Caitlin Clark and No. 1 Iowa advanced to the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA tournament following an 89-68 win over No. 5 Colorado on Saturday, setting up a rematch of last year’s title game against LSU.
Against LSU, Clark will also reignite her rivalry with star forward Angel Reese which captured the nation’s attention last year and helped cement them as two of the biggest stars in college basketball.
While they have both celebrated and defended each other off the court, on it their fierce competition defined last year’s title game which was won by LSU.
On Saturday, Iowa outclassed Colorado from the start, finishing the second quarter with a 13 point lead, and never allowed the Buffaloes to come within touching distance at the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
Its eventual 21-point margin of victory was the largest ever in a Sweet 16 game in program history.
As always, the 22-year-old Clark was central to her team’s efforts and finished with a game-high 29 points and 15 assists, a program record for the most assists in a single NCAA tournament game.
She was subbed out with less than two minutes remaining to a rousing ovation from the crowd, after she had broken the NCAA’s all-time field goal record, yet another accolade to add to her ever-growing collection.
With the win, the Hawkeyes will face No. 3 LSU in the Elite Eight in a hotly anticipated rematch of last year’s NCAA championship game.
After the game, Clark said the team is “excited” to play LSU again following the loss last year.
“Anytime you have a chance to go up against somebody you lost to, it brings a little more energy,” Clark told reporters.
“At this point in the tournament every single team is good, whether you’re playing West Virginia, whether you’re playing Colorado, whether you’re playing LSU you prep the exact same way. You come in the exact same mindset.
“I think overall it’s just going to be a really great game for women’s basketball. They’re really solid one through five.”
The Hawkeyes will face the Tigers on Monday in Albany.