If Caitlin Clark leaves Iowa with a nationwide title, she’ll have earned each little bit of it.
The NCAA Event choice committee did Clark and the Hawkeyes no favors within the ladies’s bracket that was launched Sunday evening. Positive, they’re a No. 1 seed, as anticipated. They’ll host the primary and second rounds at Carver-Hawkeye Enviornment, the place they’ve misplaced all of two video games prior to now two seasons. They’re within the Albany regional, which is a neater journey for his or her diehard followers than the opposite regional in Portland, Oregon.
However the precise video games? Woof.
There’s a possible Candy 16 matchup with Kansas State, which Iowa has already performed twice this season, shedding at house and profitable on a impartial courtroom. A rematch of final yr’s nationwide title recreation in opposition to LSU looms within the regional last. If it’s not Angel Reese and the Tigers, then it doubtless will probably be second-seeded UCLA, which is battle examined after the bruising Pac-12 season.
And that’s all earlier than the Ultimate 4!
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If Clark and the Hawkeyes make it to Cleveland, Southern Cal and freshman phenom JuJu Watkins doubtless would await. Earn a spot within the title recreation, and there’s an excellent likelihood their opponent could be general No. 1 seed South Carolina, which might be itching for some payback after Clark steamrolled the Gamecocks within the Ultimate 4 final yr.
So yeah, have enjoyable with that.
“They’ve acquired the toughest highway for my part. That is the toughest highway,” ESPN analyst Andraya Carter mentioned through the choice present as Rebecca Lobo agreed.
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This not less than solutions the query of whether or not the committee performs favorites. If it did, the committee would have made certain Clark and Iowa had a straight shot to Cleveland — and I don’t imply by way of Interstates 80 and 90.
“We’re not making an attempt to get sure matchups or something like that,” Lisa Peterson, chair of the choice committee, mentioned after the bracket was launched. “I do know what it appears to be like like now, however after we’re in there, we don’t see them that approach. We’re simply placing them in quantity order.”
Actually, nobody would have blamed the committee if it had tried to provide Clark and Iowa a neater highway.
Clark has been the most fun participant in all of school basketball this season. She captivated hoop heads and informal followers alike along with her assault on the report books, they usually’ve continued to stay round to see what else she will pull off. Her final 4 video games drew greater than 1,000,000 viewers every, with the regular-season finale the place she handed Pete Maravich to develop into faculty basketball’s all-time main scorer and the Massive Ten match title recreation each averaging greater than 3 million viewers.
Celebrities wish to see her, little youngsters wish to be her. Why wouldn’t the committee wish to maintain that going so long as it may?
As a result of it couldn’t, initially. High-four seeds from the identical convention must be in several brackets, and the Pac-12 skewed issues with having 4 of them: No. 1-seeded Southern California; No. 2-seeded UCLA and Stanford; three-seeded Oregon State. That was a major think about how the committee match all these jigsaw items collectively to make the bracket.
However extra to the purpose, the ladies’s recreation doesn’t want propping up. Clark is an authorized supernova, however there’s loads compelling concerning the recreation past her.
There are storylines and stars galore all through this yr’s area. South Carolina is making an attempt — once more — to finish an undefeated season. There’s Technology Subsequent, with Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, South Carolina’s Milaysia Fulwiley and Texas’ Madison Booker becoming a member of Watkins as freshman phenoms. UConn and Paige Bueckers have been beneath the radar due to accidents and inconsistency, however they blitzed their approach via the Massive East match.
And don’t neglect the strolling cleaning soap opera that’s Kim Mulkey and her LSU squad.
Sure, the excitement across the match will probably be muted a bit if Clark and Iowa aren’t in Cleveland. However there’s a very easy approach round that. Clark and Iowa are simply going to must win.
It’s largely forgotten now, however few gave the Hawkeyes an opportunity final yr in opposition to South Carolina. The Gamecocks introduced a 42-game profitable streak into the Ultimate 4 matchup, with all however a handful received by double digits. South Carolina was larger and extra skilled, having received the nationwide title the earlier season.
Clark wasn’t fazed within the least. She dropped 41 factors on South Carolina and likewise had eight assists. Of Iowa’s 28 area targets, she scored or assisted on all however 5 of them. She performed 38 minutes, regardless of selecting up her second foul with 8:17 left within the second quarter. Anytime South Carolina tried to drag away, Clark made a monster play to reel the Gamecocks again in.
Iowa additionally wasn’t the favourite within the Massive Ten match this month, having completed second within the common season to Ohio State. However within the last in opposition to Nebraska, a group that had overwhelmed Iowa a month earlier, Clark chased the Cornhuskers down nearly single-handedly to pressure additional time, and Iowa rolled from there to its third consecutive match title.
She’s acquired ice in her veins, that one, and the larger the stakes, the higher Clark performs. She’ll must once more within the NCAA Event as a result of Iowa’s path to the title is not simple. It is something however.
E mail Nancy Armour at narmour@usatoday.com or comply with her on social media @nrarmour
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