March 21, 2025 • 11 mins
March Madness is here, but not everyone got an invite—Stanford’s historic NCAA tournament streak is over, and I’ve got thoughts. Plus, we dive into the origins of “March Madness” and “The Big Dance,” break down Cinderella stories and bracket busters, and hand out this week’s Buzzer Beater, Airball, and Flagrant Foul Awards.
Spoiler alert: Eminem is stepping up for women’s basketball, and Unrivaled’s coaching choices? Not so much.
Tap in for all the madness!
Here's a link to the music video I made about March Madness "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
https://youtu.be/G-g2sHE-Azw
“Big stories, little episodes—amplifying the voices shaping the game on and off the court." - Her Game Her Voice Podcast by Kaari Peterson
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kaari (00:00):
Hi, I'm Kaari Peterson, and welcome to another episode
of Her Game, Her Voice, thepodcast where I get to amplify
the voices shaping the game bothon and off the court.
Today, I am feelingextraordinary.
This is the time of year when Iclear my calendar for three
epic weeks of basketball.
(00:20):
There is something that's takingmy mood down a notch right now,
and that's Stanford women'sbasketball.
I am in mourning.
Okay.
Maybe not that dramatic, but Idefinitely feel down about it.
For the first time since 1987,Stanford did not make the NCAA
tournament.
Their 36-season tournamentstreak was the second longest in
(00:41):
NCAA history, behind onlyTennessee, who had 42 straight
appearances.
With Stanford's streak ending,UConn now holds the active
record, tying Stanford at 36straight appearances as of this
year.
The next closest streak?
Baylor with 21 consecutiveappearances.
So yeah, I'm feelingdisappointed.
It's going to be strange notseeing Stanford in the
(01:03):
tournament this year, buthonestly, I'm not surprised.
This was Stanford's first seasonwithout coach Tara Vanderveer,
who retired last spring after 38seasons leading the program.
Let's do some fast math on that.
Tara was there for 38 seasons,and Stanford women went to the
tournament 36 times in a row.
(01:24):
That means in her entirecoaching career at Stanford, she
only missed the tournamenttwice.
What a phenomenal record.
Under Tara, Stanford became apowerhouse.
Three national titles, mostrecently in 2021, 14 Final
Fours, and 26 Pac-12 regularseason titles.
(01:44):
Enter the post-Tara era.
Former assistant coach Kay Payetook over as head coach.
Despite a 7-1 start, Stanfordlost five of its next six games
and didn't beat a rankedopponent all season.
They were knocked out in thefirst round of the ACC
tournament by Clemson.
Final season record, 16 winsand 14 losses.
(02:08):
And so, the streak is over.
And that's disappointing.
But while this first yearwithout Vanderveer was rough,
the future is still bright.
Stanford's incoming recruitingclass is ranked third in the
nation by ESPN.
They're bringing in threefive-star recruits, Haley Swain,
Lara Somfai, and AlexandraEschmeyer.
To play for Stanford, you haveto be a great basketball player
(02:31):
and a great student.
So congratulations to thesethree incoming Stanford
freshmen.
Rebuilding Stanford's historicwinning streak will take time,
maybe even decades, but I'mconfident they'll return to the
tournament at some point.
In the meantime, I'll be rootingfor my Michigan State Spartan
women who are seated seventh inthe Spokane region.
(02:52):
Go Green!Now, let's dig into some March
Madness history.
March is already a chaoticmonth.
Tax season, anyone?
But in the basketball world,the madness is legendary.
The phrase March Madness wasfirst coined in 1939, not by a
sports analyst, but by Henry V.
(03:13):
Porter, a high school officialin Illinois.
It didn't actually becomesynonymous with college hoops
until 1982, when CBS broadcasterBrent Musburger casually
dropped it into tournamentcoverage.
And the rest is history.
Now March Madness is as much apart of spring as allergy season
and questionable bracket picks.
(03:34):
One more thing.
Did you know that the NCAAdidn't start calling the women's
college basketball tournamentMarch Madness until 2022?
