Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're wondering if the WNBA website really just accidentally leaked the new name of the Toronto expansion team. It's Thursday, December fifth, and on today's show, we'll be talking all things college hoops with ESPN's Alexa Philippoo. Who's your number one team, what's the ceiling for USC's Juju Watkins? And just how big were those Notre Dame Els, Plus her take on the breaking WNBA coaching news and the upcoming expansion draft.
Then a shark tale and is this permanent or just tempo rary?
It's all coming up right after this.
Welcome Backslices, and a special shout out to Slices Justin Baird, Margo Cison and Kalaine Conahan, who posted their Spotify rapped results showing Good Game with Sarah Spain as their most listened to show of the year.
We love seeing those, y'all are the best. Thanks.
We got a lot of college hoops here today, so we're going to get to all your news and updates tomorrow.
Let's get right into my check with Alexa.
She covers college basketball and the WNBA for ESPN. She previously covered the Yukon Huskies and the Connecticut Sun for the Hartford Current, and her work has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, Seattle Times, and Cincinnati Inquirer. A Stanford alum, she loves a pancake and she'll crush a plate of Raising Cane's chicken.
It's Alexa, Philipoo. What's up, Alexa?
That was an impressively you know, good bio on my food preferences.
So, yeah, you keep your research.
Keep it pretty tight. You're very journalists forward.
But occasionally you do give us a plate of food on the road, and that's where the real diging happens for me before we get to college hoops. And I have so much to ask about college hoops. Let's quickly touch on the news that broke Wednesday afternoon, the Connecticut Sun hiring Rashid Mazien, who coached in the French Women's League and has served as the head coach for the Belgian national team, also sometime as assistant coach for the French national team.
Thoughts on the hire for the Sun.
Yeah, I think the reaction from a lot of people might have been who is this guy? Because we're used to domestic hires or people. You know, we've seen obviously a few people coming from the college ranks this coaching cycle.
We've seen people moving around from the pro side, but you know, for someone to come over from the international circuit, I think it's a really interesting out of the box higher And I not shocked the Sun went that direction, because I think the Sun can be a little bit of a I don't want to say a tough market, but you know that you want someone that can really be invested in being in Uncasville. I know that's something that was important to President gen Rizzotti when she was
looking for a replacement for Steph White. And they have a lot of uncertainty too, and what their roster looks like. They're big threes off free agents, so you know, we're going to have to see if they end up staying
or if they're really rebuilding from scratch. For so, I think with a with a hire that has proven success even in Europe and also like has you know, relationships with different WNBA players, different international prospects and players, I think it's something that you know, they want to try and see if this.
Kind of more creative solution works.
And they you know, I think they wanted to find someone who was really going to be committed to this Sun team because of the fact that you know, they've had a little bit of turnover in the last few years, and so you know, my read on this is that this is someone they probably thought would be committed and would be able to help them kind.
Of navigate this really challenging.
Era for not just the Sun but the whole WNBA, with so much change undergoing.
The key will be for him to remember the differences between FOEBA and w rules when it comes like down the stretch of a tight, close game, remembering, you.
Know, all the specific differences.
While we're on the w quick Friday is the expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries.
We don't have to get too deep into it.
Tomorrow, we're going to do a little primer so everybody knows what to expect. But are you expecting any big splashes, any surprises in terms of players left unprotected?
I don't think anything.
Maybe that will be shocking, but I do think what could be interesting to see is, you know, this is their initial step at building a roster. But to me, I'm really looking at Okay, this is obviously going to be exciting. But what does free agency look like for the Valkyries, Because obviously they can get players, they're going
to be able to train players. They are probably going to want to go after some free agents because if you've heard the Lake or Joe Lacum in particular talk about this team, he wants the Valkyries to win a championship in the first five years, just like he said with the Warriors when he bought the team. So for them to be able to do that realistically, they're gonna
have to sign really tot named free agents. So I think this is like the appetizer more or less, and then we'll really get some of the good stuff in January and February. But definitely we'll be exciting to see them put those initial bricks down of painting this path for the new team.
Yeah, setting the plate with potentially just some good, solid young players that they can grow into and potentially picking up some draft picks by dealing with teams that will say, hey, don't choose this player of ours that we aren't able
to protect, but we'll give you this draft pick. The one thing I heard Kevin Pelton was on ESPN Daily talking about and His hot take was that they might be able to convince Elena Deladon to come help launch this team as someone who maybe the mystics won't protect because she wasn't playing last year, was looking for a trade that they couldn't make happen. I think that would be real spicy and real fund So that's what I'm hoping to see.
