Missy Heidrick

Amidst the confetti shower and celebratory TikTok dances, reality now sets in – this installment of the college basketball season has come to an end. Back in October 2025, we did our best to predict who would be part of the storylines for the upcoming year in the women’s game. There were new head coaches, transfers landing in new programs and key players who would be spectators only as they recover from injury.

Every year the NCAA Tournament is a master class in showing us the joy of winning and the heartbreak of defeat. Only four programs wake up today knowing their season continues. Players, coaches and support staffs are frantically packing and coordinating with family, friends and university leaders about tickets, sendoffs and alumni events. For the 358 other basketball programs across the country, each person associated with them now feels the reality of having their season and/or career be over.

Every year in the NCAA Tournament, the biggest plays are the ones that we remember – the buzzer beaters, the missed free throws, or the clutch three from the corner to seal the win. Players, coaches and fans live and die by those moments. There is also a special group of people that we only hear, who capture it with passion and etch it in our memories – the loyal radio crews of our favorite teams. These dedicated, hardworking people spend as much time with the coaches and players as anyone.