CLEVELAND — Another exciting rematch? Yes, please. What has already been an incredibly entertaining season continues to deliver as Sunday’s NCAA championship game will be between the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks and the Iowa Hawkeyes, the team with Caitlin Clark, the sport’s all-time leading scorer.
Not only are these the two hottest teams in the nation, it will also be a rematch of last year’s Final Four, when Iowa handed Dawn Staley’s group a 77-73 loss in Dallas. Just like this weekend, the Gamecocks were chasing a perfect season, but that dream was spoiled by Clark’s mind-blowing performance of 41 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. She’s been a great player since her freshman season, but last year lifted her to stardom, and that weekend turned her into a transcendent star.
Looking at last year’s game won’t give much insight on how Sunday’s game might go because, although the Hawkeyes still have Clark as their top weapon, South Carolina lost all of its starters to the WNBA Draft. That was what head coach Dawn Staley described as “one of the most historic classes in the history of the program,” and although they won the 2022 national title, Iowa spoiled their opportunity to repeat.
Clark…
