Quite possibly the most highly-anticipated game of the NCAA Tournament has come to fruition and it has already drawn plenty of hype. The 2023 National Championship rematch pits the Iowa Hawkeyes against the LSU Tigers with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
The storylines and drama are endless in this one. Kim Mulkey and Lisa Bluder are two of the top coaches in the game. These teams each have Final Four and championship aspirations. And the biggest story of them all is the Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese dialogue that has been front page news.
It comes as no shock that these two are highly competitive. To be as good as they are at the level the play at, you have to be highly competitive and sometimes toe that line. It is what all the greats did. Look at Tom Brady and Michael Jordan. They had that fire that bordered on excessive, but it worked.
Ahead of the matchup, Clark and Reese cleared the air and set the record straight on their relationship. CBS Sports’ Erica Alaya reported on the thoughts shared by the two ahead of this must-see game.
Angel Reese didn’t mince words. She made it very clear that when the game begins, there are no friends. It is solely about winning. That said, her respect and friendship with Caitlin Clark off the court is evident by the respect given in her quote.
Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super competitive game. Once I get between those lines, there’s no friends. I have plenty of friends on the court that I talk to outside of the game, but like when I get between those lines, we’re not friends. We’re not buddies. I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game we can kick it. – Angel Reese, LSU Tigers
If Reese didn’t have that fire, she would likely not be the talent that she is. Caitlin Clark has that same competitive fire deep inside her and that has been instrumental in becoming one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of all time.
Clark shared similar thoughts and her statement agreed with what Angel Reese said. Clark welcomes the high-level competition and things it makes the game that much more fun.
Me and Angel have always been great competitors. Obviously she played in the Big Ten for a while to begin her career, and that’s what makes women’s basketball so fun is you have great competition, and that’s what we’ve had all year long. I think Angel would say the same. – Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes
As much as the narrative exists in driving these two apart and creating a rift, the bigger story is the sheer competitiveness these two carry with them each game. It is good for the game. It is good for the fans to see. And it is what makes sports so special. This competitive edge should be welcomed with open arms.
When things tip off, the competitors will come out and this game will be one of the most anticipated games of the entire season, not just the NCAA Tournament.
Tip off for this epic Elite 8 battle is set for 6:15 p.m. CT and will be airing on ESPN.
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