TCU's Hailey Van Lith and Texas' Sonya Morris once clashed in heated handshake at 2023 NCAAW Tournament

During the 2023 March Madness, the Hailey Van Lith-led Louisville Cardinals won 73-51 over the Texas Longhorns, advancing to their sixth straight Sweet 16. Despite the victory, the most talked-about moment from the day came after the game during the handshake line.

Longhorns' Sonya Morris was videoed taking ahold of Van Lith and engaging in smack talk. While the contents of the heated exchange were not clear, it was evident that the Louisville guard was not interested in it and simply shrugged off Morris, walking away.

During the postgame press conference, Hailey Van Lith was asked about the exchange and she simply said (via Business Insider):

"You know, sports can get chippy and the moment you play in the heat — at the end of the day I'm going to let it go. No hard feelings."

However, in a later private conversation with The Courier-Journal's Alexis Cubit, Van Lith said:

“I think there was some frustration going on. I don’t have anything to say. I’m not gonna let no one disrespect me. But my teammates got my back. And I don’t have nothing bad to say. They’re coached great. They have great players. So it is what it is. People are sad when they lose, I’d be sad too.”

Meanwhile, the internet did not go easy on the incident, and there were multiple discussions about the incident. When she was questioned again ahead of the Elite Eight game against Ole Miss, Van Lith said:

“I mean that happens in the NBA game every single day,” Van Lith said (via The New York Post). “Just because it was women’s basketball, they’re going to drag it out and it’s a whole deal. But, you know, it really wasn’t a big deal and people are trying to stretch.”

The Cardinals lost to Ole Miss, and Hailey Van Lith transferred to the LSU Tigers in the offseason. This summer, she once again entered the transfer portal, choosing TCU for her final college season.

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Hailey Van Lith is eyeing a gold medal in her debut Olympics run

Hailey Van Lith was the only college player to be selected to the 3x3 women's basketball roster for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. After a disappointing 0-3 start, Team USA has now registered five consecutive victories, securing its semifinal berth for Monday.

The 3x3 format was introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Games, and the USA won gold. The team was led by Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young.

What are your predictions for Team USA 3x3? Let us know in the comments section below.