Betts, Lee and Prince are posting up in women's March Madness. There are fewer players like them

AP All-America center Lauren Betts, Ayoka Lee and Sedona Prince are traditional post players, and all have been in the middle of their teams making it to the Sweet 16 in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

There just may not be as many players like them in the future with more teams opting for flexible posts who play on the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers. Plus, that is how players are now often being taught at younger ages.

‘‘All these young ladies are getting more skilled. They’re able to step away from the basket. They are able to face up and play,‘’ Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said. ‘’I think, as you’re seeing youth basketball progress, that they’re getting more training earlier, where not just to stand in the paint and play. ... The game has evolved."

Even so, these women are excelling inside during this March Madness.

The 6-foot-7 Betts had 30 points and 14 rebounds for top-seeded UCLA in a second-round win over Richmond. The junior has made 63.6% of her 825 career field goal attempts over three years, and has a Bruins single-season record 90 blocked shots.

Prince, also 6-7, combined for 35 points and 14 rebounds to help TCU advance past the second round for the first time.

The 6-6 Lee has 33 points and 19 rebounds while playing only 43 minutes combined in K-State’s two tourney games, after missing 12 of the previous 13 games with a foot injury.

Betts, with career averages of 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds, said it takes more than just having the requisite size to be consistent and successful in the low post.

‘‘Patience has always been my biggest thing," said Betts, in her second season at UCLA after one at Stanford. ‘’When I’m catching it inside, obviously there (are) a few people running at me at a time, so just making sure I’m not rushing myself."

While UCLA coach Cori Close agrees that the game is evolving, the Bruins — who next play fifth-seeded Ole Miss on Friday night — certainly take full advantage of having their dominant center.

‘‘So it just has this domino effect, but it starts with her,‘’ Close said. ‘’The reality for us is that if she gets a touch — people work possessions all the time just to create rotation. Like how are we going to do this, create rotation, flatten out their defense, force them to be in a scramble mode. We have a really good way. We just pass it to Lauren and force that every single time.‘’

Lee was a second-team AP All-American as a junior in 2022, the same year she set an NCAA single-game record with 61 points against Oklahoma, but missed all of the following season because of a knee injury. Her 64.1% field goal percentage this season is a career high, while averaging 15.6 points and 6.4 rebounds playing fewer than 19 minutes a game.

‘‘I definitely have been a more traditional post, and that’s just where my strength lies," Lee said. ‘’Our coaches and our team have done a good job of building a strong guard presence around that. So I haven’t really had to really step out much.‘’

The fifth-seeded Wildcats play top-seeded USC on Saturday night. Earlier that day, second-seeded TCU faces third-seeded Notre Dame for the second time this season.

Prince is among 11 transfers for TCU since coach Mark Campbell took over two years ago after the Horned Frogs went 1-17 in Big 12 games.

Campbell was previously an Oregon assistant and overlapped some of Prince’s time there. Nyara Sabally was then the prominent player inside for the Ducks, but the coach wanted Prince to dominate inside for the Horned Frogs.

‘‘Me and Sedona have had healthy dialog of trying to figure out how to impose her will in games,‘’ Campbell said. ‘’If I let her, she would stay on the perimeter and shoot 3s all game. ... I think the greatest thing she’s improved in is getting comfortable around the basket and imposing her will around the basket."

Prince made the only 3 she has attempted since Christmas, and is 8 for 28 from long range in her career. Neither Betts nor Lee have shot any 3s.

‘‘I was a passer and a shooter (at Oregon), and that’s why I got really good at that like 12- to 15-foot range shot," Prince said. “So coming here, Mark and I had the conversation of like, you need to get really, really good at catching the ball deep in the post and making simple post moves, but take advantage of being 6-7, getting stronger. Yeah, it’s fun.‘’

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.