The NCAA basketball season continues because the almighty dollar outweighs health

Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, who returned for Saturday for the first time since Dec. 19, said she feels physically fit after experiencing COVID-19. But when asked if he worries about the season ending in the middle of a pandemic, he didn’t say a word.

“The answer is this: the season will continue. It’s called the Almighty Dollar,” Mulkey said after the Lady Bears lost 75-71 to Iowa State in Waco, Texas, ending the longest home win streak. of Division I women’s basketball in 61 games. “The NCAA has to have the almighty dollar in the men’s tournament. The almighty dollar is more important than the health and well-being of me, the players, or anyone else.

“A conference does that, a conference does that. The CDC says it. Everyone is confused. I’m confused. I’m uncomfortable as a coach. I understand COVID is real. I’ve had it. Come talk to me sometime But no I know … all the calls and paperwork, this will continue and make it unusual, awkward for every show. At Baylor we are no different. “

Mulkey contracted COVID-19 on Christmas Day after contacting a family member who tested positive. He missed Baylor’s last No. 6 game, Jan. 2 at TCU, and then joined the team to practice Jan. 4 after multiple negative tests.

But after a positive test run that day, the entire Baylor show was paused on Jan. 5, canceling Lady Bears’ non-conference clash with UConn on Jan. 7 and postponing the Big 12 games against Kansas State (January 10) and Kansas (January 13). Baylor, 8-2, were without guard DiJonai Carrington and striker Caitlin Bickle on Saturday as those players are still in quarantine.

The rest of the Baylor players came out of the break on Friday and did their first workout in two weeks with Mulkey on match day. He gave maximum recognition to the Cyclones to end Lady Bears ’streak, saying Baylor could probably beat some opponents with this little preparation, but not the state of Iowa.

“This team has 3 points that expose us: this team has a great workout,” he said. “It was the perfect time for what you saw to happen.”

Saturday was the second time the Cyclones beat Waco; the first was in 1997, in the inaugural season of Big 12. Mulkey praised Cyclones star Ashley Joens (27 points, 12 rebounds) and coach Bill Fennelly, who also beat Baylor 57-56 on last March in Ames, Iowa. In that game, Joens got the winning free throw and finished with the winning streak of Season 12 of the 58-game Big 12 of Lady Bears.

Baylor’s loss on Saturday meant the two longest streak of active wins in women’s basketball ended the same week. The Iowa women, who finished second behind Baylor with 42 straight wins, lost Wednesday in overtime against Ohio State.

It was a huge win for Iowa State (9-4) against the team that has won or shared the last 10 titles of the Big 12 regular season and has three NCAA championships. Joens, junior goalkeeper / striker, is the top scorer in the Big 12 with 24.6 points per game. That 1997 cyclone victory in Waco came before he was born.

“It feels great when you can get a win like this,” Joens said. “Everyone did their job, they all executed. Knowing we can compete at the highest level with these types of teams gives us some confidence for the rest of the season.”