As the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournament is in full swing, the Iowa Hawkeyes upset the LSU Tigers as they head into the final four. After the Hawkeyes lost last year in the national championship against the Tigers, Monday April 1st, game brought an intense amount of stress to rematch the national champions. The massive rematch left the Hawkeyes defeating the LSU Tigers in the Elite Eight.
As the Hawkeyes prepare for the clash with UConn this Friday, Iowa’s legendary player Caitlin Clark impresses the world once again. Clark dropped a whopping 41 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out 12 assists in the victory over the Tigers.
According to history teacher Steve Baldry, “Defensively they need to work a little harder if they want to beat UConn, because they were giving up a lot of stuff, and they have trouble fouling at the same time.”
Playing without any distractions is very challenging especially when the epic rematch tunes in 12.3 million viewers according to ESPN. Although the important part in defeating a rivery team is to work as a team.
“I feel like the game went really well. Everyone was contributing to the game, not just Caitlin Clark. Although my predictions for the Iowa vs. UConn game is going to be a very well fought back and forth game, Iowa is gonna come out on top,” senior Syndey Westerhof said.
With that being said, UConn also has a top contending player Paige Buecker. Buecker has an average 21 points per game, however she sinks baskets higher than Clark. A battle between these two starting players will leave fans at the edge of their seats.
“I think that Paige Bueckers is going to ball out and score more than Caitlin. I feel like it’s basically just going to be Paige Vs. Caitlin, with few other players making little impact,” junior Ellie Holdorf said.
Iowa’s women’s basketball team has tripled the amount of women basketball fans within a single year. Here at West the hawkeyes are a hot topic especially for history teacher Aaron Cousins.
“She’s exploded. You got students in class that you didn’t even know were sports fans but all you here is Caitlin Clark. They love Clark. I’ve even watched way more women’s basketball this year than the mens. I know for my wife and two daughters they don’t miss a single game.”
Women’s basketball has drastically changed within the past couple years no doubt due to the outstanding plays made from the legendary player Caitlin Calrk. With the rising fame of Clark, more women athletes are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
“Clark’s game has evolved the game of basketball in many different ways but the main effect of her is that women’s sports are getting the recognition that they always deserved. They work just as hard as any men’s team and deserve the same opportunities,” Westerhof said.
The Final Four is here and that means the end is near for the 2023-2024 basketball season. This year’s Final Four matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes and University of Connecticut Huskies will leave fans at the edge of their seats as the epic clash of Clark and Bueckers. However, at the end of the day, the individual matchup doesn’t matter to either player as they look to achieve the one goal they have yet to accomplish: winning a national championship.
