Carlos Locklyn was getting out of bed to go work out when he saw his phone light up with the first text from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. The Oregon running backs coach was so excited he turned to show his wife, Victoria.

“She said, ‘I don’t know who that is, let me find my glasses,’” Locklyn said with a laugh.

Locklyn described his feelings while talking with Day later that day as a “kid on Christmas morning.” Locklyn said a few other schools reached out to this offseason about jobs, but Ohio State stood out. The Buckeyes are one of the most recognizable programs in the country, with arguably the best running back group in college football and full focus on a national championship in 2024. It made sense for him to make the jump.

Locklyn spoke to the media on Wednesday for the first time since taking over as running backs coach, replacing Tony Alford, who left for the same job at Michigan. A few takeaways from his comments:

A ‘slam dunk’ hire

This was no simple search for Day. After Alford left for Michigan in March, Day said he talked to more than 12 candidates, mostly via video call. Much like his offensive coordinator search earlier this offseason, Day wasn’t going to rush things. Ohio State was left without a running backs coach in the middle of spring…

The 2023-24 college season featured more star power than any in recent memory, and the good news for WNBA fans is that many of those players will be back on the court quickly. The 2024 WNBA Draft is on Monday, and several stars who dominated the national conversation during the college season will be taking their talents to the professional stage.

Every year, it boggles the mind how quick this transition is for collegians. Caitlin Clark will go from game-planning for South Carolina to being on the same roster as former Gamecocks great Aliyah Boston within nine days. There isn’t even enough time for a WNBA Draft Combine, so some team executives are working with incomplete information about height and wingspan.

As a result, the WNBA Draft, compared to its NBA counterpart, has always favored players who were able to produce in college rather than those who have the theoretical tools to succeed at the next level. We can project how a different team context will affect a player’s impact, but at a certain point, if they don’t have a high-level resume after four years, it’s hard to take a risk on them.

WHO WILL BE NEXT?

Draft Day. April 15th 2024. pic.twitter.com/D9vHv0TwdD

— WNBA (@WNBA) April 9, 2024

That’s why the draft is a great entry point to the WNBA for…

Congrats to South Carolina, which was the No. 1 team in all but one edition of this season’s rankings. The Gamecocks proved they were the best team in college basketball for all of 2023-24, just like last year, only this time they were able to cap their remarkable regular season with a national championship. South Carolina’s success was the primary validation of these power rankings, though the last poll did feature 15 of the Sweet 16 teams in the top 18 (apologies to Duke).

In case you’re interested in how well my first power rankings of 2023-24 held up, take a gander! Oregon State really came out of nowhere.

As we look ahead to 2024-25, a reminder that this is an indicator of how teams stand right now, though WNBA Draft decisions and transfers — keep an eye on Oregon State and Washington State following the dissolution of the Pac-12 — could substantially change the makeup of rosters. I’ve priced in some player improvement, particularly for younger players with high pedigree, but otherwise tried to assess these squads based on how the players finished this season. Let me know in the comments if you think I’m overlooking anyone.

Almost famous: Kentucky, Michigan State, Vanderbilt

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Why South Carolina over UConn?

South Carolina is losing Kamilla Cardoso, but otherwise…

Are you ready for March Madness?

Below is a full schedule of every game in the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament, including tipoff times (in ET) and TV channels.

(Click here for the men’s schedule.)

Sweet 16

Saturday, March 30

No. 3 LSU vs. No. 2 UCLA, 1 p.m., ABC

No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 1 Iowa, 3:30 p.m., ABC

No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 1 USC, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

No. 7 Duke vs. No. 3 UConn, 8 p.m., ESPN

Elite Eight

Sunday, March 31

No. 3 Oregon State vs. No. 1 South Carolina, 1 p.m., ABC

No. 3 NC State vs. No. 1 Texas, 3 p.m., ABC

Monday, April 1

TBA vs. TBA, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

TBA vs. TBA, 9:15 p.m., ESPN

Final Four

Friday, April 5

TBA vs. TBA, 7 p.m., ESPN (Cleveland, Ohio)

TBA vs. TBA, 9:30 p.m., ESPN (Cleveland)

National Championship

Sunday, April 7

TBA vs. TBA, 3 p.m., ABC (Cleveland)

(Photo: Aaron Doster / USA Today)

Caitlin Clark will headline the 2024 WNBA Draft, but she is far from the only impact guard who will make her way into the league. As the professional game modernizes, franchises are looking for more playmakers on the perimeter in an effort to improve the pace and spacing of their offenses. Clark is the most prolific and recognizable guard in this group, and she is joined by a deep class — including several international prospects — of shooters, pure points and combo guards who are eager to make their impact at the next level.

The draft is less than three weeks away, taking place April 15 in Brooklyn, N.Y., just eight days after the national championship. In anticipation of the event, eight WNBA general managers shared their candid opinions about the upcoming draft class with The Athletic before the NCAA Tournament. They were granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly. Thursday, we’ll run another installment that includes their unvarnished takes on frontcourt players such as Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese.

GO DEEPER

WNBA Mock Draft: Where will Angel Reese land? Who will be picked after Caitlin Clark?

After the tournament, we’ll release our final mock draft and a GM scout of the potential picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Players are listed in alphabetical…

Eight teams have already punched their tickets to Albany and Portland for the Super Regionals.

South Carolina, after only managing a close road win over the Tar Heels earlier this season, rolled to an 88-41 second-round victory against North Carolina with the majority of its starting five receiving some rest. Reserves such as MiLaysia Fulwiley, Tessa Johnson and Chloe Kitts took center stage against the Tar Heels, combining for 43 points.

Elsewhere, the Pac-12 continued to make the most of its swan song. No. 5 seed Colorado beat No. 4 seed Kansas State, No. 3 seed Oregon State took down No. 6 seed Nebraska and No. 2 seed Stanford beat No. 7 seed Iowa State in an overtime thriller. The conference now waits on USC, UCLA and Utah — who all play on Monday — to see if the Pac-12 can own six spots in the Sweet 16, with Arizona as the lone conference team that didn’t advance to the third round of the tournament.

Here’s what else you need to know from a jam-packed Sunday of women’s March Madness.

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What’s next for Virginia Tech after unfair ending?

On Feb. 29, the Hokies were celebrating an outright ACC regular-season title, the first such crown in program history, and were riding a 10-game winning streak. A repeat run to the Final Four wasn’t the expectation but seemed fully…

It took three days for a No. 2 seed to fall in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 2 seed in Regional 3, fell 75-63 to the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils on Sunday in Columbus. It is Duke’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2018.

Reigan Richardson, the 5-foot-11 junior guard, led Duke in scoring with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor. Ashlon Jackson (13) and Taina Mair (11) also scored double-digit points for Duke.

Duke’s youth has been evident all season and building some experience has been a process for the Blue Devils. They entered the tournament with just four players from last year’s team that hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Still, there was no fear from Duke in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

In the first round, against Richmond, Duke was down nine points in the second quarter. They came back to win 72-61 in the first round.

They had another comeback on Sunday. Ohio State jumped out to a 16-point lead with five minutes in the second quarter. From that moment on Duke cut the lead to four before halftime and outscored the Buckeyes in every quarter the rest of the way.

A big part of both games was the performance of Richardson. She combined for 53 in two games, making 21-of-36 shots and continued to be…