What if I got to watch the game?

One of the primary reasons I stayed home last night was so I could watch the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game between Notre Dame and Baylor. I don't get excited often anymore about basketball games at any level.
I'm old. I've seen it all.
But, I wanted to watch this game because I've felt all season these were probably the two best teams. This was the correct matchup for the final game of the season.
Unfortunately, a storm blew through town around tip-off time. The game was close when my satellite signal was lost. By the time the game came back on, Baylor was celebrating as the final seconds ticked away.
I should've gone to work.
I watched Brittany Griner's highlights and listened to the experts discuss Baylor's chances for a repeat next year. The Lady Bears could easily win it again.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, lost in the finals for the second year in a row. Stanford is still ringless despite five straight trips to the Final Four.
What if Skyler Diggins had chosen Stanford over her hometown team Notre Dame? The Cardinal, from what I understand, was in the running for her services out of high school.
What if Diggins had gone out west to Stanford, which has been the mecca for frontcourt players over the past seven years or so. The Cardinal annually has the biggest, most skilled frontline in the country. And, the weakest, most fragile backcourt.
What if Diggins had gone to Stanford?
1. Notre Dame wouldn't have been to two Final Fours, must less title games.
2. Texas A&M would not have its national championship.
3. The Cardinal might be in the middle of a two, possibly three-year title run.
4. UConn's winning streak might be considerably shorter.
5. Condoleeza Rice would actually smile while watching the games.
Obviously, this is off the top of my head. No research has gone into this column. But, in my opinion, the entire landscape of women's college basketball would be turned upside down if this one player had changed her mind in high school.
The thing is, you could say the same thing about Griner. What if she had gone to Texas instead of Baylor? We'd have one less coaching change, that's for sure.
What if Elena Delle Donne had stayed at Connecticut? Those damn Huskies might have a decade-long winning streak.
What if Tennessee's Shekinna Stricklen, Baylor's Jordan Madden, Ohio State's Ashley Adams and Oklahoma's Morgan Hook had stayed in-state and gone to Arkansas?
What if my dadgum satellite hadn't gone out and I actually got to watch the game?
Recruiting is such a delicate yet crucial part of college sports. Coaches get so much credit but in the end, if you sign Brittany Griner or Skyler Diggins out of high school, you have a better chance of cutting down the nets than if you don't.