But we're all excited for that.
Okay, let's talk college hoops because we predicted chaos and excitement this season and we are already getting it.
It is so fun so far.
A forty three game win streak ended a team reaching number one in the eight people for the first time in program history, a top five squad taken back to back. El's already a thrill ride regardless of the official AP ranking.
Right now, Who is your number one right now? Yeah?
I had. I mean I'm an AP voter, so I've had UCLA as my number one right now because I was actually at that game where they beat South Carolina in LA and I.
Was just pretty floored.
It wasn't just that they beat South Carolina, it was that they were up by twenty plus for much of the game and they really didn't put you know, they didn't take their foot off the break or foot off the gas, I should say, so the fact that they were able to do that, they didn't really show many weaknesses. And they were such a tough matchup for a South Carolina squad that I've seen them many times. You know, they get down, they come back and end up winning
the game. But really South Carolina had no answer to their shooting, to their length, to their depth, and to all the kind of things that make that UCLA team go. The thing to me though, is that this is a team that hasn't made the final four in program history. They have some inexperienced players in terms of, you know, as a group, because they have transfers, because they have freshmen, and so they do have a core that's experienced in
playing together. But can they really get to that next step of a final four of a national championship.
That I think remains to be seen.
And I'm really eager to see how they deal with the challenges of playing in the Big ten, especially you know, USC, I'm sure it is only going to get better, right, So are they gonna be challenged by the Trojans? Are they going to be able to stay at that top spot. We'll have to see, but right now I still have UCLAs B one and I wouldn't be shocked tho if we see some more movement over the couple months.
Trojans and travel are probably the two biggest things for them in the Big Ten.
Trojans and travel.
I don't know if we've talked about the travel enough for those teams coming out of California. You mentioned Don Staley's South Carolina squad u A the streak breakers for them, they're incredible forty three game run dating back to the twenty twenty three Final four, And how big of a.
Deal is it that they took a loss?
So in the kind of big picture, I don't think it's a huge deal, because of course, I think the Gamecock fans were all saying, hey, the last time we lost a regular season game, we still won a national title. They even lost, you know, in the SEC tournament that year when they won in twenty twenty two. So no,
in and of itself, it's not a huge deal. But I do feel like there have been some slow starts, are been some offensive issues and just you know the lack of a dominant big and Camilla Cardos, so that there's still the game Cocks are still trying to work through, and the season's long, they have time to figure that out. But I do think it showed a little bit of a snapshot that hey, you know, this team did return a you know, most of the same pieces from last year's seen that went undefeated.
But for whatever the reason, they're just.
Not quite you know, as dominant as they were last year. They still have to work on some things Offensively. I think Raven Johnson, you know, has another level that she can get to in terms of orchestrating the offense.
We've seen to Heina.
Palpal play, you know, some great games we've seen Essa Johnson and Malaysia will whiley have their a moment. So I think if I'm a game Cocks fan, I'm not necessarily totally concerned, but I do think there's a ways to go if they want to be able to do something they'd never done before as a program and repeat.
Yeah, it feels almost like it might be one of those scary teams that during the regular season has to figure some of that stuff out and then when they get to the tournament might be an absolute.
Just game wrecker. And because of the talent that they have.
It felt like preseason it was like, this team's going to be even scarier because they're returning all the talent.
But maybe that made it harder. There wasn't as.
Much creativity going into how it might work because they felt like so much of their pieces were coming back.
But it does look different without Cardoso in the middle. That's a huge thing to lose, and so maybe.
The tinkering that will go on in the regular season will strengthen them because it looks like just a lot of talent that should still be scaring the hell out of people.
Right, no one's going to want to play them in March. It doesn't even matter if they lose another few games, Like, no one's gonna be like, oh great, we got South Carolina in our rocket, right, And yeah, I think I'm really interested too. I know, you know, you mentioned uh Cardoso and you know, replacing her presence inside, But to me, I'm so curious to look at Malaysia ful Wiley's trajectory this season. I know a lot of people were surprised she didn't play much in that UCLA game.
She's you know, gone back to kind of more normal minutes since then.
