The 2024 March Madness has been a sign of the future of basketball and elevated a lot of players into the national limelight. However, most of the attention has been on the women's college basketball side of things compared to the men. This is not just fans noticing, but also prominent figures in basketball who agree.
In Wednesday's episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq," Shaquille O'Neal, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion, discussed how he is uninterested in the men's March Madness this year but is glued to the women's side of the bracket.
"Well, the boys suck, so I'm not following, but I'm definitely following the girls," Shaq said. "Actually, women's basketball is kicking a*s. ... It was kind of like an epiphany. Like, last week was the first time I watched all girls games. Like I never done that before."
While some may be upset with "The Big Diesel" for not watching the men's NCAA Tournament too much, he highlighted how star-studded the women's bracket has been.
"Well, the boys suck," Shaq said. "JuJu Watkins, Caitlin [Clark], my girl Angel Reese. They're just killing it. I don't think I even know any men's [players]."
With the women's Final Four happening Friday night, it will be interesting to see if the numbers continue to increase for the viewership.
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Who will win the 2024 Women's March Madness?
We have arrived at the Final Four for the women's bracket, with the four teams playing on Friday night and the winners advancing to the national championship game on Sunday. Tonight has the NC State Wolfpack taking on the South Carolina Gamecocks, followed by the UConn Huskies matching up against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
The odds are getting a little bit closer to see which team will be winning this year's March Madness:
- South Carolina Gamecocks: -195
- Iowa Hawkeyes: +300
- UConn Huskies: +600
- North Carolina State Wolfpack: +1600
March Madness Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
It seems like we are on a collision course for the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes meeting in the national championship game. It will be a dogfight, similar to the Elite Eight game between the LSU Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. However, the Gamecocks are undefeated for a reason and have a legendary coach, so expect South Carolina to win the national championship.
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