The largest audience ever — 9.95 million viewers on ABC — tuned in to watch the women’s national championship game last year, and the sport looks to keep building on it this season.
That happened without traditional ratings-drivers UConn or South Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed and defending champion from 2022, playing in the final.
Instead, Iowa, with national player of the year Caitlin Clark, and LSU, in coach Kim Mulkey’s second season in Baton Rouge, made for a compelling championship matchup in Dallas.
What do we expect for the 2023-2024 women’s college basketball season? LSU will try to carry the favorite tag to the finish line. UConn, which fell short of the Final Four last season for the first time since 2007, will attempt to get back there.
Teams like first-time Final Four participant Virginia Tech will have to follow up a breakthrough season. The Pac-12 teams will try to focus on the fleeting present, and not the soon-to-be future that will break up their league.
Here are the biggest questions we’re pondering as we get started on the road…
