{"id":66873,"date":"2023-12-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swishappeal.com\/ncaa\/2023\/12\/22\/24002548\/ncaa-2024-wishes-confernce-pac-12-big-ten-injuries-paige-bueckers-milaysia-fulwiley-toby-fournier"},"modified":"2023-12-22T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T15:00:00","slug":"ncaaw-wishes-for-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/ncaaw-wishes-for-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"NCAAW wishes for 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \"NCAA
LSU and Iowa gave us one of the most memorable NCAAW moments of 2023. | Photo by Ben Solomon\/NCAA Photos via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After 2023 gave us a multitude of memorable women\u2019s college basketball moments, what can we expect in 2024? Conference changes, fantastic players and\u2014please\u2014no more injuries!<\/p>\n

We all hope the increased appreciation for women\u2019s college basketball continues into 2024. Here are a few more wishes that should ensure that will happen:<\/p>\n

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Injury-free seasons for all <\/strong><\/h2>\n

My hope is the brightest stars in women\u2019s college basketball are able to stay healthy and available. Already, star players like UConn<\/a>\u2019s Azzi Fudd have suffered season-ending injuries, stripping them from critical time playing the game they love. <\/p>\n

Basketball is inevitably a high-injury sport, but at the collegiate level, time is more limited. For example, Paige Bueckers was a national sensation as a freshman, winning AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year, among other awards, but injuries have hampered her since. Will she be able to stay on the court and compete at the same unprecedented level she previously was? My hope is that her surgeries and ailments are behind her. <\/p>\n

Ultimately, players\u2019 time in college is limited. And right now, there\u2019s greater national attention on collegiate players than on professionals. So, ensuring NCAA\u2019s stars\u2014and all collegiate players, really\u2014are able to capitalize on the opportunity is critical. I hope that Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, Cameron Brink, Angel Reese and the rest of the top players in the women\u2019s collegiate game today go as far as the sport will take them this season, with no major injuries suffered. \u2014 Noa Dalzell<\/em><\/p>\n

\n \"NCAA
\n Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports<\/cite>
After two injury-riddled seasons, it has been wonderful to see a healthy Paige Bueckers again starring for UConn. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making the Pac-12\u2019s last dance a wonderful waltz<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether talking about a friendship, a relationship, a job or life itself, we rarely know when something will end. Typically, we have to do the best we can with the information we have. With the Pac-12 ending once and for all this season, we have been given the gift of knowing. All good things come to an end and this is it. So, let\u2019s make it a good one, yeah?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have more #Pac12AfterDark moments where the score gets wacky and unexpected comebacks happen. Let\u2019s enjoy some West Coast rivalries, like USC vs. UCLA and Cal vs. Washington. Let\u2019s crown one last Pac-12 champ and go dancing in March, rooting for our fave but pulling for the conference to ball out more than any other. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s unfortunate that the end is due to greed, television deals and so many other factors that demonstrate that this \u201camateur\u201d sport is just as capitalism-driven as any professional one. But this is life giving us lemons\u2014so let\u2019s make some lemonade. \u2014 Edwin Garcia<\/em><\/p>\n

\n \"NCAA
\n Photo by Kirby Lee\/Getty Images<\/cite>
Freshman phenom JuJu Watkins and USC are making the final Pac-12 season a memorable one.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A good start for the new-look Big Ten<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First, a disclaimer: I don\u2019t have a specific collegiate allegiance. I\u2019m located smack-dab in the middle of Big Ten country, and I enjoy watching as many programs in the conference as I can as an impartial fan. But that\u2019s about as connected as I get to B1G women\u2019s hoops.<\/p>\n

That being said, I\u2019m absolutely stoked to see how the conference looks after Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are officially assimilated next season (and trust me, Pac-12 fans, you have my sympathies). These are big-time schools, and while I don\u2019t envy those who need to figure out the logistics of the new-look Big Ten, it\u2019s going to be an extremely competitive conference for women\u2019s basketball, even more so than it already is. And the opportunity to watch players like Kiki Rice and JuJu Watkins in person? Sign me up! \u2014 Eric Nemchock<\/em><\/p>\n

\n \"NCAA
\n Photo by John W. McDonough\/NCAA Photos via Getty Images<\/cite>
UCLA has one of the strongest women\u2019s basketball programs in the country, and they\u2019ll soon be a part of the Big Ten conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

MiLaysia March magic<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The season began with MiLaysia Fulwiley introducing her fearless flair to women\u2019s college hoops fans, unleashing an incredible coast-to-coast behind-the-back layup during South Carolina\u2019s first victory. So, maybe the season should end the same way?<\/p>\n

Since her sensational opening salvo, the freshman guard has found her way into highlight reels with several other outstanding efforts. However, in the games where the No. 1 Gamecocks have been tested, head coach Dawn Staley hasn\u2019t quite shown full trust in Fulwiley. She saw only three minutes in South Carolina\u2019s win at UNC and just 10 when the Gamecocks met Utah. That Staley has confidence in the reliable perimeter trio<\/a> of Te-Hina Paopao, Bree Hall and Raven Johnson also prevents Fulwiley from receiving more court time. <\/p>\n

Yet, the long conference calendar presents plenty of opportunities for Fulwiley to prove her bona fides. Furthermore, advancing far in March always requires something extra<\/em>. Fulwiley is the perfect candidate to provide that jolt for the Gamecocks. A series of seemingly impossible shots? A crucial steal and score? An improbable pass for a game-winning 3? An out-of-nowhere weakside block? Whatever it might, I can\u2019t wait to see what Fulwiley does to help South Carolina go all the way this spring. \u2014 Cat Ariail<\/em><\/p>\n

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