Women's College Basketball

Baylor star DiJonai Carrington was critical of the officiating in the final seconds of the Lady Bears' 69-67 Elite Eight loss to Connecticut in the 2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament Monday.

Carrington had a chance to give Baylor the lead in the final seconds but was stymied on the left side of the lane by Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa:

"Personally, don't see it as a controversial call," the senior guard told reporters. "I've already seen the replay. One girl fouled me in my face and one girl fouled me on my arm. At that point you can't do anything else."

Carrington had plenty of supporters on social media:

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma seemed to acknowledge his team benefited in the situation but added that every game is full of calls that are missed or could go either way:

The frustration from Baylor players and fans was understandable. Carrington should've gone to the line for two shots, and she was a 72.3 percent free-throw shooter. At the very least, you would've expected her to tie the game and send it into overtime.

And the score may not have even been that close were it not for an apparent hamstring injury suffered by DiDi Richards. UConn went on a 19-0 run across the third and fourth quarters, almost all of which happened after Richards exited the game.

"Obviously, you can never account for injuries happening," Carrington said of losing Richards. "That was tough for us. [Freshman guard Sarah Andrews] got thrown into the fire. We just tried to weather the storm. We never gave up. We never thought we were out of it."

Baylor showed great determination to get into a position to win, but the foul that wasn't will likely overshadow much of what happened before it.

Following Baylor's loss to Connecticut in the Elite Eight of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, Lady Bears head coach Kim Mulkey advocated for the NCAA to stop COVID-19 testing once the Final Four fields are set.

Mulkey told reporters the organization "need[s] to dump the COVID testing."

"Wouldn't it be a shame to keep COVID testing and then you got kids that end up testing positive or something, and then they don't get to play in the Final Four?" she said. "So, you need to just forget the COVID test and let the four teams that are playing in each Final Four go battle it out."

An NCAA men's tournament game between Oregon and VCU was declared a no-contest due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the Rams' traveling party. The Ducks automatically moved on to the second round.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma also missed his squad's first two games after testing positive for COVID-19 prior to play beginning.

Otherwise, the tournaments have largely been insulated from the pandemic.

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues across the country. However, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cautioned against what she called "another avoidable surge" of positive cases.

Mulkey's comments Monday would seem to contradict the attitude she expressed after recovering from the virus midway through the season.

"The answer is this: The season will continue on. It's called the almighty dollar," she told reporters in January. "The NCAA has to have the almighty dollar from the men's tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and welfare of me, the players or anybody else."

For the 13th straight time, Connecticut punched a ticket to the Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

The Huskies hung on for a 69-67 victory over Baylor on Monday on the strength of a 28-point performance from Paige Bueckers. They will play Arizona, which dispatched Indiana 66-53.

The Final Four isn't set just yet, with two more games to follow Tuesday.

Elite Eight Scores

No. 1 Connecticut 69, No. 2 Baylor 67

No. 3 Arizona, 66, No. 4 Indiana 53

Bracket

The full bracket for the 2021 women's NCAA tournament can be viewed at NCAA.com.

UConn 69, Baylor 67

Christyn Williams missed a pair of free throws with a one-point lead and NaLyssa Smith grabbed the defensive rebound, which kept the door open for Baylor.

DiJonai Carrington drove to her left but was met at the edge of the paint by Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards.

Baylor fans will understandably argue Carrington was fouled, but it wasn't a surprise to see the referees swallow their whistles given the circumstances.

Ultimately the night belonged to Bueckers. The freshman guard has been stellar all season, and she didn't shy away from the big stage. A number of legendary players have passed through the doors of Gampel Pavilion, and Bueckers looks like the next in line.

UConn and Baylor ranked second and third, respectively, in opponent points per 100 possessions entering Monday night, per Her Hoops Stats.

Despite the teams' defensive strength, they set a blistering pace in the first quarter as the Huskies led 26-24 after the opening 10 minutes. The second quarter was a return to normal as they combined to score 26 points.

The slower tempo probably favored Baylor more because the Lady Bears thrive by dominating inside. According to Her Hoops Stats, they were getting just 13.1 percent of their offense from three-pointers, the lowest number in Division I.

