ALBANY, N.Y.: Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese carry numerous star energy to the Albany 2 Regional as two of the most important names in faculty basketball.
Clark’s Iowa squad and Reese’s LSU group would each should win their Sweet 16 video games for the 2 to fulfill in a NCAA championship rematch that drew the most important viewers in ladies’s basketball historical past final April with almost 10 million folks tuning in.
They’re each centered on their video games at hand as a result of it received’t be straightforward for both group to advance to the regional remaining. The top-seeded Hawkeyes face fifth-seed Colorado in a rematch of their Sweet 16 recreation final yr. The third-seeded Tigers meet No. 2 UCLA within the first recreation of Saturday’s doubleheader.
The Tigers might produce other distractions from an upcoming story on coach Kim Mulkey within the Washington Post that she railed in opposition to final week and even threatened authorized motion. Mulkey stated her consideration is solely on the UCLA recreation.
“I did make a statement, and that’s all I’ll comment on at this time because all I am focused on is to try and win another basketball game,” she stated. “Thank you for asking, though.”
Colorado should work out a technique to decelerate Clark, who earlier this season grew to become the NCAA’s Division I profession scoring chief. Last time when the 2 groups met within the Seattle Regional, Iowa got here away with an 87-77 victory. Clark had 31 factors and eight assists within the victory.
“They are the same team, but they also have added some new pieces or added some new dimensions to their game,” Colorado coach JR Payne stated. “Playing Iowa is very similar in that regard, very similar to what they were, but also added some new things, as well, so similar approach. A little bit of both.”
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder has discovered her personal technique to reign in Clark’s competitiveness a bit of bit by calling technical fouls on her in follow. Bluder defined that generally the officers they create in or the scholar managers who officiate aren’t arduous sufficient on the group’s star. By calling the technical fouls, Bluder feels that it will possibly keep away from Clark getting them in video games.
“You see her in games and the emotion she plays with in games, the passion, the highs, the lows — she’s the same way in practice when we go against our practice guys,” Bluder stated. (*2*)
When requested about it, Clark shortly stated that it’s been some time since she bought one in follow. It appears to have labored as Clark was solely known as for one this yr after accruing three final season.
Cori Close stated UCLA bought in late Thursday night time after their cross-country flight was delayed as a result of a flight attendant was sick earlier than they took off and a alternative needed to be introduced in. The Bruins had an early follow Friday morning so the group didn’t get a lot sleep, however refused to make use of that as excuse in the event that they don’t play nicely Saturday.
“Obviously it helps that we have today to sleep and get used to the time change,” star guard Charisma Osborne stated. “But I think our plane got delayed; that’s something that’s just uncontrollable, and we just have to adjust to that. Obviously no one purposely made that happen. If that didn’t happen we would have maybe gotten a little bit more sleep.”
Bluder stated guard Molly Davis was uncertain to play on Saturday. She injured her proper knee in Iowa’s regular-season finale in opposition to Ohio State.
“I really thought she’d be back by now. I really did,” Bluder stated. “I have no idea how long it’s going to take for her to completely heal, but we’re not going to put her out there when it’s unsafe for her to be out there.”
Davis was at Iowa’s follow Friday, carrying exercise gear and a compression brace on the knee. She stretched in the course of the open a part of follow for the media, however didn’t run or take part in drills.
Reese’s ideas have been along with her hometown of Baltimore after a ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, inflicting it to break down and killing six development staff.
“My prayers are to everyone that hasn’t been found yet and the ones that are found and are still suffering from injuries,” Reese stated.
The LSU star stated that her aunt would drive throughout the bridge to get to work every single day and that her household would go over it to get to her home.
“I’m not sure the route she’s taking right now or if she’s been able to go to work since then,” Reese stated.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and protection: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