But to me.
I mean, she's the player on South Carolina that has the highest ceiling. So is she gonna continue to do what Don Staley needs from her to display that to play with discipline, to play you know, I think the word that I've heard don muse is almost like play with you know, play lean and be efficient and not you know, go for maybe all the flashy moves or all the flashy plays. So I'm definitely keeping my eye on her and her trajectory for this game.
Cops squad talking about upsets.
Notre Dame falls to number seventeen TCU and then unranked Utah in the Cayman Islands Classic. How much weight are you putting into those back to back losses or can we call it, you know, Cayman Islands collapse and move on? It was it was special to that particular area. I'll come back to the States and be okay, I.
Mean a little bit of both.
I saw that game where they you know, really just dominated USC and so I mean, I don't even want to say that was their ceiling because they're still getting healthy. Right.
They have Maddi Westpelled on the sideline, They have Liza Carlon on the sideline, that they're expecting back, right, So it was pretty shocking that they could do that and they're really not playing they're playing like six seven players really, So the fact that they had that high and then they had that low and there's a little bit of vary or not a little bit, a lot of variants
wasn't necessarily shocking to me. Also, Kate caval coming in as a freshman, she struggled in the Cayman Islands, and I think that's where, you know, you see she had some you know, she's having those freshmen lom set, you know, first year players take and that's where again having Maddy Westbuld back, having Liza Carlon back will make a difference for the squad. So I think they're still really capable of getting in the final four. I'm not too worried.
I think.
Also holiday tournaments can be a little funky at times and whatnot. But I mean, Hanna Hidalgo and Olivia Miles just as a backcourt are just so electric, so dynamic. Then you throw in Sonia Citron and then some of their other pieces. Again, they're gonna get healthier. I mean, if I had a bet right now, I think they would be in Tampa even if they lost those back to back games.
Let's talk about TCU eight and no top team in the Big twelve.
They're at number nine. That's the highest ranking in school history.
Obviously buoyed by that big win over Notre Dame, our Sodona Prince and Haley Vanlyth making that team a real contender.
I mean, it's hard not to say that they are.
It's really kind of surprising because I think we knew they had some of this talent and the pieces to do what they're doing now, but to see it really go so smoothly, so quickly. I mean, Haley Vanlyth and Sedona Prince kind of look like they've been playing together for, you know, years, not just whatever eight games or nine games, whatever it is.
So I think Hayley Bentliss.
Looked really comfortable, like she looks like she has her confidence back after all the ups and downs that came with her season at LSC last year. And Sadona Prince, now that she's healthy, has really been dominant and some of the teams that she was impossible to start to stop. If you know NC State, obviously they don't have a dominant big but you know she was going off I think for thirty points and you know, Notre Dame and some of these other teams that they're able to beat.
She's really just asserted her will in the paints.
So if they can stay healthy, because obviously that was their big issue last year, leading to the walk on tryouts and whatnot.
And that's a team.
And you know they play South Carolina this weekend, so I'm so excited for that game to see you this is you know, on a big test.
You know, it doesn't get bigger than.
South Carolina, So that'll tell I think a lot about them and if they're really the real deal.
I have to say, Hayley Vanleth is such an interesting thing to see because we know system matters, we know teammates and coaches and how you're being used matters. But the way she fell off at LSU and then to see her play now to your point about her confidence, but also just it's a reminder for us that a player is so much more than their ability. It is about everything else around them as well. I want to
talk about Sadona Prince. She's the focus of one of a couple darker stories in women's soups this year.
We got to take a quick break, but when we.
Come back, we're going to talk to you about those stories and what the ceiling is for Juju Watkins, So stick around slices. Okay, before the break, Alexi, we were
talking about TCU. Sodona Prince played for Texas and Oregon before transferring to TCU before the twenty twenty three season, and she's somewhat of a household name in part because she had that big role in calling out the lack of resources provided by the NCAA during the twenty twenty one NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, and her complaints really helped
inspire an independent investigation sweeping changes new TV deals. All that, but Prince has also drawn attention for accusations from her ex girlfriend, Olivias Debil, alleging physical and verbal abuse, and another former girlfriend posted on social media that's Tabiel's account
paralleled some of her experiences with Prince. Meantime, we also have Notre Dames Hannah Hidalgo making headlines in July after reposting an Instagram video of a conversial conservative commentator calling gay marriage a sin, and then South Carolina's Ashlyn Watkins recently returned to the team after charges were dismissed after an August arrest for first degree assault and battery and kidnapping, and per court records, the charges were dismissed because she
completed a pre trial intervention program. I don't necessarily want to dig into each of these issues individually, in part because I know you didn't cover them, But I do want to talk about what has felt like sort of a relative lack of coverage and discussion about them, not a lot of commentary from these players or their coaches and teammates.
