CNN
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The sequel didn't have exactly the same cast as the original. College basketball doesn't work that way.
But two prominent stars of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament a year ago, Iowa's Caitlin Clark and LSU's Angel Reese, remained central figures in the sport. Both players lived up to the hype Monday night, but it's Clark with his sharp shooting that keeps the game going.
Clark had 41 points, including 9-of-20 3-point shooting, 12 assists, and 7 rebounds as No. 1 Iowa defeated No. 3 LSU 94-87 in a rematch of last year's NCAA title game. Ta. They advanced to the Final Four for the second consecutive season.
“The job's not done yet,” Clark told ESPN on the court after the win.
Next up for Iowa State is a program synonymous with Final Fours and national championship wins. In the regional finals in Portland, Oregon, No. 3 UConn won 80-73 over freshman phenom JuJu Watkins, and No. 1 USC won 80-73.
This is the 23rd Final Four appearance for the Huskies, an 11-time national champion under head coach Geno Auriemma, and 15th in the last 16 NCAA Tournaments. This will be the third Final Four for UW star Paige Bueckers, who missed last season with a torn ACL.
UW's roster is depleted after being hit by injuries this season, and this may be the team's least chance of making the Final Four.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the women's bracket, undefeated and top overall seed South Carolina will face No. 3 North Carolina State in the Final Four. Both teams clinched their spots with wins on Sunday.
The women's Final Four will be held Friday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, with the national championship game scheduled for Sunday.
Clark has the most career points of any male or female player in Division I history and is a generational talent. The 22-year-old is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the April 15 WNBA Draft.
But before the WNBA, she has one last chance at a national title.
After the game, the Iowa State superstar shared a moment with Reese and LSU head coach Kim Mulkey in the handshake line.
“(Clark) told me, 'Just keep being a great player.' I told her to keep being a great player, keep improving your game and keep winning.” said Reese.
“What did I say to her? I said, 'I'm so glad you're leaving,'” Mulkey said. “I said, 'Girl, you're something else.' I've never seen anything like that.”
Was revenge on Iowa's mind after what happened last year?
“Honestly, no,” Clark said.
While Iowa State and LSU met in the Elite Eight, the game at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., had the energy and intensity of a national championship game.
Despite twisting his ankle in the second quarter, Reese tied a tournament record with 17 points and 20 rebounds for his 10th consecutive double-double in the NCAA Tournament before fouling out with 1:45 remaining. She also had four assists, three blocks and two steals.
For Iowa State, Kate Martin had 21 points, Sidney Affolter had 16 points and LSU's Fraujai Johnson had 23 points.
The last time Clark and Reese played, as LSU neared a national title, Reese famously waved her hand in front of Clark's face and pointed her ring finger, making it the most-watched women's game of all time. It was a college basketball game. . The 2023 matchup has been compared to when Magic Johnson faced Larry Bird in the 1979 NCAA men's title game.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
Reese made the gesture in front of Clark last year.
But Johnson and Bird didn't have a Part II like Clark and Reese (at least in college).
Clark continues to break records, and in Monday's game he broke the NCAA all-time record for career 3-pointers, passing Oklahoma's Taylor Robertson.
Clark also set NCAA Tournament records for most assists (140) and 3-point shots (70) in 15 career games.
It's unclear whether Reese, last year's Final Four Most Valuable Player, will return to LSU or head to the WNBA. Reese, who turns 22 in May, is a junior.
“I'll make a decision when I'm ready,” Reese told reporters after the game.
The rematch between Iowa and LSU was a big topic heading into the NCAA Tournament, but the second half of Monday night's Elite Eight game was also fascinating.
Watkins, who is only 18 years old at the University of Southern California, is second in the nation in points per game this season behind Clark. On Monday at Portland, she had 29 points and 10 rebounds, setting a record for most points scored in a single season by a freshman.
However, the Huskies won as Bueckers, who was recently praised by Auriemma as “America's best player,'' led the team with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Buccaneer, a 22-year-old redshirt junior, announced in February that he would not choose the WNBA and would return to UConn for one more season.
In 2021, she became the first freshman to win the Naismith Award, Associated Press Award and Wooden Player of the Year.
“It's really a great joy and pride for this team,” Bakkers said. “I'm proud. We weren't supposed to be here, but here we are.”
Notably, USC and UConn are playing at the Moda Center in Portland, where it was discovered on Sunday that the three-point line on the court was uneven and not at the same distance from the basket. be.
NCAA vice president for women's basketball Lynn Holtzman said in a statement Monday that the issue has been resolved and the court is now “fully compliant with NCAA rules of play.” She added that what happened in Portland was “an isolated incident.”
“We apologize for this error and the length of time it went unnoticed,” Holtzman said. “Simply put, this court did not meet our expectations. The NCAA should have discovered the mistake sooner.”
The amplification factor reached 11 on NCAA Tournament night to play the movie “This Is Spinal Tap.”
“Rest in peace with the viewership numbers, right? It's going to crush everything,” USC head coach Lindsey Gottlieb said Sunday.
“We'll all say it's USC vs. UConn, LSU vs. Iowa. But star power drives the narrative in athletics. Back when there were faces going back to Magic and Larry and Michael Jordan. That's why the NBA is so popular.”
“The NCAA made the right decision, because tonight's women's tournament matchup is one of the best in history!” Johnson said. Post to X.
“All four teams have star power, great coaching, and every team has a great story to make it to the Elite Eight. As a basketball fan and a fan of women's sports, this is heaven for me. !”