already a chaotic month. Tax season, anyone? But in the basketball world, the madness is legendary.

Kaari 3:05

The phrase March Madness was first coined in 1939, not by a sports analyst, but by Henry V. Porter, a high school official in Illinois.

Kaari 3:16

It didn't actually become synonymous with college hoops until 1982, when CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger casually dropped it into tournament coverage.

Kaari 3:26

And the rest is history.

Kaari 3:27

Now March Madness is as much a part of spring as allergy season and questionable bracket picks. One more thing.

Kaari 3:36

Did you know that the NCAA didn't start calling the women's college basketball tournament March Madness until 2022?

Kaari 3:45

That's right.

Kaari 3:46

Until that time, the women's tournament was not allowed to use the term March Madness because the branding strictly referred to the men's basketball tournament.

Kaari 3:57

In 2022, they expanded the brands used to the women's tournament, and they made a big deal and patted themselves on the back about how inclusive they were being. But the fact is, it wasn't the NCAA who motivated the expansion of the March Madness branding. Basically, they got pressured by coaches, former college players, and women's basketball fans about the lack of equity between the men's and women's basketball tournaments.

Kaari 4:22

So they made the change, expanded the brand, and took credit for it.

Kaari 4:27

But I know, and now you know, that it was the power of the people who brought on the change.

Kaari 4:35

If you're watching the tournament, sometimes you'll hear it referred to as the dance or the big dance. Wondering where this nickname came from?

Kaari 4:43

Well, wonder no more. It's not because basketball players secretly moonlight as ballroom dancers.

Kaari 4:51

The term comes from legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire, who in 1977 told a reporter, you gotta wear the blue blazer when you go to the big dance.

Kaari 5:01

T ranslation?

Kaari 5:02

If you're in the tournament, you better be ready to show up in style. Coincidentally, the Marquette men's team went on to win the championship that year.

Kaari 5:11

A nd the big dance nickname stuck.

Kaari 5:15

Another term that gets thrown around a lot in March is Cinderella.

Kaari 5:20

Because just like in fairy tales, sometimes the unlikeliest of underdogs gets their magical moment in the tournament.

Kaari 5:26

A Cinderella team is a low-seeded squad that defies the odds and makes an unexpected deep tournament run. Think of it as the basketball version of the nerdy kid at prom suddenly becoming the star of the dance floor. And just like in the fairy tale, the magic often runs out at midnight. Or in this case, the Elite Eight.

Kaari 5:49

And now it's time for the awards section of this episode.

Kaari 5:55

This week, the Buzzer Beater Award goes to... Detroit's Own Eminem.

Kaari 6:02

Yep. Slim Shady is stepping up for women's basketball. He's part of a citywide effort to bring the WNBA back to Detroit.

Kaari 6:11

Why back?

Kaari 6:12

Because Detroit was once home to the Shock, one of the WNBA's original expansion teams.

Kaari 6:18

Established in 1998, the Detroit Shock won three WNBA championships, 2003, 2006, and 2008, before relocating to Tulsa in 2009. E

Kaari 6:32

minem isn't doing this alone. He's teaming up with Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and owners from the Red Wings, Tigers, and Lions.

Kaari 6:41

Having NBA backing is a major advantage, considering the WNBA's three newest franchises all have NBA owners. With this star-studded lineup, Detroit has a strong shot at getting its team back.

Kaari 6:54

Props to Eminem for using his influence to make it happen.

Kaari 6:59

And now... The Airball Award.

Kaari 7:04

This week's Airball Award goes to Unrivaled Women's Basketball League.

Kaari 7:10

For those unfamiliar, Unrivaled is a new three-on-three women's basketball league designed to give WNBA players a competitive domestic option in the offseason, meaning that they don't have to play overseas to make a living during the WNBA offseason.

Kaari 7:26

They claim to be all about player development, and their coaching hires reflect that. Except for one giant, glaring issue.

Kaari 7:39

Only two out of the six coaches are women.

Kaari 7:42

Seriously.

Kaari 7:43

A women's league built from scratch had a golden opportunity to set a new standard, and they bricked it.

Kaari 7:52

Look, I'd like to say that I'd be fine with a 50-50 ratio, but honestly, a women's league should prioritize hiring women in leadership.

Kaari 8:01

Unrivaled, you had a chance to make history by hiring several women coaches. And instead, you shot an airball.

Kaari 8:13

My dear listeners, some of you have asked what's the difference between the airball award and the flagrant foul award.

Kaari 8:20

Let me break it down.

Kaari 8:21

Airball equals missed opportunity. You had the chance to make a great play and you whiffed it.

Kaari 8:27

A flagrant foul equals just playing well -- wrong.

Kaari 8:32

This isn't just a bad play, it's excessive contact, literally or figuratively, that could cause harm.

Kaari 8:39

Got it?

Kaari 8:40

Good.

Kaari 8:41

Now, let's move on to this week's flagrant foul.

Kaari 8:46

And the not-so-coveted flagrant foul award goes to USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb.

Kaari 8:54

Some of you may be thinking, wait, Kaari, didn't Lindsey Gottlieb win the buzzer beater award in episode one?

Kaari 9:01

You're absolutely right. She did.

Kaari 9:04

But hey, in Hollywood they say, just because you won an Oscar doesn't mean you can't make a movie that stinks.

Kaari 9:12

Side note, I have no idea if anyone actually says that, but it felt right.

Kaari 9:16

Anyway, here's the deal. USC earned a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, but Gottlieb felt disrespected by the selection committee.

Kaari 9:26

Why?

Kaari 9:27

Because her team beat UCLA, the overall number one seed, twice in the regular season.

Kaari 9:33

But since they lost to UCLA a week before Selection Sunday during the Big Ten tournament, it seems like recency bias played a role in the committee's decision.

Kaari 9:44

Instead of celebrating her team's ticket to the big dance, she chose to air her frustrations publicly.

Kaari 9:50

Look, I get it. Coaches advocate for their teams. But complaining about seeding?

Kaari 9:56

Not a good look.

Kaari 9:58

The selection committee's job is done.

Kaari 10:00

USC's job?

Kaari 10:02

Prove them wrong on the court.

Kaari 10:04

If USC doesn't win their region, this seeding drama will be nothing but a painful reminder of a missed opportunity.

Kaari 10:11

And now some final thoughts.

Kaari 10:17

In my 30-plus years following Stanford women's basketball, I can't recall one time Tara Vanderveer publicly complained about Stanford's tournament seating.

Kaari 10:27

Did she ever feel slighted?

Kaari 10:28

Absolutely.

Kaari 10:29

Did Stanford fans, myself included, grumble about it?

Kaari 10:33

You bet.

Kaari 10:35

But Tara, she never took the bait.

Kaari 10:38

Even when the media tried to get her to bash the selection committee, she took the high road.

Kaari 10:43

And that's just one of the things that makes Tara Vanderveer such a legend.

Kaari 10:50

I'm Kaari Peterson, and you've been listening to Her Game Her Voice.

Kaari 10:54

If you'd like to hear more episodes of Her Game Her Voice, please follow or subscribe to the podcast.

Kaari 11:00

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Kaari 11:11

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Kaari 11:20

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Kaari 11:23

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Kaari 11:33

Thanks again for listening and let's get hooping!