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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The 2022 <keyword id="13568780" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba-draft" source="Orion">WNBA Draft</keyword> will see hoops dreams realized Monday starting at 7 p.m. ET.</li><li>Top prospects <keyword id="13391711" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nalyssa-smith" source="Orion">NaLyssa Smith</keyword>, <keyword id="13596931" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="veronica-burton" source="Orion">Veronica Burton</keyword>, and <keyword id="13596932" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lexie-hull" source="Orion">Lexie Hull</keyword> spoke to Insider ahead of the draft.</li></ul><p><keyword id="11896033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba" source="Orion">WNBA</keyword> Draft day is upon us, and a handful of college stars are preparing to realize their lifelong dreams of becoming professional basketball players.</p><p>Three of the best-known prospects — <keyword id="12055088" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="baylor-bears" source="Orion">Baylor Bears</keyword> forward NaLyssa Smith, Northwestern Wildcats point guard Veronica Burton, and Stanford Cardinal shooting guard Lexie Hull — spoke to Insider about their mindsets leading up to the big day and what it would mean to hear their names called at the draft.</p><div type="image" title="NaLyssa Smith." height="1333" width="2000" msid="90786346" hostid="261"></div><p>Smith, who is projected to be among the top three picks in this year's draft, expressed confidence about her professional basketball prospects. And while she said it would be "a blessing regardless" to hear her name called Monday night, she's set her eyes on the top of the board.</p><p>"<a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-draft-2022-nalyssa-smith-deserves-number-one-pick-2022-4">I deserve to be the number one pick</a>," Smith said.</p><p>The 2019 NCAA champion and two-time All-America selection cited "all the time and energy I've put into the game of basketball" as part of her reasoning for going first overall while speaking to Insider about <a href="https://www.insider.com/womens-college-basketball-stars-reflect-ncaa-weight-room-scandal-2022-3">her NIL partnership with Wingstop</a>. And that hard work and dedication shows up in her statistics and highlight reels; the 6-foot-4 forward averaged 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over her four years at Baylor, becoming one of just eight Bears players to record 2,000+ career points and the seventh to do so while also accumulating 1,000 career rebounds.</p><div type="image" title="NaLyssa Smith." height="1407" width="2500" msid="90786347" hostid="261"></div><p>This year, Smith averaged a team-high 22.1 points and 11.5 boards en route to a Baylor single-season record 25 double-doubles. Her 403 rebounds on the year were the most from a Bears player in more than 40 years, and the Texas native hinted that her style of play — and sheer dominance in the post — was inspired by two of the greatest bigs to ever play in the WNBA.</p><p>"I was always a Sparks fan growing up because of Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie," Smith said.</p><p>Burton, meanwhile, spent four years dominating the other end of the court for Northwestern. One of the best defensive guards in this year's draft, the 5-foot-9 point guard led the nation with four steals per game this season en route to becoming a third-team All-America selection.</p><div type="image" title="Veronica Burton." height="1406" width="2500" msid="90786348" hostid="261"></div><p>After averaging a team-high 17.8 points and 6.4 assists per contest with 5.5 rebounds per game to boot in her senior season, Burton watched in disappointment as her Wildcats fell on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. She told Insider that the snub will help fuel her as she moves on to the pros.</p><p>"It was definitely pretty tough to not hear our name on Selection Sunday," Burton said of Northwestern. "But it for sure fueled me for whatever is to come next for me, and from seeing the disappointment on my teammates' faces I know they'll use it as motivation for the future as well."</p><p>A stint in the WNBA is likely on the horizon, as Burton is projected to be among the first 15 players picked in Monday night's draft. Experts at <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2022/4/7/22986574/wnba-2022-mock-draft-rhyne-howard-nalyssa-smith-shakira-austin-nyara-sabally-destanni-henderson">SB Nation</a>, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/2022-wnba-mock-draft-2-0-dream-take-rhyne-howard-no-1-after-blockbuster-trade-destanni-henderson-to-aces/">CBS</a>, and <a href="https://winsidr.com/2022/04/wnba-mock-draft-3-0/">Winsidr</a> all expect the Wildcats star to be taken in the first round, according to their most recent mock drafts, while <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10032303-2022-wnba-mock-draft-full-2-round-predictions-no-1-pick-trade-breakdown">Bleacher Report's Jackie Powell</a> has Burton going the highest at sixth overall.</p><div type="image" title="Veronica Burton." height="1406" width="2500" msid="90786349" hostid="261"></div><p>But the Newton, Massachusetts, native isn't all that concerned with how quickly her name is called. She's just interested in landing somewhere she has a chance to make "an impact" and snag one of the highly coveted roster spots.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"It would mean a lot to hear my name called come Draft night," Burton told Insider. "Being able to experience a night where all your hard work is celebrated is extremely special.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"I really am not focused on what round or what number I get called," she added. "Any opportunity is all I could ask for."</p><div type="image" title="Lexie Hull." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90786350" hostid="261"></div><p style="font-weight: 400;">After four standout years playing for Tara VanDerveer's Stanford squad, Hull has a similar outlook on Monday night's draft. The prolific shooting guard has already made her case to the powers that be in the pros: Her career stat line of 11.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game — plus two regular-season Pac-12 titles, three conference tournament trophies, and an NCAA championship — speaks for itself.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">But the draft is just a reflection of what she's already accomplished. Hull knows that the tough part comes after the picks come in. </p><p style="font-weight: 400;">"It would mean the world to me able to walk on the stage at the draft, but I am hungry for any pick because I know that regardless of where I'm taken, there is a lot more important work to do," Hull told Insider. "I am excited for an opportunity to try out for any WNBA team and have the chance to play with the best players in the world."</p><div type="image" title="Lexie Hull." height="1399" width="2103" msid="90786351" hostid="261"></div><p style="font-weight: 400;">"I am excited for the draft, but I know that the draft is the first step of many to making a team and not necessarily the most important," she added.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Smith, Burton, and Hull will be among a pool of 108 players hoping to hear their names called as one of the 36 picks at the 2022 WNBA Draft. But as the Cardinal star insinuated, the journey from draft pick to a roster spot is arguably even more arduous; even some lottery picks have failed to make the cut in years past.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Still, getting drafted is a huge step on the path to the pros. Fans can tune in Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN to watch it all unfold at the 2022 WNBA Draft.</p>