And I wonder if you feel like.
Women's hoops media and fans are ready to start holding women athletes accountable the same way that we demand male players and especially their coaches be held accountable and transparent in these situations.
Yeah, I think we have a little bit of a ways to go in the women's sports world. And I think it's a really layered discussion when we talk about media coverage, you know, we have to talk about how there's still not a lot of full time people covering women's sports that can really you know, give these important issues or these you know, complicated matters the full kind of coverage or reporting depth that they deserve.
Right, and so I think it's a little bit of that.
I think time even because when there's legal things involved, a lot of people do not understand behind the scenes, there isn't access, there isn't ability to get comment or to do research. A lot of people get stymied by the fact that once there are lawsuits or legal issues involved, you're just sort of stuck in waiting for a while. And a lot of people reporting on everything else can't also be showing up for that stuff every day.
No, absolutely, that's a huge part of it as well. And then two, I think in women's sports, maybe it's fans or people that care about women's sports. Also there's this tendency I think at times where we want to put I say we but like people want to protect the women's athletes or women's sports athletes because of the fact there's so many bad faith actors that do try to.
Tear people and women's sports down.
But I think you know, to really give these athletes and the sports and the leagues, you know, the coverage that they do, you have to hold them accountable at times, whether or not that's an instances that you just mentioned or you know, bigger picture matters when a league does something wrong or when you know team you know there's a coach issue or whatnot, Like you have to be
able to hold everyone accountable in the same way. And then you know, there's some of the ones the examples you brought up too, we're talking about queer relationships or dynamics where the you know, a woman is the one that's allege of being you know, the abuser or someone that you know has been, you know, in a bad situation.
I just think that maybe as a society there's still just like we don't quite know how to grapple with that or talk about that when it comes to women or queer relationships as opposed to maybe the stereotype of like this male football player was accused of his girlfriend. So I think it's there's a lot of different layers. I do hope that we as a society continue to have difficult conversations and obviously people also can grow and can change, and you know, we want to hold for that,
but there's also times to hold them accountable. And as a media kind of environment and stand bases, we can do that. And it's not like they're always in men's sports doing that as well. There's many examples that people that are still have jobs that have been accused of horrible things. So I think in general sports fans, but also in women's sports, there's a lot of ways for us to kind of continue to improve on that.
I think all of that is absolutely spot on. And it's tough.
It's you don't want to have poison and already poisoned. Well, you're working so hard just to get coverage of the stuff that isn't salacious or extreme or or toxic. But yeah, I mean, I think as someone who spent a lot of my career writing about and trying to call out the spaces where we aren't at least transparent in the alleged change that someone has gone through or the ways that they might have addressed their issues, and why we
could expect that recidivism isn't likely. We should do the same for women to make sure that they're safety for the teammates, for the players, for the people around them, and also that the coaches are being held to the example that they claim, which is to lead these young women in these athletes. And but yeah, it's it's a bit complicated, and to all the points that you made.
I think that demands for more comprehensive coverage of women's sports will continue as the quality of the product grows and the investment grows, Right, We're going to expect coverage to improve. That includes having more people to report on it. But I think we're seeing such incredible competition this season in college hoops. We're seeing players get more skilled, younger and younger, And I wonder what you think the biggest factor is to that leap in talent.
Yeah, I mean there's more obviously investment, and like the youth program. So the younger players that we've seen come up through the sport are you know, as as good as they've ever been. Right, We talked so much last year about that freshman class and how now obviously as sophomore, is that they helped change the game. And even just that you know, Page Beckers, Caitlin Clark class, Angel Reese
was in there too. You know, those were you know, the just transformational players that like came up and are now like with the bigger spotlight with Nil and everything, are really just taking off and making the sport you.
Know, what it is now.
