BY ALEX RASKIN It is uncommon that an Elite 8 matchup might get extra consideration than an NCAA Match finale, however that could possibly be the case this 12 months as Iowa and Louisiana State met in Albany on Monday for a rematch of the 2023 championship.A 12 months in the past, LSU’s 102-85 victory over Iowa within the title recreation scored almost 10 million viewers, making it the most-watched ladies’s basketball recreation ever. The first gamers had been all again this time: LSU coach Kim Mulkey and her star, ‘Bayou Barbie’ Angel Reese, in addition to Iowa coach Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark, the reigning NCAA Participant of the 12 months. And what little roster turnover there was solely appeared to boost this budding rivalry.Bluder efficiently changed Monika Czinano’s scoring with energy ahead Hannah Stuelke, whereas guiding Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin to bigger roles in 2023-24.Mulkey, in the meantime was pressured to interchange Jasmine Carson, LaDazhia Williams and Alexis Morris, who mixed for 65 factors in final 12 months’s remaining as Morris stepped as much as ‘maintain’ Clark to 30 factors on protection.This season, Mulkey relied closely on the perimeter protection of sophomore Flau’jae Johnson in addition to two transfers: ex-DePaul star Aneesah Morrow and former Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith. Caitlin Clark is seen being defended by then-Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith in 2023 It is a rematch of final 12 months’s title recreation during which Reese’s Tigers beat Clark’s HawkeyesAnd Monday wasn’t the primary time Van Lith had confronted Clark within the Elite 8. A 12 months earlier, together with her Cardinals going through Clark’s Hawkeyes in Seattle, Van Lith was outscored 41-27 by the Participant of the 12 months as Iowa superior to its first Ultimate 4 since 1993.Alongside the way in which, Clark famously appeared to taunt Van Lith with wrestler John Cena’s ‘You Cannot See Me’ hand gesture after burying her sixth 3-pointer of the evening.Van Lith has since claimed the gesture was truly directed at Iowa’s energy coach and never her, however there was definitely a level of trash speaking happening between herself and Clark. One other clip in the direction of the top of Iowa’s win confirmed Clark telling Van Lith ‘you are down by 15 factors, shut up.’ Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will renew their rivalry within the Elite Eight on Monday nightClark would get a style of her personal medication every week later.After upsetting defending-champion South Carolina within the Ultimate 4, Clark was on the receiving finish of Cena’s ‘You Cannot See Me’ routine, solely that evening, it was LSU’s Reese performing the honors.The trio will perpetually be linked by the following controversy, whether or not they even cared about it or not. For her half, Clark mentioned she did not suppose Reese deserved accusations of unhealthy sportsmanship. Van Lith, in the meantime, has steered that detractors had been extra crucial of Reese than Clark for doing the identical gesture due to a racist double commonplace.Undeniably, none of that mattered on Monday in Albany.For that matter, neither did the Kim Mulkey saga.Mulkey had been on the middle of a media firestorm since blasting Washington Submit reporter Kent Babb over a chunk that would not be revealed till March 25. The profile raised questions on her therapy of LGBTQ+ gamers and quotes members of the family who say they haven’t talked to the adorned coach in a number of years. Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Tigers seems to be on throughout the first half on MondayMulkey accused Babb of writing a one-sided ‘hit piece,’ though she admitted she declined the chance to present her aspect of the story for months earlier than the article’s launch.She has even threatened to sue the Washington Submit: ‘The legal professionals will evaluation it, and when this season is over, they’re going to give me a name and say, that is our subsequent step. I am not studying that stuff.’If Mulkey feared the WaPo article would function a distraction, her gamers proved in any other case in a 78-69 Candy 16 victory over UCLA. Iowa, in the meantime, had a fair simpler time with Colorado within the Candy 16, successful 89-68. And with that, the most-anticipated rematch within the historical past of girls’s basketball was set.
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Caitlin Clark places on 41-point masterclass as Iowa beats LSU 94-87 to actual revenge one 12 months after defeat in NCAA Championship… as Angel Reese fouls out in her possible final recreation
