The last two games of the Elite Eight were billed as the best of the tournament. Caitlin Clark and Iowa tangling once again with Angel Reese and LSU. The future of the game, JuJu Watkins and USC, against the old guard of Paige Bueckers and UConn.
No way it could live up to all the hype, right? Wrong!
Clark and Iowa came out firing and looked as if they were going to run LSU out of the gym. Not so fast. Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and LSU roared back in the second quarter and back and forth they went. But Clark scored 12 points – all on 3-pointers – and nearly outscored LSU on her own in the third quarter to take control of the game for good.
And in a game featuring two of the main faces of women’s college hoops next year, Bueckers and Watkins put on a show, scoring 28 and 29, respectively. They traded big shots throughout the game, and served notice to everyone that with Clark headed for the WNBA, they’re more than ready to take center stage. (Or in Bueckers’ case, take center stage again.)
“These matchups will go down in history, the tenacity of these matchups,” said a tearful JuJu Watkins after USC’s loss. “I was trying to catch glimpses of the other game when I was getting ready. It’s a great time in women’s basketball, I’m just glad I’m able to be part of it.”
We’ll be buzzing about these two games until Friday, when Iowa and UConn meet in a rematch of the 2021 Sweet 16.
In the meantime, here’s a look at the winners and losers from the second night of the Elite Eight:
WINNERS
Fans
Talk about living up to the hype. After weeks of anticipation, fans got the rematch they wanted, and LSU-Iowa delivered. The first half alone featured four ties and two lead changes, with each team looking, at least briefly, like they might pull away (LSU built an eight-point lead in the second quarter after Iowa blitzed the Tigers early, building a nine-point lead). Social media was awash in praise for the game and the women who played in it.
Lisa Bluder
There’s a lot of talk about who the best tacticians in the women’s game are, and who comes up with the best game plans. Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer is widely considered superior on both ends of the floor. UConn’s Geno Auriemma is one of the best in the business too, given his 11 national championships. And no one wants to play against Dawn Staley’s defensive game plans.
But after knocking off South Carolina last year and LSU this year, teams that had considerable size and athleticism advantages, it’s probably time we all start talking about Lisa Bluder, in her 24th year at Iowa.
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The knock against the Big Ten is its teams don’t play defense and maybe that’s true. But my goodness the Hawkeyes sure know how to score, and credit Bluder for understanding how to get all her non-generational players in spots where they can knock down good looks (it helps to have the best passer in women’s hoops delivering the ball, of course). Iowa is also superior at getting out in transition, another testament to Bluder understanding how to put her athletes in the best position for them.
Nika Muhl
Who says UConn needs more bodies?
The senior guard for the Huskies did a little bit of everything for depleted UConn on Monday night against USC, scoring eight points, handing out eight assists, grabbing five rebounds and snagging two steals (she only had three turnovers, too).
Muhl was overcome with emotion after the game. She paused before doing a post-game radio hit, leaning over the scorer’s table while tears streamed down her face and the UConn fans in front of her roared their thanks.
“Although a lot of people didn’t believe we were ever going to do this, we did,” Muhl said. “Don’t get me wrong, we don’t really care what other people think. At the same time it feels really, really good to prove those people wrong.”
MORE: Geno Auriemma looks ahead to facing Caitlin Clark: ‘I don’t need her dropping 50 on us’
Gabbie Marshall
Iowa’s smallest player on the floor Monday made an impact far bigger than it might look on the stat sheet.
Marshall, who stands 5-foot-9, had just one basket, a 3-pointer. But she is a workhorse, joining Clark as the only Hawkeyes to play all 40 minutes, and a relentless defender. She had four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Iowa doesn’t win without her, and her coaches and teammates want everyone to know that.
“She doesn’t get enough credit for how hard she plays,” Bluder said. “She’s the shortest person out there, and she has a blocked shot. She consistently guards the toughest person. She consistently gives it all she has defensively, whether it’s getting out and denying or understanding to get her hands up, something as simple as that. She is a great defensive player, and I’m so proud of her effort.”
LOSERS
Everyone who forgot to tune into Iowa-LSU
The Bachelor finale was last week. What’s your excuse for missing this incredible game?
Angel Reese’s right ankle
What would have or could have happened against Iowa if Reese hadn’t rolled her ankle with 8:01 to play in the second quarter, crashing to the ground after blocking a Clark shot? We’ll never know but one thing is for sure: it impacted the play of the defending Most Outstanding Player. Reese finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out with 1:45 left in the game, but she was noticeably hobbled, struggling especially in transition defense.
“I’m tough, so I tried to play through it,” she said after the game. “I’m not going to make that excuse for the rest of my play for the game.”
Hailey Van Lith
Talk about a miserable senior year.
The former Louisville All-American transferred to Baton Rouge in the offseason, hungry to win a championship. And while she’s started at point guard all season for the Tigers, she admitted earlier this week that it’s been hard, given how much her production has gone down (almost eight points lower than last season).
Things got considerably worse Monday night, as Clark torched Van Lith for 41 points, beating her in pretty much every facet of the game.
Van Lith finished with a plus-minus rating of -15, far and away the worst for the Tigers. She got torched on social media afterward, too.
But there’s possible redemption if she wants it: Van Lith has a COVID year and could use it to come back and play a second season at LSU. That’s what Tigers coach Kim Mulkey would like.
“I hope it’s not her last game,” Mulkey said.
“For her to take that leap of faith and leave her comfort zone at Louisville – you don’t see many players do that when she was that big a piece to their puzzle. She has embraced learning a new position, taking less shots,” Mulkey said. “I’m forever indebted to Hailey and her unselfish play.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness: Iowa, UConn showcase guard play en route to Final Four