And then I think when we talk about specifically you know what we've seen at the college level. It's you know, the transfer portal is allowing for super teams more or less to be to be informed. Right, So we have a team like UCLA that got all these you know, really big name transfers, and now like there are USC even they're a team that is able to acquire talent, and we have more, more and more players that we used to talk about how everyone is just Yukon and Tennessee,
but now you have players. You know, Juju Watkins decided to stay home. I mean, she could have very easily gone to South Carolina or Stanford, but instead she decided to stay home at a program that at the time of her commitment hadn't even been to the tournament of nearly a decade. Right, So people are the talent's more spread out, there's more talent kind of coming up through the youth levels, and you know, now it's like kind of all moving around too with a transfer portal and whatnot.
So I think too, that's just kind of been a perfect storm to make this college.
Game what it is.
And even though you know, I know a lot of people are like, oh, Caitlin Clark's gone and Angel Reese has gone, but as we just kind of went through, there's so many other stars.
And so many Yeah, And I think also it's often
about money. There is money to be made in women's sports and ways that weren't there before, whether that's nil, whether that's for colleges, whether that's for coaches, agents, THEAU Folks Tournament, you know, over time basketball, Like, there are so many places now where people want to watch and invest, and the great thing about that is that there is such an investment in the pipeline of talent, and there's such an opportunity for young girls to see, hey, I
can do this, I can make money doing this, I can get a scholarship doing this, all this stuff that was a little rare before you mentioned Angel Reas. I want to talk about LSU really quick. Obviously a ton of talent still there. What have you seen from them this year as they adjust to life without.
Angel, Yeah, I mean it's it's hard always with LSU because their schedule isn't necessarily the strongest, and it's and you know, I try to, you know, you can't do anything about the schedule. You got to watch them for you know who they're playing. But they did beat NC State and that was a pretty you know, convincing win.
I mean they were able to you know, and I know NC State's not ranked right now in the poll, but that's a team that went to the final four last year, right, So I do feel like we still have a little bit to learn about them. I think Vlaja Johnson's been playing fantastic. I think she's top ten in the nation scoring her efficiencies, you know, really strong. Obviously, her energy on both ends is really what drives this
LCU team. So if she's able to continue to make that big step now, I think that especially you know, with Angel Rees gone and you know, Hailey Vanlett obviously is out as well, then I think that's going to really build well for them. And then they're a team too, Like they have so many new pieces with transfers that the team that kind of comes together in March or in February when in the heart of SEC play might be a little bit different than the team we're saying now.
So definitely still have my eye on them, but I you know, I need a little more data to fully you know, see what we're working with. But Kim Molki tends to find a way it feels like, even when you're not completely sure if they're being challenged and non conference play.
You just mentioned efficiency, and if we're talking efficiency, we have to talk Page Beckers. Right now, the projected WNBA number one pick next year, her shooting efficiency right now is insane. Sixty point nine percent from the field, forty six point nine percent from three, eighty percent from the free throw stripe. What are you seeing from Page and what are you seeing from Yukon?
Yeah, they're, you know, a fascinating team because Page, it feels like, is that one experienced player and then they have a bunch of other either freshmen or newcomers that they're kind of filling in around her. This is a team that I think most people just expect will make it to the final four. But they did lose you know, Aleah Edwards and Nika Mule to the WNBI, So it really is Paige's team and the players coming back from
injury to that we're unproven. So I think Paige, you know, there's been a lot talked about and made of her just having that aggressive mindset of wanting to make the most of I guess supposedly her last year.
Right And then you say that by the way, for those listening, she has announced this as her last year. But ever since the Dallas Wins won the first pick in the w NBA draft, a lot of people are like, Paige, why don't you go ahead and stay at Yukon. You have eligibility because of COVID and injury. We don't know if that's gonna happen. She has said she's leaving, but the door is a jar, I think based on the wings, and I think it would have been a very different story if the Sparks had won that pick.
Well, the way she said it too is like you just you know, I've learned never to decide too much or speak too much on the future, right, which you know she said even last year. And you know she has the injury history, so I do believe that's genuine where she doesn't she wants to be in the present moment. But yeah, so there's there's a lot of potentially on.
There, a lot of factors.
