LSU, No. 1 Iowa meet in epic Elite Eight battle
ALBANY, N.Y. - Was there ever any doubt?
Caitlin Clark certainly didn’t act like it as she got to the rim at will and handed out assists like candy on Halloween. Angel Reese didn’t act like it as she recorded her 26th double-double of the season and proclaimed: “The best team won tonight. Also the best individuals on the team won as well.”
The most anticipated matchup of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament is officially set after both Iowa and LSU took care of business Saturday, setting up a rematch of last year’s national championship game in the Albany Region 2 final. Iowa was never in danger during a 89-68 landslide over Colorado at MVP Arena, which came after LSU weathered a second-half rally by UCLA to earn a 78-69 victory. The teams will tip off at 7 p.m. Monday.
“We’re excited,” Clark said. “Anytime you have a chance to go up against somebody you lost to, it brings a little more energy. … I think overall it’s just going to be a really great game for women’s basketball.”
Now the two most recognizable faces in college basketball - Clark and Reese - will meet one last time as amateurs with a trip to the Final Four on the line. They have been here before, when even more was at stake and last year’s victor walked away with a ring. That would be Reese - who pointed to her ring finger in the waning moments of the title game - and the Tigers. The final score read LSU 102, Iowa 85.
“We have a purpose, and our purpose is to get to the championship,” Reese said. “We’re the good villains. Everybody wants to beat LSU. Everybody wants to be LSU. Everybody wants to play against LSU.
“You’ve got to realize, like, we’re not any regular basketball team. Like Coach [Kim Mulkey] talks about it all the time, she calls us the Beatles. … We’re impacting the game so much, and all of us are super competitive and want to win and do whatever it takes to win. We’re just changing the game.”
Meanwhile, Clark has at most three games left in the most prolific collegiate career in the game’s history. The NCAA’s Division I all-time leading scorer for men and women finished with 29 points, 15 assists and six rebounds against Colorado. She also surpassed Courtney Vandersloot’s 1,118 assists to move into third all-time. The four-time all-American probably will be named Associated Press Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and has accomplished just about everything possible on the college basketball court. The only thing missing is a national championship.
“This is where I’m supposed to be,” Clark said. “I have 13 amazing teammates that have my back. These are the moments you’ve worked so hard for. This is what you’ve put the time in for in the gym all by yourself and with your teammates. I guess it’s just kind of like go let your work shine, go have fun, go have a blast, and win or lose, there’s a lot to hold your head high about.”
Iowa fans, who have taken over arenas all over the country, did so again Saturday and started streaming down the aisles to closer seats before the LSU-UCLA game had even finished. An audible inhale of anticipation can be heard when Clark crosses half-court and pulls up from the logo. There’s an audible sound of shock when it doesn’t go in, as if every one of her attempts is expected to rip the twine. The consternation among the group was minimal Saturday because the game was never in doubt. The Hawkeyes had a muted celebration at center court afterward, and Clark and Co. waved to all the black and gold that blanketed the stands, but they expected to be in this position.
All five Iowa starters scored in double figures, and the Buffaloes led for all of 14 seconds. Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder was thrilled with her squad’s complete performance, but she also knew people outside the program were more focused on the possible duel with the Tigers.
Iowa will enter Monday’s game as the top scoring team in the country (92.0 points per game), with LSU second (86.1). Reese is expected to be a first-round WNBA draft pick whenever she decides to leave school, and sophomore Flau’Jae Johnson has developed into one of the most dangerous two-way guards in the country. Clark will be the No. 1 pick in a couple of weeks, and sophomore Hannah Stuelke has grown into a needed sidekick in the post.
The meeting may not have been inevitable, but it was certainly expected.
“I think everybody is pretty excited for it,” Bluder said. “Twelve million people tuned in last year to see this game. Might be the same this time. Who knows. I know that these are two really good basketball teams, and it’s almost unfortunate they’re meeting this early.”