3 WNBA draft prospects express what it would mean to hear their names called to go pro

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Stanford's <keyword id="13418664" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fran-belibi" source="Orion">Fran Belibi</keyword> rose up for a one-handed jam in the Cardinal's first <keyword id="12832958" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="march-madness" source="Orion">March Madness</keyword> matchup.</li><li>It was the first women's <keyword id="11932023" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ncaa" source="Orion">NCAA</keyword> tournament dunk since 2013, when Brittney Griner threw one down for Baylor.</li></ul><p>For the first time in nine years, a <keyword id="11964518" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womens-basketball" source="Orion">women's basketball</keyword> player dunked during March Madness.</p><p>Stanford star Fran Belibi rose up for the slam early in the reigning NCAA champion Cardinal's first-round rout of 16-seeded Montana State. After swatting down a three-point attempt on the defensive end, Belibi scooped up the loose ball, dribbled the length of the floor, then threw down the one-handed jam to cap off the brilliant play.</p><p>Check out the highlight below:</p><p>The slam was just the third dunk in women's NCAA tournament history.</p><p>WNBA superstar Candace Parker — who won two national championships with Pat Summitt's Tennessee Volunteers — threw down the first-ever women's March Madness dunk in 2006. Seven years later, Brittney Griner — the seven-time <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-russia-return-strategy-wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-2022-3">WNBA All-Star currently being held in Russian detention</a> — dunked in the tournament while <a href="https://www.insider.com/kim-mulkey-tried-fire-reporter-brittney-griner-hide-sexuality-baylor-2021-4">competing for Kim Mulkey's Baylor Bears</a>.</p><p>Belibi's teammates went wild on the bench after their 6-foot-1 center added her name to the very exclusive list of women's tourney dunkers. And, as it turns out, they were part of Belibi's inspiration to go for the slam rather than a run-of-the-mill layup.</p><p>"My teammates have been getting on me because I haven't dunked yet this year," Belibi told ESPN after the game. "And so I saw the opportunity and decided I might as well try."</p><p>The 20-year-old also noted that the team enjoyed having a "full house" at their home arena of Maples Pavilion, so she wanted to give them something special in return.</p><p>"To be able to do it in a game and to have all those fans with us and to hear the crowd [cheer] for, it was a really long time," Belibi said during the post-game press conference. "It was like 30 seconds. That's a long time to be cheering. And just to hear how loud it was in there, that was definitely a highlight."</p><p>One of Belibi's teammates, senior guard Lexie Hull, was amped to watch the moment unfold from the court. She said she was thinking "Do it, do it, do it!" as Belibi was dribbling up court, "and then when she did it, I was so excited."</p><div type="image" title="Stanford players celebrate with Fran Belibi after she dunked in an NCAA tournament game." height="1927" width="2500" msid="90326763" hostid="261"></div><p>"Thinking back on plays, people don't remember, 'Oh, it was a really cool three-point shot or it was a great shot,'" Hull added. "People remember the dunks. I remember every single one of Fran's. To be right there was super cool and definitely a memory I'll have forever."</p><p>But Tara VanDerveer — Stanford's Hall of Fame head coach — was more inclined to downplay the historic moment.</p><p>"I mean, it's two points," VanDerveer said. "And I know it was fun for the crowd because the game maybe was a little bit out of hand at that point, maybe not too much. But it's exciting. I'm glad that she can do that."</p><div type="image" title="Belibi (left) hugs Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer after the Cardinal's 2022 Pac-12 tournament victory." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90326764" hostid="261"></div><p>"But I did remind her that it's two points and the next play down, there was a girl that got a lay-up, and it was her girl, so I was like, 'Come on, Fran,'" she added. "But really, it adds some excitement, and she had a great game rebounding... I'm really happy for her, and the team was crazy in the locker room for her."</p><p>Belibi and her Cardinal teammates walked away from Friday night's game with a 41-point win. They'll move on to face the eighth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks Sunday at 9 p.m. ET with a trip to the Sweet Sixteen on the line</p>