But yeah, regardless, she wants to win a national championship and she wants to do that now. She feels like that's the one thing really she hasn't been able to do. As really, if she doesn't win a national championship at Yukon, she will probably be the best you go one player to not absolutely, so that's something that not that she you know, she wants to be able to do it for the program, for her team, for her own personal goals. So I see her, you know, wanting to just try
and continue on that route. I think Sarah Strong looks incredible as a freshman talent that there's times I've watched her plan and I think she looks like a senior, and so to me Yukon. I think also in March, once they have more time together, once the pieces kind of all match and build that chemistry is going to be really really dangerous, even if they take some lumps
in December in non conference play. So I would look out too for that page Sarah Strong Azy Fudd trio because that, you know, especially once Azy Fudd gets more games under her feet, I think that could be one of the best you know trios in the nation of any team page.
One of the biggest stars in the Sky, but perhaps the most hyped player in college hoops right now, is Juju Watkins. You wrote a great story about her for ESPN dot Com. Folks should go read that we'll put the link in our show notes. In her incredible freshman year, she helped USC to its best record in forty years. They got to the Elite eight after missing every NCAA tournament from twenty fifteen to twenty twenty two. Just on Tuesday night, she had a school record nine three pointers
forty points as USC routed California Baptist. She is just continuing to set marks there sort of beyond belief. What is the ceiling for Juju Watkins.
I mean, when I've talked with people around the game, they've said that she has the potential to be a WNBA MVP. She has the potential to be kind of at that level that really Caitlin Clark has been at one WNBA evaluator said, it's like she's the next one we're waiting for. It's her really, and Caitlyn, I know the Ukon fans are also like wait a second about Page and so that's you know, she's obviously up there too.
But I just think the way that her you know, she has you know, tremendous size and skill athleticism for a guard. She's really you know, she's a three level scorer. She has you know, I think tools to be a really good defender. I mean, she has it all. She has that La swagger. She's a real hooper. I mean, that's the word that I think Katis Parker used to describe her. And so if Kadith Parker's saying that, you know,
I mean that means something too. So I know that you know, the WBA is just waiting for her to make it to that level. Of course, as of the rules now, she can't leave early. She wouldn't be age eligible. Obviously some of that could change with the CBA, but we won't get it ahead of it.
It's almost a good thing in some ways, though not necessarily for her because of the changing landscape of the w but for college fans getting knowing that you're going to have several more years of this player to develop and be a superstar, especially when she's business savvy in the way she already is. She's co producing, you know, a television series, a digital series about her.
Life and growing up in Watson.
You know, that business side of also coming around at the right time when it comes to nil, when it comes to fan interest in this kind of content. Man, she can build something big the same way to your point that Caitlin did before even getting to the W and there's something to.
Be said for that.
There's there's just an incubator sort of sense to the college game that allows for that massive blow up and taking that with you to the W that's a little bit harder to do when you get great once you're already in the pros.
Yeah, and I think too.
I mean, now this could be the year where this really explodes for her because unfortunately, as a PAC twelve alum, I hate to say this, but you know, it was harder to watch her games last year, like when she scored fifty one points against Stanford. I think that was on the PAC twelve network, and you know, just people weren't necessarily watching it. But now USC's playing in the Big Ten, they have you know, more games on Fox and you know these other national broadcasts, So I do
think more people are going to see her. I think there's obviously a lot of attention on USC. Yes, you know I wrote in the story, you know, everyone is no one. They're not shocking anyone this year. They're the hunted, not the hunter like they were her freshman year. So there's more eyeballs on her but yeah, she has. I mean,
this was something really beginning in high school. I think they started filming that documentary and she's signed with Clutch, which is the same agency that represents Lebron James as a high school athlete. So you could see the pieces
were starting to grow even then. And so I do feel like, like your point of it being an incubator, it's only going to continue to grow with all these different forces that are happening in women's basketball, but also the way that she's kind of assembled a team around her. She has a you know, a really big family support
system kind of to keep her grounded and tethered. But then you know, she always remembers where she came from, right She's still that kid in Lots that was playing on you know, the court that was named after her great grandfather, and you know, I don't think she'll ever lose sight.
Of that either.
Also, I think we talked a lot about how Caitlin's success was in part buoyed by a very organic rivalry with Angel Reese and the fact that UCLA and USC have this rivalry the likes of which we have not seen in women's hoops for a long time, and it's built into the city, into a place that has the superstars that are showing up court side to watch these games. That's really just going to help with the lore for Juju in addition to eyeballs on her getting to see
how great she is. Okay, we got to let you go, but college hoops speed round quickly. So biggest surprise team so far, I'll go with TCU. I hope that's not too basic, but I do feel like, give it to you. Yeah, I would say TCU for now, biggest surprise player so far, biggest surprise player.
