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South Carolina women's basketball: First Four was "bigger than a game" for Howard, UIW

On3 imageby:Chris Wellbaum•03/18/22•

ChrisWellbaum

On3 image
Howard celebrates a First Four victory over UIW (Photo by Gerry Melendez)

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The University of the Incarnate Word has competed in Division I for less than a decade. The Cardinals made the NCAA Tournament for the first time this season, and their stay was equally brief. They were on a flight home before many other teams even arrived at the site of their first-round game, and when the Tournament gets underway in earnest Friday, the Cardinals will be back in San Antonio, probably going to class, not even appearing on most brackets Friday.

Howard University is one of the most celebrated and respected HBCUs in the country, but the Bison athletics programs are probably better known for having poached the Buffalo Bills’ logo for years than any success on the playing field. But the Bison cruised through the MEAC Tournament and Howard earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2001. Then they found out they weren’t even in the field of 64 yet.

Such is life for the First Four. Not just the First Four, the very first First Four. They played Wednesday in a tournament that begins Friday, relegated to what is commonly known as the play-in round.

“I’m going to be transparent about it,” Howard coach Ty Grace said. “We won the conference tournament, and I thought when you win the conference tournament you get an automatic bid, that you don’t have to play in. So for my team, it didn’t matter. I just told them, this is what it is, this is what the situation is and we’re going to go in and compete and we’re going to go in and win the game, whether it was the play-in game, First Four, first round, we don’t care, we came to compete and play.”

Even Dawn Staley, whose Gamecocks awaited the winner, was disappointed. She said she “wasn’t a fan” of expanding the tournament to 68 teams. The move brought the women’s tournament in line with the men’s tournament, which expanded to 68 in 2011. It came in response to criticism of the inequalities faced by the women’s tournament last season. But expansion doesn’t address any of the actual concerns and cynics remained unimpressed.

Then Howard and UIW arrived in Columbia and played the game. 

“That’s why I’m glad people don’t listen to me,” Staley said. “It was awesome.”

Grace and UIW coach Jeff Dow probably wouldn’t like being described as “have-nots” – both praised their administrations for their support – but in the world of college basketball, they are certainly a long way from the upper-class royalty.

According to the Department of Education, Hampton and UIW combined have an enrollment of about 10,000 students. South Carolina’s enrollment is over 26,000. UIW’s basketball budget is less than $150,000, and Howard’s is barely half that at less than $75,000. South Carolina’s budget is almost $1.1 million. 

But for a few days, the Cardinals and Bison were royalty. Dow admitted that he had never been on a chartered flight until the one that brought UIW to Columbia. The Bison flew commercially when they played at SC State during the season, but this time they had the plane all to themselves.

“We feel like superstars,” Brooklynn Fort-Davis said. “Plane ride was nice. It was just us on the plane.”

The creature comforts were nice, but it was the game experience – from the court, to the arena, to the national broadcast – that players and coaches will never forget.

“I don’t want to sound like a fangirl or anything, but I actually am a huge South Carolina fan,” said UIW’s Jaaucklyn Moore. “To potentially get a chance to play them is actually crazy. Honestly just being here is crazy. It feels incredible.”

“When we walked in and saw the court, I mean imagine watching this court, seeing this court every Sunday and now we’re going to be able to play on this court,” said Moore’s teammate Destiny Terrell. “It’s kind of crazy. We’re here. That’s the thing.”

“It’s amazing being here,” Howard’s Krislyn Marsh said. “I’m just in awe. Everywhere I look there’s cameras. Everywhere I’m looking there’s trophies, memorabilia everywhere.”

They got their dose of March Madness, the branding the women’s tournament was allowed to use for the first time, when UIW’s Chloe Storer hit a long buzzer-beating three at the end of the third quarter. That became a staple of highlight shows even though the Cardinals ultimately lost, and Howard got its first NCAA Tournament win in program history. They got their One Shining Moment, and nowhere is there an asterisk that says “play-in game.” Grace struggled to find her words.

“I have soaked it all in. It’s been amazing. It’s not enough words to describe the feeling that we have and I have today and from the week,” she said. “It’s just been a great feeling. I’m overwhelmed, I’m thankful, I’m blessed. It’s just been great. There’s so many words I can’t describe; I end up having a loss.”

Staley and some members of the team were at the game scouting their next opponent, and after the game, they met UIW in the tunnel for a handshake line.

“We were at the game and I was just like, you know, how cool it would be for us to just go congratulate them as they were coming off the floor,” Staley said.

She had come around. Staley was in favor of the First Four. 

“When I said I wasn’t a fan of it I didn’t really visualize the people, the young people, the coaches, and the storylines that came out of it,” Staley said. “Like the young lady from UIW, what she said about fan-girling and being in our arena. That’s pretty darn cool. I mean, shamefully admitting that I didn’t want that to happen. I’m glad that the powers that be thought this was a great thing to do for our game. You know, I’m happy.”

With their season over, UIW decided to gather at the A’ja Wilson statue in front of Colonial Life Arena for pictures Thursday morning. But sophomore guard Destiny Terrell tweeted her disappointment that she had missed her chance to get a picture with Staley, so Dow took a chance. He tweeted at Staley (from an unverified account, of course), asking if she would join the Cardinals for pictures.

“I was like, I’m usually up, so let me just go,” Staley said. “I went and took pictures, and the young lady that said she was fan-girling, she didn’t fan-girl while she was at the statute, but she put it on social media that she got it done. So I think it’s just pretty cool. Met the coach, Jeff, for the first time.”

“I know they didn’t win the game, but they won something much bigger than a game,” Staley continued. “This is them being able to experience what they got to experience here in our arena, in our city, and our state.”

Howard advanced to the “real” tournament, where the Bison will likely be overmatched and blown out by the Gamecocks. But that won’t overshadow the first tournament win, the celebration in the locker room, or adding their name to the bracket.

“It’s a great experience,” Fort-Davis said. “It’s like this week has been great for us. We won a championship and we’re still dancing, the first win in Howard history. This experience is just great, and I’m just living it.”

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