Baylor was in firm control in the third quarter and jumped out to a 10-point lead. However, the game turned when DiDi Richards appeared to injure her hamstring. The senior guard is the team's assist leader (6.4), and Baylor's offense ground to a halt in her absence.

Connecticut took advantage of the situation and went on a 19-0 run across the third and fourth quarters.

Baylor clawed its way back into the game, yet you can't help but wonder whether the result would've been different without Richards' injury.

No. 3 Arizona, 66, No. 4 Indiana 53

Aari McDonald's one-woman show in San Antonio will continue for at least one more round.

The Arizona star dropped 33 points and 11 rebounds as she carried the Wildcats to their first-ever Final Four. McDonald shot 12-of-20 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range.

The senior guard also made a quick recovery from what initially looked to be a scary ankle injury in the fourth quarter, putting the finishing touches on a historic victory.

The 2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year and two-time reigning conference Defensive Player of the Year, McDonald was everywhere on the court to wreak havoc against Indiana.

As much as McDonald's performance will grab the headlines, Arizona's team defense is what won this game. The Wildcats held Indiana to 36.4 percent shooting and prevented the Hoosiers from making a single three-pointer.

Floor-spacing was a problem for Teri Moren's squad all year. Indiana was 258th in three-point percentage (28.6) and 288th in made threes per game (4.3). But by cutting that aspect of the Hoosiers' offense entirely, Arizona left its opponents unable to counter McDonald's singular effect.

Things really cratered for the Hoosiers in the fourth quarter. The score was tied at 48 with 7:20 left on the clock before Arizona proceeded to outscore Indiana 10-2 over the next six minutes.

For the 13th straight year, UConn is headed to the Final Four.

The top-seeded Huskies downed No. 2 Baylor, 69-67, on Monday night, improving to 28-1 behind 28 points from Paige Bueckers. 

For the Lady Bears (28-3), DiJonai Carrington had 22 points and seven rebounds, but her potential game-winning shot in heavy traffic fell short. 

Notable Performers

• Paige Bueckers, UConn: 28 PTS, 3 REB, 3 STL
• DiJonai Carrington, Baylor: 22 PTS, 7 REB
• Christyn Williams, UConn: 20 PTS, 6 REB
• NaLyssa Smith, Baylor: 14 PTS, 12 REB, 2 STL

UConn Overcomes Lengthy Droughts to Win 

The Huskies had an early lead that held until the final 3:56 of the half, but Baylor's defense—which posted the top defensive field-goal percentage in the NCAA for the fourth consecutive year at 32.2 percent—got the best of UConn for long periods that limited its dominance in the first half.

The Lady Bears held the Huskies scoreless for the final 3:03 of the half and took a 39-37 lead into the break.

What Baylor had on defense, UConn of course had on offense, led by standout freshman Paige Bueckers, the National Player of the Year. She led UConn with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half. 

They went on another drought in the third quarter, heading into the final three minutes in a scoring absence that extended back more than five minutes. 

An injury to Baylor star DiDi Richards changed the tide at the end of the frame, paving the way for UConn to go on an 8-0 run to get within two heading into the final quarter and then extended it to 19-0 into the final frame to take the lead. 

Things looked dangerous yet again as the Huskies were limited for another three-minute stretch at the end, but they held on for the win. 

DiJonai Carrington's Fast Start Spoiled by DiDi Richards' Injury 

UConn got out to a fast start, but Baylor worked its way back at the end of the first quarter, going on a 10-0 run over a nearly three-minute span to get within two of the Huskies.

But Baylor finally broke through, taking its first lead of the game with 3:56 remaining in the half on a jumper by DiJonai Carrington, who starred on both sides of the ball in the first half. UConn quickly took the lead back, but the momentum was there for Baylor to head into the break up 39-37.

Carrington, who was named the Big 12's Sixth Player of the Year, averaged 13.8 points per game entering Monday. But she dropped 14 in the first half alone (5-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from the line) to lead all scorers. 

She also grabbed three rebounds and had two steals, tying Richards for a game high at the break. 

Richards, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, suffered a hamstring injury with 2:37 to go in the third quarter, and her absence immediately changed the course of the game as UConn tied it early in the fourth quarter. 

