Caitlin Clark. That pretty much sums up the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament. She was completely amazing—from hitting 3-pointers from an insane distance with hands in her face to making long-range passes to her open teammates. After University of Iowa’s 94–87 defeat of Louisiana State University, denying LSU a repeat National Championship, LSU coach Kim Mulkey described Clark as a “generational player.”
It should be noted that Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes teammates were also decisive contributors in the win that sent them back to the Final Four. Kate Martin had 21 points and Sydney Affolter had 16. After all, Clark did have 12 assists, so somebody was finishing.
Like Diana Taurasi at the start of the 21st century, Clark makes everyone around her better. While Taurasi won her first NCAA title with four seniors who were all WNBA first-round draft picks, her second and third titles came with players she elevated to victory.
Joining Iowa in the Final Four are the University of South Carolina, North Carolina State University, and University of Connecticut. The South Carolina Gamecocks head to Cleveland (site of the Final Four) undefeated this season after beating Oregon State 70–58. Three players—Kamilla Cardoso, Tessa Johnson, and Bree Hall—scored in double figures and Ashlyn Watkins had 14 rebounds.
South Carolina will face NC State on Friday. This is the Wolfpack’s first trip to the Final Four since 1998. To earn the spot, NC State pulled off two upsets, defeating Stanford in the Sweet 16 and Texas in the Elite Eight. Aziaha James had 27 points in the win over Texas.
Iowa’s opponent on Friday will be UConn, making its 23rd Final Four appearance. To gain its spot, the UConn Huskies defeated the USC Trojans 80–73. Paige Bueckers was dominant throughout with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists. Aaliyah Edwards contributed 24 points and six rebounds. After the game, Bueckers, who missed the 2022–23 season due to injury, expressed gratitude and “so much joy and pride for this team.”
In other post-season tournaments, the WBIT concluded its inaugural tournament yesterday with Villanova taking on Illinois. In the WNIT, the Fab 4 of Minnesota, Troy, Vermont, and Saint Louis played yesterday. The Final will be on Saturday.
Look for Columbia Lions star Abbey Hsu at this weekend’s Final Four festivities. She will be playing in the Women’s College All-Star Game on Saturday.