You recognize the celebs.
Paige Bueckers. Lauren Betts. Madison Booker. Chloe Kitts.
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It is the Closing 4 and all eyes will probably be on the massive names as they enter the largest weekend of their lives.
However there’s one other star that needs to be on everybody’s radar by now.
And she or he resides in Westwood.
A star that sits within the shadows of her crosstown rival, JuJu Watkins, and even behind one in all her personal teammates, in Betts.
However the different star that dons the letters U-C-L-A throughout her chest, KiKi Rice, is able to take the Bruins someplace they’ve by no means gone earlier than.
Overlook the Closing 4, Rice and the primary total seeded Bruins need the entire rattling factor.
UCLA completed the common season 30-2, with each losses coming by the hands of Watkins and the USC Trojans.
Nevertheless, Rice and the Bruins avenged their two blemishes by defeating Watkins and the Trojans within the Huge Ten convention championship sport earlier this month.
The women of Westwood have blazed via the event and now discover themselves of their first Closing 4 in program historical past.
The 21-year-old junior level guard not too long ago sat down in an unique interview with Boardroom to speak about the whole lot from her rivalry with Watkins, to their pursuit of a championship, to being Jordan Model’s first-ever NIL athlete.
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The UCLA males’s basketball program is essentially the most profitable program in school basketball historical past, with a record-high 11 nationwide titles.
Rice and the ladies of Westwood are in pursuit of their first.
“I’m envisioning confetti, holding the trophy, pleasure,” Rice stated.
“I see the sense of pleasure in my teammates and coaches. Hopefully we get it completed.”
Rice went on to speak concerning the wholesome rivalry that she has with Watkins and the way vital it’s for ladies’s school basketball.
“To have an awesome rivalry in a extremely vital place within the nation is one thing that’s going to proceed to develop the game,” she stated.
March Insanity High Tales
“Each time we play them, we all know we’re each going to stand up for the sport. To see 14,000 individuals in Pauley, a sold-out enviornment for a girls’s basketball sport, is one thing that none of us take calmly.”
Rice signed with Jordan on the younger age of 19 and has since added a wide range of corporations and enterprise to her NIL portfolio, however on the similar time she has tried to maintain the whole lot in perspective.
“These days within the NIL world, generally you’ll be able to come throughout people who find themselves very transactional,” Rice stated.
“I need to take pleasure in life and never focus an excessive amount of on these transactional issues when there’s additionally rather a lot for me to concentrate on and need to develop in elsewhere.”
The Bruins have the expertise to deliver dwelling the nationwide title.
They’re simply two wins away.
Rice and Betts have carried the best way thus far, however now comes their greatest check.
Going through off in opposition to Bueckers and the Connecticut Huskies on Friday evening, with a visit to the nationwide championship on the road.
It is the place historical past is written and legends are made.
Time for the Bruins to fulfill the second.
Methods to watch March Insanity within the UK
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March Insanity is likely one of the most fun instances of the yr for basketball followers, with a complete of 68 groups battling it out to grow to be the Division 1 school champions.
This yr UConn have the possibility to grow to be solely the second crew ever to finish a March Insanity three-peat, having emerged victorious for the final two years.
talkSPORT may have the newest information on the event, however for UK basketball followers the best way to observe is thru Sky Sports activities. The broadcaster will probably be exhibiting EVERY March Insanity sport via their Sky Sports activities + streaming service.
Click on right here to enroll to a Sky Sports activities subscription, or learn our article on the very best Sky Sports activities offers obtainable now.