ALBANY, N.Y. -- LSU's Angel Reese and Iowa's Caitlin Clark are squaring off Monday in an Elite Eight matchup fans have been circling since the release of the NCAA Women's Tournament bracket. The two stars met in the 2023 national championship in Dallas, but only one will return to the Final Four.
This year's Tigers and Hawkeyes are much different than the teams that met last year, however. Here's how they compare leading into what could very well be an instant-classic rematch.
Flau'jae Johnson prepared for defensive challenge
Last year, the LSU Tigers earned a 102-85 national championship win to earn their first title in program history. Alexis Morris led the starters with 21 points, LaDazhia Williams added 20 of her own and Reese rounded out the top performers with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Tigers shot 65% from the perimeter, thanks largely to Jasmine Carson, who went 5-of-6 from 3-point range for a team-high 22 points.
"When I woke up, I just wanted to win -- do anything my team needed in this game, whether it was defense, rebounding, supporting them. I scored tonight and that's what pushed us and got us momentum," Carson said after LSU's championship win. "I would definitely say this is the game of my life because I won a national championship on the biggest stage possible in college."
If the reigning champions want a chance to repeat, they will have to do so with a new cast of characters. Reese, Flau'jae Johnson and Last-Tear Poa are the only returning rotation players from the 2023 championship roster. However, Mulkey and her staff seem to have another special crew.
Reese and newcomer Aneesah Morrow entered the tournament as two of the five active players with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. They are the only two teammates in the nation with 20+ double-doubles each.
The dynamic duo has propelled LSU to the second-best rebounding margin in the nation (12.6) and the best among remaining teams. Further, LSU touts the second-best scoring offense in the country. Clark and Iowa, meanwhile, are the top scoring offense in the NCAA.
The Hawkeyes' scoring predicates around the 3-pointer. Clark is the top shooter in the nation and puts opponents on notice that yes, she really will shoot from the logo. Johnson learned her lesson when she switched on Clark in the championship game last year.
"Last year I got to switch on her early in the game, and I was like, 'She's not going to pull that for real,' and then she pulled it for real from half court, and she made it," Johnson said Sunday.
Johnson has a starting role this year with the Tigers and will likely draw Clark as her full-time defensive assignment. She's more than ready for the challenge of guarding the game's most dynamic scorer.
"I want to compete at the highest level, and right now Caitlin is the highest level," Johnson said. "So, if I can defend her, try to contain her and get the win, we'll be fine. There's no stopping her, but containing her, I'm going to take on that challenge."
Hannah Stuelke's versatility an X-factor for Iowa
Clark is averaging a career-best 31.8 points per game and is nearly 40% from 3-point range. However, Iowa plays best when the ball is moving through her. The team assists on 66% of its field goals this season and Clark posted a gaudy 15 assists in the Sweet 16 win over Colorado.
Last year against LSU, Clark felt she "fell in love" with her perimeter shooting. Clark expects LSU will try to push off the perimeter like Colorado tried to do, and she's ready.
"Being able to get into the paint, drive into the paint, I think that allows my teammates to get open," Clark said. "They're going to either have to collapse and make a decision, or I'm going to be able to finish at the rim."
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder admitted part of that will be her responsibility, meaning she's going to be more intentional in setting Clark up to slash to the rim.
Clark is among five Iowa players returning from last season, including sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke. The Iowa native's 14 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season are more than double her totals from last season. Reese believes Stuelke represents one of the most noticeable differences between the Hawkeyes this season compared to last year.
"I really like Hannah's game," Reese said. "She's a strong post player. She's more versatile than [Monika] Czinano, so I know I'm going to have to guard her much higher than I had to guard Czinano last year ... I'm going to have to guard her more out of the paint this game."
If Stuelke can help spread the defense, it should feed into what Clark and Bluder want to do -- or at least it should. The unforeseen factor will be how the game is officiated. Bluder noted Clark didn't shoot any free throws in their Sweet 16 win over Colorado.
"I don't remember a game where Caitlin has not gotten to the free-throw line," Bluder said. "That was kind of unusual. I'm going to have to figure out ways for her to get to the rim because LSU is just so good, and I haven't done that yet."
However, LSU might be able to eliminate Clark's driving threat if they can get her into foul trouble. Clark and Reese turned heads with their "beef" during last year's title game. The two continue to have mutual respect for one another, and they also have no intentions of dialing the intensity down Monday.
"Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other," Reese said. "I want everybody to understand that. It's just a super competitive game."
"That's what makes women's basketball so fun is you have great competition, and that's what we've had all year long," Clark added.
Whether tempers fly during the game or not may depend on how it's called. Officiating is always under scrutiny among fans. However, last time LSU and Iowa played, the NCAA admitted that, upon review, the game "did not meet expectations." According to the AP, 88% of the calls were deemed accurate. That is less than the 91% or better the NCAA expects in a title game.
