Georgia Tech Women's HC Nell Fortner Criticizes NCAA over Substandard Treatment

Georgia Tech women's basketball coach Nell Fortner criticized the NCAA for differences in the way men's and women's players were treated during the Big Dance.

"Thank you for using the three biggest weeks of your organization's year to expose exactly how you feel about women's basketball—an afterthought," she wrote.

This comes after Heather Dinich of ESPN reported NCAA President Mark Emmert wrote a letter to staff admitting "a number of balls were dropped" when it came to the organization's treatment of the women's players.

Emmert also said the NCAA will review the differences between the men's tournament in Indiana and the women's tournament in Texas.

The topic first gained national prominence on social media when Oregon's Sedona Prince and others pointed out the discrepancies in weight rooms, gift bags and more:

Alex Azzi of NBC Sports summarized the situation, pointing to differences between the COVID-19 tests available for the men's and women's players, the food available and even the branding on the court.

Most of the courts available for the women's tournament did not even feature NCAA branding, while the Final Four logo for the women's tournament included the word "women's."

On the court, Fortner's Yellow Jackets defeated West Virginia 73-56 in Tuesday's second-round game. Lotta-Maj Lahtinen (22 points) and Lorela Cubaj (21 points and 12 rebounds) led the way for Georgia Tech, which advanced to the Sweet 16 with the win.