In one of the most viewed women’s college basketball games in history, the Iowa Hawkeyes beat the LSU Tigers in a 94-87 victory, which will advance them to the Final Four. But Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese weren’t the only subjects of conversation. LSU made a point to leave the court before th.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have been catalysts for the rapid rise of women's college basketball because of their play on the court that has drawn millions of new fans to the sport and their success off of it. The pair has brought comparisons to what Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did for men’s college basketball when they played for the national championship in 1979 and then in the NBA for the decade after. While Clark and Reese weren't born yet when the two NBA stars were playing, they appreciate the comparisons.
The good and the bad of the game has all come into sharper focus as women's college basketball continues to grow in popularity. What fans saw Sunday in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship was No. 1 South Carolina and LSU getting into a late-game confrontation that led to multiple ejections. “I just don’t want the people who are tuning in to women’s basketball to see that and think that is our game, because it isn’t,” said South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who apologized to the crowd and in postgame interviews.
There may not be anyone more knowledgeable in women's college basketball at how to break down No. 1 South Carolina than Bowling Green's first-year coach Fred Chmiel. Spending the past eight seasons on the staff of Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley can have its advantages. Not that Chmiel believes that makes things any easier on his Falcons, who face the Gamecocks on Tuesday night.