This yr’s record-breaking ladies’s NCAA Tournament featured breakout stars, upsets and capped off with the flamboyant Kim Mulkey main LSU to its first basketball championship.

Mulkey’s unforgettable outfits have been simply certainly one of a number of memorable moments. There was Caitlin Clark’s 40-point triple-double within the Elite Eight sport, the drama of South Carolina’s quest to finish the newest undefeated season and two No. 1 seeds being knock off earlier than the Sweet 16.

It led to the very best attendance ever within the event’s historical past to go together with stellar TV scores in each spherical. The timing couldn’t be higher for the game. It all may result in ladies’s basketball getting a separate TV deal when the contract expires subsequent summer season.

Here’s a take a look at among the high moments from the event:

FIERY FASHIONISTA

Mulkey is rarely laborious to overlook on the sideline along with her feisty method and reactions to referees and her gamers. The coach’s flamboyant apparel takes her presence to a distinct degree, and her Final Four outfits actually stood out.

For the nationwide semifinal sport, Mulkey arrived in a carnation pink high with a flower-like puffs alongside the whole sleeves, a designer-made high much like what her 2-year-old granddaughter wore. Even the LSU mascot was noticed in pink apparel.

The coach wore a glittery, golden, tiger-striped outfit throughout the championship sport. Her group have been the golden women, profitable the first basketball championship in class historical past.

DAZZLING CLARK

Clark set an NCAA Tournament file by scoring 191 factors over Iowa’s six video games, surpassing Sheryl Swoopes’ 177 factors for Texas Tech in 1993 — and Glen Rice’s 184 for Michigan within the 1989 males’s event.

Before 30 factors within the championship sport, the 6-foot Iowa-born Clark was the primary participant within the ladies’s event with back-to-back 40-point video games. That included her eleventh profession triple-double within the regional closing in opposition to Louisville, earlier than one other 41 factors in opposition to beforehand undefeated South Carolina within the nationwide semifinal sport.

HISTORY DENIED

South Carolina was making an attempt to turn out to be the tenth ladies’s group to run by a season undefeated and the primary college to win consecutive titles since UConn gained 4 straight from 2013-16. The Gamecocks have been denied that probability, dropping to Iowa within the Final Four behind a stellar effort from Clark.

END OF AN ERA

UConn’s run of 14 consecutive Final Four look got here to an finish within the Elite Eight when Ohio State compelled the Huskies into 18 first-half turnovers with full-court strain protection. The Huskies hadn’t missed enjoying within the nationwide semifinals since 2007.

NEW FORMAT

The NCAA modified its regional format this yr going to 2 websites as an alternative of the normal 4. It acquired robust critiques from gamers and coaches and followers alike. There ended up being a file attendance for that spherical with extra followers exhibiting up in Seattle — which had no group inside 1,300 miles of the venue — than Greenville, South Carolina.

’CANES WERE COOKING

Miami did extra than simply be a part of historical past by knocking out No. 1 seed Indiana earlier than the Sweet 16. The Hurricanes beneath coach Katie Meier ousted Villanova and ended nationwide scoring chief Maddy Siegrist’s profession to succeed in the Elite Eight for the primary time. The champs from LSU ended Miami’s run with a muddy 54-42 win within the regional finals.

THIRST FOR FIRSTS

Virginia Tech was a first-time participant within the Final Four, which had a pair of first-time finalists after LSU beat the top-seeded Hokies and Clark’s Hawkeyes ousted undefeated defending nationwide champion South Carolina. It was already assured earlier than the ultimate that the champion could be one thing apart from a No. 1 seed for the primary time since 2011.

UPSETTING PERFORMANCES

Stanford and Indiana each fell within the second spherical turning into the second pair of No. 1 seeds to not make the Sweet 16 for the reason that event expanded to 64 groups in 1994. It additionally occurred in 1998. The Cardinal have been stymied on their dwelling courtroom by Mississippi’s protection. They by no means led the second-round sport and had their streak of 14 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances ended. The Hoosiers misplaced at Assembly Hall the subsequent evening, when Miami’s Destiny Harden made the game-winning shot with 3.5 seconds left.