Call me a Louisiana hot sauce fan. I’m picking LSU in this one.
Yes, Caitlin Clark is a tremendous player. But she can’t win this game by herself, and LSU knows it. The Tigers also know that outside of Clark, the best scorer in the history of college hoops, LSU is superior at every position in both athleticism and skillset.
That’s especially true in the paint, where LSU is tough and experienced. Iowa sophomore Hannah Stuelke’s improvement this season has been more than impressive, and she’s proved herself a worthy replacement for former All-American Monika Czinano, who graduated after last season.
But Stuelke is no Angel Reese.
Reese might get more attention for her antics and her off-court accomplishments − an NIL deal with Reebok, an appearance in the SI Swimsuit issue − but don’t forget about her on-court accomplishments. She is a flat-out baller, a walking double-double (18.7 points, 13.2 rebounds) who challenges opponents and responds to being challenged. She knows a lot of the discourse surrounding LSU has painted the Tigers as the villains of women’s college hoops (a lazy and mostly racist take) and she relishes in proving people wrong.
“Everybody wants to beat LSU,” Reese said after the Tigers’ 78-69 Sweet 16 win over UCLA. “Everybody wants to be LSU. Everybody wants to play LSU … (People) don’t think we’re focused and we prove every single night when we get between those lines, we’re focused. That’s what we’re worried about.”
Reese will be ready. And she knows the Hawkeyes have no answer for her inside.
But she’s hardly the only reason LSU is going to win. Have you heard of Flau’jae Johnson?
Johnson might be the most joyful player in all of women’s hoops. Certainly she’s the busiest, as someone juggling a full-time basketball career along with a full-time rap career.
She’s also been terrific this season for LSU, and as one of the best athletes on the roster, will likely draw the assignment of guarding Clark. She did last April, and learned a lot from that experience.
“Last year I got to switch on her early in the game, and I was like, she’s not going to pull that for real and then she pulled it for real from court and she made it,” Johnson recalled. “I was like, whoa … There’s no stopping her, but containing her, I’m going to take on that challenge.”
Johnson will need to contribute on both ends of the floor for LSU to win, but she’s more than capable. In LSU’s win over UCLA, Johnson finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Which Hawkeye is going to contain her?
And then there’s Mikaylah Williams, the freshman in the country who’s not talked about nearly enough, a sweet-shooting 6-foot guard whom Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said “gets to her spots as well as anyone since Maya Moore.” Gabbie Marshall has made some terrific defensive plays this month for Iowa, but how is the (generously listed) 5-foot-9 Marshall going to realistically check someone at least three inches taller than her, and considerably stronger?
And then there’s the coaching battle. Say what you want about Kim Mulkey, arguably the most polarizing figure in all of college sports. But the woman can coach — and if you need a reminder of that, just ask to see one of her seven national championships (two as a player, one as an assistant, four as a head coach).
You don’t have to like Mulkey to know she’s a master motivator. She, above all else, will have her team ready.
And as we learned last year, she has a winning game plan when it comes to Clark & Co.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness: LSU, Angel Reese to beat Caitlin Clark, Iowa in Elite 8