Well, I don't want to repeat, you know, the Haley Van listen own to Prince saying, I think Sarah Strong was like I heard she was going to be good, but she's like way better than I thought.
So I'll go with her for right now.
Team that's in the top ten or twenty five that just hasn't faced anyone yet, and you expect to see drop when they actually start playing tough competition.
Oh, expect to see Drop.
Oh maybe el CU Again, I'm gonna say, let's tested, let's see them. Yeah, I want to see them play someone a little bit better than Nancy State.
And then finally, a new team that will be number one sometime this season.
I would say Yukon will be number one this season at one point, and.
I'll throw in Texas in there.
Okay, I would love it. Alexai. This was amazing. This was just what we need. It did to get us all caught up on the beginning of this college hoop season and talk a little w two.
Thanks so much for giving us some time.
Of course, thanks for having me.
Thanks again to Alexa for joining us. We got to take a quick break when we come back. That sound you here is the screaming of executives north of the border.
Welcome back slices. Let's talk about our neighbors to the north.
So late Tuesday, a screenshot started circulating on social media. The originator not clear, but it showed a drop down menu on the WNBA website listing all of the league's teams, and.
It included the Toronto Tempo.
Now it sure looks like the league accidentally included the as of yet unreleased name of the Toronto expansion side via a little tech oopsie. Now there are some great responses to the screenshot. In the comments on Blue Sky, Cool Guy Party said they're named after Canada's favorite car, the nineteen ninety two Ford tempo Chase, Butkers said, I pray to God this is.
Short for temporary.
At raw, Rex said, everyone's going to be hating on it till that's set. The tempo hashtag starts going crazy when they win. At Michael waterlooseid, I can't wait for the Lizzo and Missy Elliott halftime show to perform tempo.
That's a good one, That's a good song.
At Mike Dash, Stevie said, awaiting the inevitable Drake Bars Shorty Baalam like she's starting for the tempo Landlord Collins. She ain't never missing rent though it's pretty good. I reached out to friend at the show and president of the Toronto Unnamed Team, Teresa Resh and not surprisingly, they are having a crazy couple days. So we'll give you the latest out of Toronto's camp soon. We love that you're listening, but we want you to get in the game every day too, So here's our good game play
of the day, Toronto Tempo. Your thoughts ready to buy the merch or hoping the leak is a fake? Let us know your instant reaction on email. Good game at wondermedianetwork dot com, leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two oh four fifty seventy, or hit me up at Sarah Spain on Twitter at Sarahspain dot com, on Blue Sky at Spain two three two three on Instagram. Oh also, don't forget to watch the NCAA Volleyball tournament and follow along with your brackets in the Good Game Group.
First round action starts today, and if you want to get more in the game, you could check out the new site from the folks behind.
Her hoop Stats.
It's called Evolve with two l's e v O l l ve dot net. Similar to her hoop Stats for basketball, Evolve is a public stat site for women's indoor volleyball. So it's got things like team ratings, player stats. There's a spot to sort of query stats to find players or teams that meet certain criteria, like games where a team had fifty kills and fifteen aces, stuff like that. They've also got Turney predictions. They're giving pitt a forty
eight percent chance to win it all this year. Go check it out, and thanks to Aaron B for the heads up. Finally, Slices you Knew is coming, don't forget to subscribe. Rate and review just like this, being part shark rating five out of five. Holy shit, that's badass review. Ali Mastriani, star for the US lacrosse team, is literally part shark. When she was a freshman at UNC, she tore her hamstring in the final game of the regular season and was a Grade three proximal tear, so all
three hamstrings tore and her siatic nerve was exposed. When doctors went in to do the surgery, they repaired the hamstring, but they also wrapped her sciatic nerve in shark collagen to give it extra support.
She went on to be an NCAA title winner.
Twenty twenty two Worlds gold medalist, AU lacrosse player, and future Women's Lacrosse League athlete, all well being part shark, so freakin' metal.
Now it's your turn. Rate and review. Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow.
Good Game, ALEXA, Good Game WNBA website detectives few ssiatic nerves. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or Wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network. Our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Lindsay Cratowell. Production assistant from Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain