College basketball superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will face off again Monday night in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2023 NCAA championship when Iowa takes on Louisiana State University in the Elite Eight round of this year's March Madness tournament.
The storylines surrounding Iowa's Clark and LSU's Reece are prolific.
Clark is undeniably the biggest name in college basketball — male or female — and has been selling out arenas across the United States all season long with fans shelling out big bucks just to catch a glimpse of the all-time NCAA scoring leader. Fans of Reese, meanwhile, just have to say "scoreboard," as LSU is 4-0 in head-to-head matchups when both team's superstars are on the court.
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Last year's NCAA Championship was the most-watched game in women's tournament history, averaging nearly 10 million viewers, according to CBS Sports. And while Reese's LSU may have emerged victorious to win their first ever national championship, Clark and Iowa are hoping to settle some bad blood that came with the defeat.
Who can forget the viral photo of Reese pointing to her ring finger in the face of Clark as LSU put the finishing touches on their 102-85 championship victory?
Reese said the taunt was in response to some of Clark's past gestures that can also be deemed disrespectful. Clark said she "had no idea" what it was about.
Nonetheless, it was a provocative moment that left fans on all sides yearning for a rematch — one they'll finally get Monday night. And while the names Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese alone are widely expected to bring in another record-breaking number of viewers, these are two very different teams than they were one year ago.
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For one, Iowa was a No. 2 seed when they lost to No. 3 LSU in last year's championship game. This year, the Tigers remain a 3-seed, but the Hawkeyes have improved to No. 1.
Meanwhile, both Iowa and LSU have lost some key contributors since they last met, with new faces stepping in to take on larger roles. But both teams' anchors — Clark and Reese — remain, and they now have an additional year of experience under their belts.
The two college basketball heavyweights will face off one more time Monday night at 7:15 p.m. ET when LSU and Iowa each compete for a spot in the Final Four.
Clark's Hawkeyes are slight betting favorites to win, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. But while games like this do trickle into the month of April, we don't call it March Madness for nothing, and anything is possible.
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