Stanford star throws down the first women's NCAA tournament dunk in nearly a decade

<ul class="summary-list"><li>All of <keyword id="12145742" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sue-bird" source="Orion">Sue Bird</keyword>'s Final Four picks are still alive heading into the second weekend of March Madness.</li><li>Unsurprisingly, the WNBA superstar chose her alma mater — the <keyword id="12096003" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="uconn-huskies" source="Orion">UConn Huskies</keyword> — to win it all.</li></ul><p>Sue Bird is riding high heading into the second weekend of March Madness.</p><p>All of the WNBA superstar's Final Four picks on the women's side of the bracket are headed to the Sweet 16.  Unsurprisingly, the two-time NCAA champion is taking her alma mater, the UConn Huskies, to win it all.</p><p>"I'm feeling good about UConn," Bird told Insider before the start of the tournament. "They had a little bit of a slog of a season given injuries, given there was some COVID disruptions at different points, not unlike a lot of other teams... This was a year where there was a lot of highs and lows. And I think what that does is prepare you for the really big moments. So I'm just hoping all of those things come together for them."</p><div type="image" title="Bueckers (right) and freshman guard Azzi Fudd." height="1658" width="2500" msid="90424427" hostid="261"></div><p>"Of course, it's my alma mater, so I'm picking them to win regardless," she added. "But I actually think they have a very talented team, and I think they're trending in the right direction."</p><p>Bird's other three selections for the Final Four are looking pretty strong, too. The top overall seed — the <keyword id="12137456" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="south-carolina-gamecocks" source="Orion">South Carolina Gamecocks</keyword> — entered the tournament with just two losses on the season, and now Dawn Staley's squad is rolling through the Greensboro corner of the bracket.</p><p>The Gamecocks dominated the Howard Bison with a whopping 58-point victory in their opening-round game, then took down a surging Miami Hurricanes squad by 16 points, despite shooting a season-low 29.5% from the field. They'll take on the fifth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels Friday and, should they win, advance to face the winner of Iowa State vs. Creighton for a trip to Minneapolis.</p><div type="image" title="Aliyah Boston." height="1405" width="1874" msid="90424429" hostid="261"></div><p>Bird picked the one seed in the Spokane region, too: The reigning champion <keyword id="13418665" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="stanford-cardinal" source="Orion">Stanford Cardinal</keyword> have been even more dominant on their side of the bracket than South Carolina has been through its first two games.</p><p>Stanford beat Montana State by 41 to start its title defense, and two days later, the Cardinal racked up 91 points behind Lexie Hull's 36-point showing to blow out the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks. A strong, high-octane Maryland Terrapins squad awaits them in the Sweet 16, and if they survive, they'll meet the No. 2 Texas Longhorns or No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Elite Eight.</p><p>"Stanford's a defending champion that, even though they lost Kiana Williams, they're all a year older," Bird said. "So Stanford's gonna be tough."</p><div type="image" title="Stanford's Haley Jones (right) high-fives teammate Lexie Hull." height="1666" width="2222" msid="90424432" hostid="261"></div><p>The 12-time WNBA All-Star rounded out her Final Four picks with the Michigan Wolverines — a three-seed — coming out of the Wichita Region. Though Michigan is the lowest-ranked team of all her picks, Bird thinks that two-time first-team All-American Naz Hillmon and company have what it takes to advance to Minneapolis.</p><p>The Wolverines started their run with a 35-point win over American, then took down Maddy Siegrist and a strong No. 11 Villanova Wildcats team by double digits. They'll face a Cinderella team in the No. 10 South Dakota Coyotes on Saturday and then, should they win, face the winner of No. 1 Louisville and No. 4 Tennessee in the Elite Eight.</p><p>"Michigan's my dark horse," Bird explained. "They beat [No. 2] Baylor earlier in the year.... For some reason I think Michigan might come out [of the region], but I do think South Carolina will beat them."</p><div type="image" title="Michigan's Naz Hillmon grabs a rebound." height="1666" width="2222" msid="90424434" hostid="261"></div><p>"I'm hoping to see a South Carolina-UConn final," she added. "I think that'll be tremendous for women's basketball. I think it'll draw so many eyeballs. It'll be like a battle of styles. They play such different styles. So that is what I hope happens."</p><p>The next round of the women's tournament tips off Friday, with Ohio State-Texas and North Carolina-South Carolina at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Creighton-Iowa State and Maryland-Stanford at 9:30 p.m.</p><p>Notre Dame-NC State picks up the action at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with Indiana-UConn, Tennessee-Louisville, and South Dakota-Michigan coming staggered throughout the afternoon and early evening. Fans can catch all games on ESPN networks.</p>

Sue Bird's Final Four picks are still intact despite the chaotic opening weekend of women's March Madness

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3 WNBA draft prospects express what it would mean to hear their names called to go pro

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Stanford star throws down the first women's NCAA tournament dunk in nearly a decade

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Sue Bird's Final Four picks are still intact despite the chaotic opening weekend of women's March Madness

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