Monday, April 2 capped off what fans called the best day of women’s sports because four of the biggest names in college basketball played on the same night – Iowa’s Catlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese, USC’s Ju Ju Watkins, and UConn’s Paige Bueckers.
Clark, probably the most popular college athlete of the generation, dropped 41 points, including nine 3-pointers drained from deep-deep range, 12 assists, and seven rebounds as she led her top-seeded Hawkeyes in a revenge game over last year’s defending champs, Angel Reese and the third-seeded LSU Tigers.
“It’s amazing to be back in the Final Four,” said Clark in her post-game press conference. “It’s so hard to get back there. This region was really hard, but we told ourselves we are the one seed for a reason.”
Reese, who finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds, but could not do enough to stop Clark and the Hawkeyes, was joyful to be a part of this big night despite the loss.
“I think it’s just great for the sport, just being able to be a part of history. Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I know this was going to be a night for the ages,” said Reese. “Just being able to be a part of history is great. Playing against another great player, of course, is always amazing.”
Clark has already declared for the WNBA Draft once the season is over, and LSU’s head coach, Kim Mulkey, cannot wait for her to take her talents to the next level. The two embraced after the game, and Mulkey told her, “I sure am glad you’re leaving. Girl, you’re something else. Never seen anything like it.’”
The second game of a star-studded night for women’s basketball featured freshman phenom, Watkins, and her top-seeded USC Trojans as they took on junior guard Paige Bueckers and the third-seeded Connecticut Huskies. Last year, Bueckers was sidelined because she was still recovering from a torn ACL in her left knee, her second major injury in eight months. She was fully functional in her Regional finals game, however, as the Uconn Huskies defeated the Trojans 80-73, at Moda Center on Monday. Bueckers, who finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, expressed a sense of fulfillment after the game.
“Today was one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever felt in my life,” Bueckers said after the game. “Just seeing where I was a year ago today, doing individual workouts, starting to feel the basketball again. … Now I’m here with my teammates and coaching staff and we’re going to the Final Four.”
Watkins, who became the all-time leading scorer among freshmen in NCAA Division I history, led all scorers with 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but was not enough to carry them to the Final Four. Despite losing in the Elite-Eight, Watkins expressed gratitude for setting the all-time freshman scoring record and playing for USC.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Watkins said on breaking Hutchinson’s scoring record. “I mean, of course, like I said, not really the terms I would like to end on. On my season, I mean, I’m just blessed.” She continued, “This program has offered me a lot. I’m so grateful for it. It’s just been a great season. The record is great. Just the moments that I’ve got to spend with this team have meant everything to me. I’m just excited for next year.”
In four tournament games, Watkins finished with 110 points, and according to ESPN Stats and Information, she was one shy of the freshman record of 111 set by Tamika Catchings during the Tennessee Lady Volunteers’ six-game title run in 1998.
The women’s Final Four games will begin on Friday, April 5 in downtown Cleveland at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, followed by the men’s Saturday, April 6 in Glendale, Arizona at State Farm Stadium.
The women’s bracket will feature the undefeated and No. 1 overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks from Albany 1 Region playing against the third-seeded North Carolina Wolfpack from the Portland 4 region, and the one-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes coming out of the Albany Region 2 playing against the third-seeded Connecticut Huskies from the Portland 3 Region.
The match-up between Iowa and Connecticut will be one for the books because, once again, the game will feature two of women’s college basketball’s most electrifying players of all time. If you enjoyed how Clark performed in a revenge game, then fans can expect an encore performance. Clark, who will finish her collegiate career as the only player, men or women, to have more than 3,000 points and 1,000 assists, and she also broke the record for most points in a season, which now stands at 1,183, strives to get her first NCAA tournament championship.
“Job’s not finished,” Clark, who also passed Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson for the Division I career 3-point record, said after advancing to the Final Four. “You’ve got to win one at a time. There’s still two more there to get. That’s what makes the Final Four so fun. Anybody can take it. Anybody can win it.”
The Final Four is a yearly event, but this year is special because both Connecticut and NC State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have reached their respective NCAA Tournament semifinals. This is the first time that both teams from two different schools have made it to the Final Four in the same year.
If UConn or NC State’s programs both win the championship, it will be the first time a school has achieved this since UConn did so in 2014 and in 2004.