She returned for some minutes in the fourth, but struggled to stop a major run that ultimately sent the Huskies to the win. 

What's Next? 

UConn's 13th consecutive Final Four appearance will come alongside the winner of Monday's game between No. 3 Arizona and No. 4 Indiana. 

Baylor could be back next year with ESPNW's No. 13 recruit, Maryam Dauda, joining the group in 2021. 

Two teams will be punching a ticket to the Final Four on Monday in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.

Only eight teams remain in San Antonio with the regional finals set to tip off. Top-seeded Connecticut will oppose No. 2 Baylor in the River Walk Region, while No. 3 Arizona will match up with No. 4 Indiana in the Mercado Region.

Here's what you need to know.

Elite Eight Schedule: March 29

No. 2 Baylor vs. No. 1 Connecticut (-4.5), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 4 Indiana (-2) vs. No. 3 Arizona, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

Bold represents the writer's pick against the spread. Betting lines courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Monday Preview

Baylor vs. UConn

Paige Bueckers grabs the headlines for this year's UConn squad, but the Huskies' Sweet 16 victory over Iowa showcased their depth beyond the star freshman. Christyn Williams scored a game-high 27 points, Evina Westbrook nearly had a triple-double (17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds) and Aaliyah Edwards poured in 18 points over 31 minutes.

Balance is also a key feature of Baylor as Moon Ursin, NaLyssa Smith, Queen Egbo and DiJonai Carrington are all averaging double figures in points. Smith, Ursin and Carrington combined for 63 of the Lady Bears' 78 points against Michigan in the previous round.

Drawing any conclusions from Baylor's comprehensive 74-58 win over UConn last year is a fool's errand because of how much the respective rosters have turned over. The teams were originally scheduled to meet again Jan. 7, but the game was canceled for COVID-19-related reasons.

Lady Bears head coach Kim Mulkey explained how Monday's encounter is unlikely to be won with style points.

"You're looking at two programs that value defense," she said, per ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel. "I think Baylor and UConn are in the top three in the country in field goal percentage defense. Then you look at rebounding. That might explain to you why both programs are respected across the country.

"So, yeah, it could be an ugly game. When I say ugly, it could be low scoring, it could be some turnovers. Some people want to say boring. It may not be 80 and 90. I don't know."

Three-point shooting could prove to be the difference, though.

According to Her Hoops Stats, Baylor is getting just 13.1 percent of its scoring total from beyond the arc, the lowest percentage in Division I.

UConn doesn't live and die by the three-pointer, but the Huskies are 42nd in three-point percentage (35.1) and second in effective field-goal rate (57.2), per Her Hoops Stats. In the Sweet 16, they went 10-of-23 from the perimeter to complement the offense they were getting inside.

If UConn can replicate that formula, it will once again find itself in the national semifinals.

Indiana vs. Arizona

Stopping Aari McDonald will be the top priority for Indiana head coach Teri Moren.

The Arizona star exploded for 31 points against Texas A&M on Saturday. No other Wildcats player finished with more than nine points.

Indiana wasn't tested in its first two games, winning by 53 combined points. Anybody questioning the Hoosiers' capabilities got a response in their upset of top-seeded North Carolina State.

Indiana led by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter before letting the Wolfpack into the game late. The Hoosiers forced 17 turnovers while turning it over only nine times themselves. They also had all five of their starters score in double figures.

In general, March is often a time when collective strength overwhelms individual brilliance. Caitlin Clark was one of the best players in the country, but UConn simply had too much. Texas suffocated Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller in the Sweet 16.

You could easily see the same thing happen to McDonald in the Elite Eight.

The senior guard shot 12-of-21 overall and 6-of-12 on three-pointers against the Aggies. In the event she regresses to her overall efficiency (40.6 percent total and 31.3 percent from long range), it will likely spell doom for the Wildcats.

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma was highly critical of the NCAA tournament protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're actually being held hostage just so you can play basketball," he told reporters Sunday.

The NCAA has created strict rules to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, including holding the entire women's tournament in San Antonio, Texas.

Auriemma had problems with some specifics in the protocols that have been affecting his team.

