College Basketball

WATCH: Caitlin Clark and Iowa Basketball’s Reaction to Meeting Sue Bird

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated27 Mar 2023

Iowa Caitlin Clark only player in NCAA Tournament history with back-to-back 40-point games Final Four

Watch Caitlin Clark and the women’s Iowa basketball team react to meeting Sue Bird during Sunday’s Elite Eight shootaround prior to their 97-83 win over Louisville in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Sue Bird, a four-time WNBA champion, 13-time WNBA All-Star, eight-time All-WNBA member, and Big East Player of the Year (2002) with UConn, surprised the women’s Hawkeyes team as she walked out onto the court.

Per a few NCAA Women’s Tournament betting sites, No. 2 Iowa has third-shortest odds to win the national championship. Sportsbooks are giving No. 1 South Carolina the best odds to win this year’s title. Watch their reactions below.

Caitlin Clark helped Iowa end a 30-year Final Four drought on Sunday. The Iowa native ended her performance with 41 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists, and three steals in 39 minutes played against No. 5 Louisville. This was her 11th triple-double of her college career and the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA Tournament history.

It was the Hawkeyes’ first Final Four appearance in women’s basketball since 1993.”I dreamed of this moment as a little girl, to take a team to the Final Four and be in these moments and have confetti fall down on me,” said Clark. “I thought our team played really well. That’s what it’s all about. I was going to give it every single thing I had.

“When I came here, I said I wanted to take this program to the Final Four, and all you’ve got to do is dream. And all you’ve got to do is believe and work your butt off to get there. That’s what I did, and that’s what our girls did and that’s what our coaches did and we’re going to Dallas, baby.”

Watch Caitlin Clark and the women’s Iowa basketball team react to meeting Sue Bird prior to Sunday’s 97-83 win against Louisville in the Elite Eight

Caitlin Clark has recorded 984 points this season and is aiming to join former Hawkeye Megan Gustafson (1,001). Furthermore, the 6-foot guard (2,646) also trails Gustafson (2,804) by 158 points in women’s Iowa scoring history. Clark has two other top-5 scoring seasons in Hawkeyes women’s history: 863 in 2021-22 and 799 in 2020-21.

Additionally, Iowa outscored Louisville 49-40 in the second half. The Cardinals were held to 16 points in the third quarter. Clark knocked down eight of Iowa’s season-high 16 3-pointers. It was a program record in the NCAA Tournament, surpassing the previous mark of 13 against Gonzaga in 2011. Watch Iowa head coach Jeff Walz’s interview below.

Following the Hawkeyes’ 97-83 win over Louisville, the Seattle 4 Region champion will now take on the winner of the Greenville 1 Region between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 2. Maryland. The Gamecocks play the Terrapins on Monday night at 7 p.m. ET. This matchup will air live on ESPN. The Final Four begins this Friday, March 31.

Iowa has better odds of defeating Maryland than South Carolina. During the regular season, the Hawkeyes and Terrapins won one game apiece in head-to-head matchups. In the semifinals round of the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa defeated Maryland 89-84 at Target Center. To watch other NCAA women’s basketball videos, go to the main page.

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