Four of the top superstars in
women’s college basketball are set to face off on the biggest
stage.
Angel Reese and the
defending-champion LSU Tigers will go up against leading National
Player of the Year candidate Caitlin Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes at
the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
Then, Paige Bueckers and the
Connecticut Huskies will face off against top-ranked freshman JuJu
Watkins and the USC Trojans at the Moda Center in Portland,
Oregon.
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark set for rematch in the
Elite Eight
Reese and LSU are trying to
defend the title that they won last year against Clark and Iowa.
LSU has had a fairly dominant tournament this year, winning their
previous three games by double-digits. Reese was named the Most
Outstanding Player of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Clark, who became the NCAA’s
all-time leading scorer this season, will try to lead Iowa to the
Final Four and avenge last year’s loss against LSU. Like the
Tigers, the Hawkeyes have dominated their opponents in this year’s
tournament run, beating each team by 10 or more points.
This star-studded matchup will
surely be fiery considering the stakes and a little bit of history
between these teams. Reese and Clark had some words for each other
last year and have developed a rivalry.
JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers vie for Final Four
spot
Reese vs. Clark isn’t the only
star-studded matchup on tonight’s game. Watkins vs. Bueckers will
also be must-see TV. Watkins is making waves in March Madness as a
freshman, while Bueckers is determined to prove she’s still one of
the best players in the nation.
Watkins, the sensational
first-year player from USC, will try to lead the Trojans further
into the Big Dance after just recently surviving a scare against
the Baylor Bears in the Sweet Sixteen. Watkins has been the
nation’s second-leading scorer, averaging over 27 points a game
behind only the prolific Clark, but she will have her hands full
against a UConn team that’s led by legendary coach Geno
Auriemma.
On the other hand, Bueckers and
UConn aim to reclaim the glory that has evaded them for the past
few seasons. Despite winning the NCAA Player of the Year award as a
freshman and reaching the championship game that year, Bueckers has
been plagued with knee injuries over her last two seasons. Now,
she’s hoping to show the world what she’s capable of again on the
biggest stage.
All eyes will be on Watkins and
Bueckers as they face each other for the first time and try to lead
their respective teams to Cleveland for the Final Four.