That's right.
Until that time, the women'stournament was not allowed to
use the term March Madnessbecause the branding strictly
referred to the men's basketballtournament.
(03:57):
In 2022, they expanded thebrands used to the women's
tournament, and they made a bigdeal and patted themselves on
the back about how inclusivethey were being.
But the fact is, it wasn't theNCAA who motivated the expansion
of the March Madness branding.
Basically, they got pressuredby coaches, former college
players, and women's basketballfans about the lack of equity
(04:19):
between the men's and women'sbasketball tournaments.
So they made the change,expanded the brand, and took
credit for it.
But I know, and now you know,that it was the power of the
people who brought on thechange.
If you're watching thetournament, sometimes you'll
hear it referred to as the danceor the big dance.
(04:40):
Wondering where this nicknamecame from?
Well, wonder no more.
It's not because basketballplayers secretly moonlight as
ballroom dancers.
The term comes from legendaryMarquette coach Al McGuire, who
in 1977 told a reporter, yougotta wear the blue blazer when
you go to the big dance.
(05:01):
T ranslation?
If you're in the tournament, youbetter be ready to show up in
style.
Coincidentally, the Marquettemen's team went on to win the
championship that year.
A nd the big dance nicknamestuck.
Another term that gets thrownaround a lot in March is
Cinderella.
Because just like in fairytales, sometimes the unlikeliest
(05:23):
of underdogs gets their magicalmoment in the tournament.
A Cinderella team is alow-seeded squad that defies the
odds and makes an unexpecteddeep tournament run.
Think of it as the basketballversion of the nerdy kid at prom
suddenly becoming the star ofthe dance floor.
And just like in the fairytale, the magic often runs out
(05:45):
at midnight.
Or in this case, the EliteEight.
And now it's time for theawards section of this episode.
This week, the Buzzer BeaterAward goes to...
Detroit's Own Eminem.
Yep.
Slim Shady is stepping up forwomen's basketball.
(06:05):
He's part of a citywide effortto bring the WNBA back to
Detroit.
Why back?
Because Detroit was once home tothe Shock, one of the WNBA's
original expansion teams.
Established in 1998, the DetroitShock won three WNBA
championships, 2003, 2006, and2008, before relocating to Tulsa
(06:30):
in 2009.
Eminem isn't doing this alone.
He's teaming up with DetroitPistons owner Tom Gores and
owners from the Red Wings,Tigers, and Lions.
Having NBA backing is a majoradvantage, considering the
WNBA's three newest franchisesall have NBA owners.
With this star-studded lineup,Detroit has a strong shot at
(06:52):
getting its team back.
Props to Eminem for using hisinfluence to make it happen.
And now...
The Airball Award.
This week's Airball Award goesto Unrivaled Women's Basketball
League.
For those unfamiliar, Unrivaledis a new three-on-three women's
(07:14):
basketball league designed togive WNBA players a competitive
domestic option in theoffseason, meaning that they
don't have to play overseas tomake a living during the WNBA
offseason.
They claim to be all aboutplayer development, and their
coaching hires reflect that.
Except for one giant, glaringissue.
(07:39):
Only two out of the six coachesare women.
Seriously.
A women's league built fromscratch had a golden opportunity
to set a new standard, and theybricked it.
Look, I'd like to say that I'dbe fine with a 50-50 ratio, but
honestly, a women's leagueshould prioritize hiring women
(08:00):
in leadership.
Unrivaled, you had a chance tomake history by hiring several
women coaches.
And instead, you shot anairball.
My dear listeners, some of youhave asked what's the difference
between the airball award andthe flagrant foul award.
(08:20):
Let me break it down.
Airball equals missedopportunity.
You had the chance to make agreat play and you whiffed it.
A flagrant foul equals justplaying well -- wrong.
This isn't just a bad play, it'sexcessive contact, literally or
figuratively, that could causeharm.
Got it?
(08:40):
Good.
Now, let's move on to thisweek's flagrant foul.
And the not-so-coveted flagrantfoul award goes to USC head
coach Lindsey Gottlieb.
