The UW women’s basketball team will spend this week preparing for the challenge.
The Huskies will need to get past Caitlin Clark and the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes to advance to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament title game. Her longtime head basketball coach, Geno Auriemma, is well aware of the challenges that come with playing against a team led by Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.
Auriemma closely watched the matchup between Iowa State’s Elite Eight and the LSU Tigers. Clark finished the game with 41 points and 12 assists, helping the Hawkeyes advance to the Final Four.
Auriemma decided to shower Clark with praise in the days leading up to the much-anticipated UW-Iowa game, hoping the Iowa State star won’t single-handedly knock the Huskies out of the tournament.
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Yukon Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma speaks with Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark after the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on March 27, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas. (Carmen Mandert/Getty Images)
It’s now well known that Auriemma didn’t recruit Clark in high school, but the legendary women’s college basketball coach apparently did everything he could to make sure she didn’t have any extra motivation going into Friday’s Final Four game.
Yukon’s Paige Backers is “America’s best player,” coach Geno Auriemma says.
“This is pretty remarkable,” Auriemma said after UW defeated the University of Southern California to qualify for the tournament semifinals. “Next weekend should be just as fun as this one. Yeah, I wish Caitlin Clark had a personal agenda against LSU. There’s nothing personal between me and her. I know. Next time I don’t have to watch her drop 50 points on us.” Weekend, you know? ”
Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates during the second half of the game against the LSU Tigers during the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024 in Albany, New York. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Auriemma recently declared Paige Bueckers “the best player in America,” but jokingly reversed course and gave that honor to Clark.
“I love her. I think she’s the best player. Forget what I said about Paige being the best player in this country. I think she’s the best player ever. I don’t know who said it, I said it, Paige is the best player.”The best player in the country. ”
Auriemma directed some of his praise toward Bueckers and USC’s JuJu Watkins. Buccaneer finished UConn’s Elite Eight game with his 28 points. The UConn women’s basketball program has now reached 23 Final Fours.
Paige Bueckers of the Connecticut Huskies during the second half of their game against the USC Trojans in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Moda Center on April 1, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“Well, Paige has always wanted to be superhuman,” Auriemma said. “You can’t aspire to that, but she’s trying her hardest to be superhuman. Today, she was playing with an opponent who plays like she’s superhuman. Maybe all those guard players are.” “I think it was the toughest matchup we’ve had all season. This season – probably since they’ve been in Connecticut. I think JuJu is probably as tough a matchup as we’ve ever had or ever had for our guys.”
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Iowa State is a 2.5-point favorite against UW.
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