The UCLA Women's Basketball Season of Joy Must Come to an End Today
All good things must come to an end, and this season is no exception.
PHOENIX—“I try not to even think about that because it makes me sad,” Lauren Betts said at her press conference yesterday about today’s final game with Kiki Rice. “I'm trying to stay positive and focus on this next game.”
As hard as Betts is trying not to think about it, sometime around 3 pm PT this afternoon, the 2025-26 NCAA women’s college basketball season will come to an end when either South Carolina or UCLA wins the national championship.
When that happens, the Bruins’ season of joy will come to an end.
The UCLA women’s basketball team may still be dancing together, but the Big Dance will be over.
And with it, the legacy this team leaves behind will be written.
It’s really written itself all season long.
The previous thirty times before today, this team has put increased the number in the left column to go along with the six times they won before they lost the only game they have lost so far.
Can they add one more to that left column today?
That will likely come down to the team’s ability to execute the coaches’ game plan, but that won’t be all.
All season long, head coach Cori Close has spoken about her players having a growth mindset. You might think that, the day before the national championship game, the only left for these players to do is execute the game plan to the best of their ability.
You would be wrong.
When I asked Coach Close yesterday whether there’s still room for growth or if today’s game is more of a matter of execution, she replied, “Both.”
Unlike Betts, it wasn’t a deliberate attempt to avoid the finality of this afternoon’s game.
Close explained:
“I think you have to [do both]. You have to let each experience, each scouting report, each interaction teach you. That’s how we built it. It’s just a choice to intentionally grow every single time, every single timeout, every single opportunity. It’s one of our core values.”
“I don’t think that ever stops. And we have to execute. We have to execute at a really high level.”
“I think every game is going to present adversity and opportunities to pivot. We decided to change how we played ball screen coverage in a way that we didn’t prepare for at all in the second half, in the fourth quarter of that game, when they were bringing their five up to go and ball screen action with Rori Harmon. The game required us to make a pivot, to change strategies.”
“I just think there has to be a balance of both: how are we growing, how are we adjusting, how do we strategize to have the best execution we possibly can.”
Always the teacher. Just like Coach Wooden.
The similarities, of course, don’t end there. Close may be the…well…closest thing UCLA has had to Coach Wooden since Coach Wooden. Of course, she has taken his teachings and adapted them for the current era of college sports, which has seen women’s basketball grow exponentially, proving that his teachings are just as relevant today as they were more than 50 years ago when he led the Bruins to those ten NCAA championships.
Let’s take a quick detour for some video from yesterday’s press conferences. Both videos are courtesy of @UCLAAthletics on YouTube.
First up is Lauren Betts. In her lengthy interview which lasted nearly 30 minutes, among the things she discusses are the injury she suffered on Friday and her favorite UCLA class.
Then, we have Coach Close’s interview as well. She discussed a broad range of topics from Tasha Brown (aka “Coach T.”) to South Carolina to the Transfer Portal and other topics.
Now, just because the Bruins’ season of joy will end today, it doesn’t mean these Bruins are ready to stop dancing yet.
Yesterday, on the day off in between the national semifinals and today’s championship game, the NCAA hosted “Super Saturday” where both teams playing this afternoon held a practice session after the interviews with Lauren and Coach Close, and it was open to the public and free to attend.
What a great way to promote the women’s game!
But this “practice” seemed more like a public “thank you” for the fans which showed up. While there was no attendance announcement, the lower bowl of the Mortgage Matchup Center was full of fans. There was one fan who especially stood out because he looked like a fish out of water due to his attire. Of course, he was wearing a “Fight On!” t-shirt. I don’ t know if anyone explained to him that UCLA is playing the other SC for the title and not the Trojans.
When the Bruins took to the court, Betts was mic’d up as she stretched. The players split up at the two baskets so that no one was all that far from one of their favorite Bruins. It never really looked like a true practice session, and a few inclusions made sure of that.
The Bruins showed off their dribbling by sorting into two lines with two balls for each player. They then did a team dance to DJ Casper’s Cha-Cha Slide commonly heard at weddings, all as each player kept dribbling both balls.
Of course, it wasn’t the only dancing yesterday.
As the session was nearing an end, Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Charlisse Leger-Walker gathered near mid-court with the Bruin Spirit Squad to give the fans in attendance the opportunity to see the now-viral dance routine in public.
The session ended with the Bruin players, and even Cori Close, signing autographs for fans in attendance. It resembled one of the autograph sessions Bruin fans are familiar seeing from the football team at the Spring Game with the players signing everything from balls to jerseys to handwritten signs.
The entire time, the players were loving the opportunity to interact with the fans. The joy could be seen on each of their faces as they signed autographs and spoke with fans who had taken the time to show up on a holiday weekend. In fact, the session could serve as a blueprint for a Pauley celebration of this team after they return home to LA.
As the clock struck 3 pm, the team left the court, and their final 24 hours of this season began.
Go Bruins!!! Beat (the other) SC!!! Bring home NC #126!!!
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Thank you Joe (and thank DD too) for bringing us your insights into this truly unique team, coach and culture......I have never been a fan of UCLA women's basketball but after reading your coverage of this team through this remarkable season, it's clear that I have missed a lot, not just in the way of great championship caliber basketball, but as to the "mindset" culture this coach and team has created, which treats mental health and character development as equally important to physical training. Their approach to the game of college basketball and your coverage of it has been illuminating........
Although this is indeed the final game, I think their season of joy will extend just a bit longer if the Lady Bruins can bring home the trophy and celebrate their great accomplishment with their families, friends, alumni, and fans. Appreciate the coverage, and good luck to HC Close and the Lady Bruins!