Some of you may be thinking,wait, Kaari, didn't Lindsey
Gottlieb win the buzzer beateraward in episode one?
(09:01):
You're absolutely right.
She did.
But hey, in Hollywood they say,just because you won an Oscar
doesn't mean you can't make amovie that stinks.
Side note, I have no idea ifanyone actually says that, but
it felt right.
Anyway, here's the deal.
USC earned a number one seed inthe NCAA tournament, but
(09:22):
Gottlieb felt disrespected bythe selection committee.
Why?
Because her team beat UCLA, theoverall number one seed, twice
in the regular season.
But since they lost to UCLA aweek before Selection Sunday
during the Big Ten tournament,it seems like recency bias
played a role in the committee'sdecision.
(09:44):
Instead of celebrating herteam's ticket to the big dance,
she chose to air herfrustrations publicly.
Look, I get it.
Coaches advocate for theirteams.
But complaining about seeding?
Not a good look.
The selection committee's job isdone.
USC's job?
Prove them wrong on the court.
(10:04):
If USC doesn't win their region,this seeding drama will be
nothing but a painful reminderof a missed opportunity.
And now some final thoughts.
In my 30-plus years followingStanford women's basketball, I
can't recall one time TaraVanderveer publicly complained
(10:25):
about Stanford's tournamentseating.
Did she ever feel slighted?
Absolutely.
Did Stanford fans, myselfincluded, grumble about it?
You bet.
But Tara, she never took thebait.
Even when the media tried to gether to bash the selection
committee, she took the highroad.
And that's just one of thethings that makes Tara
(10:46):
Vanderveer such a legend.
I'm Kaari Peterson, and you'vebeen listening to Her Game Her
Voice.
If you'd like to hear moreepisodes of Her Game Her Voice,
please follow or subscribe tothe podcast.
Subscribing and following thepodcast is a mutually beneficial
thing.
It benefits you because youwon't miss an episode, and it
(11:07):
benefits me because, well, youwon't miss an episode.
Subscribing is easy.
Just go to the Her Game HerVoice show page on Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, or whereveryou get your podcasts.
Tap on the plus sign or click on"follow" to subscribe.
And while you're on the showpage, I would be eternally
grateful if you would take a fewseconds to give Her Game Her
(11:30):
Voice a great rating and orreview.
Thanks again for listening andlet's get hooping!
Hi, I'm Kaari Peterson, and welcome to another episode
of Her Game, Her Voice, thepodcast where I get to amplify
the voices shaping the game bothon and off the court.
Today, I am feelingextraordinary.
This is the time of year when Iclear my calendar for three
epic weeks of basketball.
(00:20):
There is something that's takingmy mood down a notch right now,
and that's Stanford women'sbasketball.
I am in mourning.
Okay.
Maybe not that dramatic, but Idefinitely feel down about it.
For the first time since 1987,Stanford did not make the NCAA
tournament.
Their 36-season tournamentstreak was the second longest in
(00:41):
NCAA history, behind onlyTennessee, who had 42 straight
appearances.
With Stanford's streak ending,UConn now holds the active
record, tying Stanford at 36straight appearances as of this
year.
The next closest streak?
Baylor with 21 consecutiveappearances.
So yeah, I'm feelingdisappointed.
It's going to be strange notseeing Stanford in the
(01:03):
tournament this year, buthonestly, I'm not surprised.
This was Stanford's first seasonwithout coach Tara Vanderveer,
who retired last spring after 38seasons leading the program.
Let's do some fast math on that.
Tara was there for 38 seasons,and Stanford women went to the
tournament 36 times in a row.
(01:24):
That means in her entirecoaching career at Stanford, she
only missed the tournamenttwice.
What a phenomenal record.
Under Tara, Stanford became apowerhouse.
Three national titles, mostrecently in 2021, 14 Final
Fours, and 26 Pac-12 regularseason titles.
(01:44):
Enter the post-Tara era.
Former assistant coach Kay Payetook over as head coach.
