CLEVELAND — Just when you thought this women’s basketball season couldn’t get any more, just when you thought it had exhausted itself with record performances on the court, all-time viewership numbers and compelling matchups by resentment, it gives us the opportunity to witness all three in one game, pitting Iowa against South Carolina in the national championship showdown that most fans and every ABC executive wants.
It had to end this way, right? Great player against great team. The quest for the perfect ending versus the pursuit of the perfect season. A chance for South Carolina to avenge its only loss in the last two seasons. A way to end a memorable season with a potentially memorable ending.
If the Iowa-LSU regional final averaged 12.3 million viewers on a Monday night on cable, it boggles the mind to imagine what an Iowa-South Carolina rematch of last year’s national semifinal might do on Sunday on the network. television. You have Caitlin Clark, Iowa’s transcendent star and projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, looking to take the lead after losing in the title game last season. And you have South Carolina, with an almost-all-new lineup, looking to finish what it couldn’t do last year.
The latter is why sophomore guard Raven Johnson calls it the Revenge Tour, a description that doesn’t exactly sit well with coach Dawn Staley, but is a motivational tool she’s willing to embrace.
“I give them that space,” he said of his players after defeating NC State 78-59 Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. “Anything that can get them to perform and play in practice the way we need to prepare for games, do it. For me, it’s about coaching and coaching and figuring out a way to allow our players to make their dreams come true. Whatever it takes for Raven to keep her game at a high level of confidence, whether it’s the Revenge Tour or whatever she has in mind … I hope it ends with her being a national champion. ”
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and guard Bree Hall celebrate after defeating NC State 78-59 in Friday night’s semifinal. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
By Staley’s own admission, the Gamecocks (37-0) shouldn’t be here. They lost five players to the WNBA, three of whom were drafted in the top 10 picks. They return only three players who averaged at least 10 minutes a game and none averaged more than 13. But not seeing them in the third quarter against NC State believes they are playing together in for many years.
They led by one at halftime, then went on a run that was as good as it got, outscoring the Wolfpack 17-1 at one point in the third quarter and 29-6 overall. Their minds are free and their bodies are loose. They don’t communicate with words because they are intuitively connected. When the surge ended, the onlookers gasped and NC State was left with the reality that the outcome was a fait accompli.
DEEP
South Carolina advanced to the national championship
“The whole atmosphere there felt it, just like our fans felt it,” freshman guard Tessa Johnson said. “Basketball is a running game, but in those moments it feels good because you can see us smiling. We have fun playing with each other and sharing the ball, going on the floor, stopping, doing little things. We play for free. We emphasize that — like, play you. Everyone has a different play style and it all works like a little puzzle. Each person is a piece of the puzzle and it fits together perfectly. So, play for free, you’re good.”
Free, daily sports updates straight to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily sports updates straight to your inbox. Sign up
Buy
The Gamecocks will beat you in many ways. They can work in the paint with 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso, who dominated Friday with 22 points and 11 rebounds while also affecting the Wolfpack’s shots around the rim. They can also dominate perimeter play from Te-Hina Paopao, the two Johnsons and Malaysia Fulwiley. But more than anything they can beat you with their depth and defense, which wears opponents down over time.
“South Carolina is the pinnacle of the pinnacle,” Clark said after Iowa’s 71-69 victory over Connecticut. “They are in a different league. We’ll do everything we can to try to be with them, but, yeah, I think the biggest thing is to enjoy tonight and we’ll discuss the scout(ing report) in the morning.”
DEEP
Clark led Iowa past UConn, in another title game
As strange as it sounds, the Gamecocks have been operating in the shadows all week. The focus is mainly on Clark. I would say Clark and Iowa, but that’s not true. Clark has the gravitational pull. He’s the all-time leading scorer in NCAA basketball, the guy who can comfortably launch from a logo, the one who moves the ratings needle. Where he goes, attention follows, which is why his final college game could be one for the ages.
“It’s like every time we go to a game in this NCAA Tournament, it’s like everybody wants to see it, one by one,” he said. “I think it’s good for girls basketball. I think being in this moment before gives our group a good understanding of what to expect. We know what South Carolina brings to the table. We know we will have our hands full. The way they played tonight was incredible. But this is the national championship. This is the last game of my career. This is the last game for five people in this group. So, I don’t think it will be difficult to get motivation.”
There will be no interest either. And that’s the way it should be.
(Top photo of Caitlin Clark after Iowa’s 71-69 victory over UConn: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
