Iowa guard Caitlin Clark celebrates during her team’s win over LSU in a regional final Monday in Albany, New York. Clark and the Hawkeyes take on perennial powerhouse UConn in the semifinals Friday in Cleveland. Mary Altaffer/Associated Press
Women’s basketball is having itself a moment as March Madness heads to the Final Four on Friday night.
A year ago, 9.9 million people tuned in to see Angel Reese and LSU beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa in a national championship game made unforgettable by the two stars who backed up their talk with stellar play. The game was on a national network – ABC – for the first time since 1996.
This season, Clark and Reese were back for more and Iowa won a thrilling rematch in the Elite Eight behind 41 points from Clark, as more than 12 million people watched in a record for a women’s college basketball game on Monday night. The Hawkeyes next face Paige Bueckers and UConn in one semifinal on Friday night. In the other, North Carolina State will take on No. 1 overall seed South Carolina, which hasn’t lost all season and has a chance to become the 10th perfect national champion.
Clark has been the talk of the sport all season after becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division I history and selling out venues wherever Iowa went. She will share the stage in Cleveland this weekend.
SEMIFINALS
South Carolina vs. N.C. State, 7 p.m.: The Wolfpack weren’t even ranked in the preseason, but they climbed to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 by December and have been one of the top teams in the country for months. Clark, Bueckers, Reese and USC’s JuJu Watkins have been in the spotlight, but N.C. State guard Aziaha “Zaza” James is a star, scoring 29 points and then 27 in the past two games. The undefeated Gamecocks, meanwhile, are deep and relentless, getting 22 points from center Kamilla Cardoso in the Sweet 16 against Indiana and then 15 from Tessa Johnson in the next game to advance to the semifinals.
Iowa vs. UConn, 9:30 p.m.: The Friday night lights will be bright for the Clark vs. Bueckers show, two standout guards who make their teammates shine. Clark’s scoring has been the talk of the sport, but she also leads the nation in assists per game, while Bueckers is back in MVP form for the Huskies, who are in their record 23rd Final Four.
HOW TO WATCH
Every game of the women’s tournament has been aired on ESPN’s networks and streaming services, with select games on ABC. ESPN has the semifinals, while the title game Sunday afternoon will be back on ABC, just like last season.
BETTING GUIDE
South Carolina is the overwhelming favorite to win its second title in three years and third overall, all since 2017, under Coach Dawn Staley. Behind the Gamecocks, in order, are Iowa, UConn and N.C. State, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AP AWARDS
Clark was honored Thursday as The Associated Press Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Clark received 35 votes from the 36-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. Cameron Brink of Stanford received the other vote. Voting was done before March Madness began.
Clark is the sixth player to win the award more than once, and the fifth to do it in consecutive seasons.
The NCAA Division I career scoring leader set numerous records while helping Iowa reach the Final Four for a second consecutive season.
Clark’s play with her logo-depth 3-pointers and dazzling passes has captured the hearts of fans who showed up by the thousands wearing her No. 22 jersey whether Iowa was at home or on the road all season.
“I think that’s the best part about what I get to do. I grew up having those role models and aspiring to be where I am today,” Clark said. “It’s super special to see your impact not only in the state of Iowa but across the country. … To be able to have that impact on the next generation is really special, and you just hope to dream and aspire to be like you one day and chase after all their dreams.”
Opposing coaches have called her a generational talent and tried to stifle her creativity and scoring, but she averaged 31.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists during the regular season. In four NCAA Tournament games, she’s averaging 32.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 10 assists.
“I feel like I’ve talked about her, like used every word imaginable to describe her,” said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder. “She is spectacular. I don’t know how else to describe what she does on the basketball court.”
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley received the AP Coach of the Year for the second time. She got 27 of 36 votes while leading the Gamecocks into the Final Four with an unbeaten record for the second straight season.
Staley, who also won the award in 2020, joins an elite group of coaches that include Geno Auriemma (9), Muffet McGraw (4), Kim Mulkey (3) and Brenda Frese (2) who have won the AP award multiple times since it was first given in 1995.
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