Despite a 7-1 start, Stanfordlost five of its next six games
and didn't beat a rankedopponent all season.
They were knocked out in thefirst round of the ACC
tournament by Clemson.
Final season record, 16 winsand 14 losses.
(02:08):
And so, the streak is over.
And that's disappointing.
But while this first yearwithout Vanderveer was rough,
the future is still bright.
Stanford's incoming recruitingclass is ranked third in the
nation by ESPN.
They're bringing in threefive-star recruits, Haley Swain,
Lara Somfai, and AlexandraEschmeyer.
To play for Stanford, you haveto be a great basketball player
(02:31):
and a great student.
So congratulations to thesethree incoming Stanford
freshmen.
Rebuilding Stanford's historicwinning streak will take time,
maybe even decades, but I'mconfident they'll return to the
tournament at some point.
In the meantime, I'll be rootingfor my Michigan State Spartan
women who are seated seventh inthe Spokane region.
(02:52):
Go Green!Now, let's dig into some March
Madness history.
March is already a chaoticmonth.
Tax season, anyone?
But in the basketball world,the madness is legendary.
The phrase March Madness wasfirst coined in 1939, not by a
sports analyst, but by Henry V.
(03:13):
Porter, a high school officialin Illinois.
It didn't actually becomesynonymous with college hoops
until 1982, when CBS broadcasterBrent Musburger casually
dropped it into tournamentcoverage.
And the rest is history.
Now March Madness is as much apart of spring as allergy season
and questionable bracket picks.
(03:34):
One more thing.
Did you know that the NCAAdidn't start calling the women's
college basketball tournamentMarch Madness until 2022?
That's right.
Until that time, the women'stournament was not allowed to
use the term March Madnessbecause the branding strictly
referred to the men's basketballtournament.
(03:57):
In 2022, they expanded thebrands used to the women's
tournament, and they made a bigdeal and patted themselves on
the back about how inclusivethey were being.
But the fact is, it wasn't theNCAA who motivated the expansion
of the March Madness branding.
Basically, they got pressuredby coaches, former college
players, and women's basketballfans about the lack of equity
(04:19):
between the men's and women'sbasketball tournaments.
So they made the change,expanded the brand, and took
credit for it.
But I know, and now you know,that it was the power of the
people who brought on thechange.
If you're watching thetournament, sometimes you'll
hear it referred to as the danceor the big dance.
(04:40):
Wondering where this nicknamecame from?
Well, wonder no more.
It's not because basketballplayers secretly moonlight as
ballroom dancers.
The term comes from legendaryMarquette coach Al McGuire, who
in 1977 told a reporter, yougotta wear the blue blazer when
you go to the big dance.
(05:01):
T ranslation?
If you're in the tournament, youbetter be ready to show up in
style.
Coincidentally, the Marquettemen's team went on to win the
championship that year.
A nd the big dance nicknamestuck.
Another term that gets thrownaround a lot in March is
Cinderella.
Because just like in fairytales, sometimes the unlikeliest
(05:23):
of underdogs gets their magicalmoment in the tournament.
A Cinderella team is alow-seeded squad that defies the
odds and makes an unexpecteddeep tournament run.
Think of it as the basketballversion of the nerdy kid at prom
suddenly becoming the star ofthe dance floor.
And just like in the fairytale, the magic often runs out
(05:45):
at midnight.
Or in this case, the EliteEight.
And now it's time for theawards section of this episode.
This week, the Buzzer BeaterAward goes to...
Detroit's Own Eminem.
Yep.
Slim Shady is stepping up forwomen's basketball.
(06:05):
He's part of a citywide effortto bring the WNBA back to
Detroit.
Why back?
Because Detroit was once home tothe Shock, one of the WNBA's
original expansion teams.
Established in 1998, the DetroitShock won three WNBA
championships, 2003, 2006, and2008, before relocating to Tulsa
(06:30):
in 2009.
Eminem isn't doing this alone.
He's teaming up with DetroitPistons owner Tom Gores and
owners from the Red Wings,Tigers, and Lions.