"Some of the protocols are absolutely beyond ridiculous I have to say," he explained. "You got to wait an hour to go down the elevator because only four people are allowed in the elevator at the same time. Meanwhile, four of the same teammates that just spent the last 45 minutes together. Kinda bizarre, right?"

Auriemma also called for players to have time to sit outside by the pool or walk around the block.

The 67-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month and spent 10 days in quarantine at the start of the NCAA tournament before rejoining the team for the Sweet 16. The school's release said he did not experience any symptoms.

Positive tests also had a significant impact on the team's schedule, with several games canceled or postponed.

In the men's tournament, VCU was unable to play its first-round game because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

The Huskies, one of the four No. 1 seeds, are set to compete in the Elite Eight on Monday against No. 2 Baylor after winning each of their first three games by at least 34 points.

The Michigan women's basketball team arrived safely in Ann Arbor early Sunday after initially making an emergency landing in Evansville, Indiana, per Angelique S. Chengelis of the Detroit News.

The team's charter plane flew into a storm Saturday night, while an aggressive descent caused the cabin to lose pressure with oxygen masks being deployed. The plane made a diverted landing in Evansville.

There were no injuries "other than being scared," spokesperson Sarah VanMetre told Chengelis.

Michigan assistant coach Toyelle Wilson described the experience on Twitter and also posted a picture of the team after landing:

The team spent several hours in Evansville before getting on a return flight to Michigan and landing at 5:54 a.m. ET.

Michigan faced Baylor on Saturday night in a competitive Sweet 16 battle that ended with a 78-75 Baylor win in overtime. It was the Wolverines' first appearance in the regional semifinal after an upset win over No. 3 seed Tennessee in Round 2.

Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey isn't expecting her team's Elite Eight matchup against Connecticut to be a coaching masterpiece.

Speaking to reporters after the Lady Bears' 78-75 win over Michigan on Saturday, Mulkey explained why she's "not going to outcoach" Geno Auriemma in the next round:

"You're looking at two programs that value defense. I think Baylor and UConn are in the top three in the country in field goal percentage defense. Then you look at rebounding. That might explain to you why both programs are respected across the country.

"So, yeah, it could be an ugly game. When I say ugly, it could be low scoring, it could be some turnovers. Some people want to say boring. It may not be 80 and 90. I don't know."

Baylor and UConn were scheduled to meet in the regular season Jan. 7, but the Bears were forced to cancel because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program.

As Mulkey noted, the Lady Bears and Huskies are two of the best defensive teams in the nation. Connecticut ranked second in the country with 50.7 points allowed per game and third in opponent field-goal percentage (32.9) during the regular season; Baylor is 12th in scoring defense at 54.2, but leads the nation with a 31.7 field-goal percentage allowed.

Both teams advanced to the Elite Eight with wins Saturday, setting up a showdown Monday with a Final Four berth on the line.

Connecticut is the No. 1 overall seed in the women's tournament this year and is seeking its first national title since winning four straight from 2012-16. Baylor won the last NCAA women's tournament during the 2018-19 season.

Many tuned in to Saturday's women's Sweet 16 to get their first glimpse of what should be a longtime rivalry between Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark.

Most walked away as Christyn Williams fans.

Williams dropped 27 points to take the starring spotlight away from the fantastic freshmen, leading Connecticut to a 92-72 victory over Iowa. 

The Huskies made their 15th straight Elite Eight and are one win from their 13th consecutive Final Four. UConn will match up with the winner of Baylor-Michigan, which is set for 3 p.m. ET Saturday.

Bueckers finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a stellar all-around performance. The National Player of the Year favorite did most of her damage in the second half, coming alive as a scorer after Williams picked up the slack in the first half to give UConn a 14-point advantage going into the break.

In fact, the Huskies' all-around brilliance may have been the biggest story. Evina Westbrook finished one rebound short of a triple-double with 17 points and 10 assists. Aaliyah Edwards added 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

The Huskies defense also did a great job of keeping Clark in check. The guard finished with 21 points and five assists but shot 7-of-21 from the field and turned the ball over five times.

McKenna Warnock added 20 points for the Hawkeyes.