It’s very likely that the Angel Reese-Caitlin Clark showdown will happen again in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but if it happens it will likely be well before the Final Four.
Iowa State and LSU met in the national title game last year, with two of women’s college basketball’s biggest stars facing off on the national stage in a historic game that ultimately led the Tigers to NCAA glory.
If the two teams meet this year, they will be in the Elite Eight, meaning one of the sport’s biggest stars will not make the Final Four.
Clark, of course, was the face of women’s basketball this season, eclipsing all records, including becoming the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader. She will look to cap off her college career with the elusive national title that LSU held back from winning in the end. Year.
The on-court battle between Clark and Reese was one of the major storylines at last year’s national championship, and Reese continues to be as dominant a player as he was last year.
Reese started 29 games last season and averaged 19.0 points and 13.1 rebounds per game.
LSU is seeking its first back-to-back championships since UConn won in 2015 and 2016.
The Hawkeyes earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992 and are the second seed overall in the tournament behind undefeated South Carolina, which defeated the Tigers in the SEC Championship Game earlier this month.
But the road to the Final Four is littered with potential challenges, especially with Reese and LSU potentially waiting to eliminate them.
In addition to LSU, Albany 2 also includes UCLA, Kansas State, and Colorado, making it one of the toughest brackets in this year’s tournament.
That applies to LSU as well. As the No. 3 seed, LSU could face Louisville and UCLA for a rematch with Iowa.
Iowa State will likely play Colorado State before getting a chance to play LSU in the Elite Eight.
“Any team that gets past the first round is basically a top 25 team.” Clark told reporters Sunday night.. “That’s basically what you’re seeing, and we were on the upset side my sophomore year, but obviously we were very lucky last year. You need a little bit of luck, you need some good draws, too. , we need to play our best basketball.”
Iowa State opens the tournament against the winner of Holy Cross and UT Martin.
LSU will face Rice in the first round.