Having NBA backing is a majoradvantage, considering the
WNBA's three newest franchisesall have NBA owners.
With this star-studded lineup,Detroit has a strong shot at
(06:52):
getting its team back.
Props to Eminem for using hisinfluence to make it happen.
And now...
The Airball Award.
This week's Airball Award goesto Unrivaled Women's Basketball
League.
For those unfamiliar, Unrivaledis a new three-on-three women's
(07:14):
basketball league designed togive WNBA players a competitive
domestic option in theoffseason, meaning that they
don't have to play overseas tomake a living during the WNBA
offseason.
They claim to be all aboutplayer development, and their
coaching hires reflect that.
Except for one giant, glaringissue.
(07:39):
Only two out of the six coachesare women.
Seriously.
A women's league built fromscratch had a golden opportunity
to set a new standard, and theybricked it.
Look, I'd like to say that I'dbe fine with a 50-50 ratio, but
honestly, a women's leagueshould prioritize hiring women
(08:00):
in leadership.
Unrivaled, you had a chance tomake history by hiring several
women coaches.
And instead, you shot anairball.
My dear listeners, some of youhave asked what's the difference
between the airball award andthe flagrant foul award.
(08:20):
Let me break it down.
Airball equals missedopportunity.
You had the chance to make agreat play and you whiffed it.
A flagrant foul equals justplaying well -- wrong.
This isn't just a bad play, it'sexcessive contact, literally or
figuratively, that could causeharm.
Got it?
(08:40):
Good.
Now, let's move on to thisweek's flagrant foul.
And the not-so-coveted flagrantfoul award goes to USC head
coach Lindsey Gottlieb.
Some of you may be thinking,wait, Kaari, didn't Lindsey
Gottlieb win the buzzer beateraward in episode one?
(09:01):
You're absolutely right.
She did.
But hey, in Hollywood they say,just because you won an Oscar
doesn't mean you can't make amovie that stinks.
Side note, I have no idea ifanyone actually says that, but
it felt right.
Anyway, here's the deal.
USC earned a number one seed inthe NCAA tournament, but
(09:22):
Gottlieb felt disrespected bythe selection committee.
Why?
Because her team beat UCLA, theoverall number one seed, twice
in the regular season.
But since they lost to UCLA aweek before Selection Sunday
during the Big Ten tournament,it seems like recency bias
played a role in the committee'sdecision.
(09:44):
Instead of celebrating herteam's ticket to the big dance,
she chose to air herfrustrations publicly.
Look, I get it.
Coaches advocate for theirteams.
But complaining about seeding?
Not a good look.
The selection committee's job isdone.
USC's job?
Prove them wrong on the court.
(10:04):
If USC doesn't win their region,this seeding drama will be
nothing but a painful reminderof a missed opportunity.
And now some final thoughts.
In my 30-plus years followingStanford women's basketball, I
can't recall one time TaraVanderveer publicly complained
(10:25):
about Stanford's tournamentseating.
Did she ever feel slighted?
Absolutely.
Did Stanford fans, myselfincluded, grumble about it?
You bet.
But Tara, she never took thebait.
Even when the media tried to gether to bash the selection
committee, she took the highroad.
And that's just one of thethings that makes Tara
(10:46):
Vanderveer such a legend.
I'm Kaari Peterson, and you'vebeen listening to Her Game Her
Voice.
If you'd like to hear moreepisodes of Her Game Her Voice,
please follow or subscribe tothe podcast.
Subscribing and following thepodcast is a mutually beneficial
thing.
It benefits you because youwon't miss an episode, and it
(11:07):
benefits me because, well, youwon't miss an episode.
Subscribing is easy.
Just go to the Her Game HerVoice show page on Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, or whereveryou get your podcasts.
Tap on the plus sign or click on"follow" to subscribe.
And while you're on the showpage, I would be eternally
grateful if you would take a fewseconds to give Her Game Her
(11:30):
Voice a great rating and orreview.
Thanks again for listening andlet's get hooping!
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