Tag: Iowa women’s basketball

Iowa women’s basketball to play DePaul in ‘Crossover at Kinnick’ exhibition game

The Iowa women’s basketball team is set to take on DePaul in the “Crossover at Kinnick” exhibition game in Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 15.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team has taken the mantra of playing “any place, anywhere, any time” to heart. They are on an international tour and taking care of business.

Up next for the ladies is tipping it off inside Kinnick Stadium. Per Iowa’s official site, the Hawkeyes will take on DePaul inside Kinnick Stadium in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. CT in the “Crossover at Kinnick.”

The game is set to have the proceeds go to The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Fans will be able to watch the game on the Big Ten Network’s B1G+ and listen on Hawkeye Radio Network.

Iowa has seen other crossovers of sorts inside Kinnick. Back in 2015, the Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling team hosted Oklahoma State in a meet in the stadium. The Hawkeyes took down the No. 1 ranked Cowboys in front of a record-setting crowd.

The DePaul Blue Demons went 16-17 last season. They will have some holes to fill as forward Aneesah Morrow transferred to LSU this offseason. Morrow averaged a double-double last year 25.7 points per game to go along with 13 rebounds.

Iowa returns star guard Caitlin Clark who will look to continue her show-stopping play and put up points inside Kinnick Stadium now as well.

This matchup comes on a week that the Hawkeyes’ football team hits the road. They take on the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in a pivotal matchup that could have implications on who takes home the Big Ten West crown.

All in all, the “Crossover at Kinnick” has made this a must-see weekend for Iowa fans across the board.

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Caitlin Clark named finalist for James E. Sullivan award

Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark was named a finalist for the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award.

Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark won nearly every award available to her last season. Bringing the Hawkeyes to the national championship game, Clark was named the Associated Press Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year. She also won the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year, as well as the USBWA Women’s National Player of the Year.

After a season full of accolades, Clark is now up for one of the most prestigious awards of all. On Wednesday, Caitlin Clark was announced as one of six finalists for the James E. Sullivan Award.

The James E. Sullivan Award is given yearly by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU.) The award was established in 1930 in honor of the organization’s founder and past president. It has been presented annually since then to the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States. The award seeks fully rounded recipients, In addition to athletic excellence, aiming to recognize the qualities of leadership, citizenship, character, and sportsmanship on and off the field.

Clark joins an elite group of finalists for the award. Big Ten fans will recognize Purdue center Zach Edey, who Swept all six major National Player of the Year Awards in 2022. Amongst the finalist include a former silver medalist gymnast at the 2020 summer Olympics in Jordan Chiles, a bronze medalist swimmer at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Kate Douglass, an NCAA swimming champion in Jordan Crooks, and a two-time All-American baseball player in Dylan Crews.

These six will look to join a prestigious list of athletes to win the James E. Sullivan Award that includes Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

Fans can vote for Caitlin Clark this week here. Voting is allowed once per day and is open to the public now. This year’s winner will be announced on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

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Global stars! Recap of the Hawkeyes’ 116-46 victory in Game 1 of their international tour

Seven scored in double-figures as Iowa women’s basketball cruised in its first overseas contest, 116-46, over Team Slammers.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team kicked off their international tour with the first of three games across Italy and Croatia. The ladies didn’t waste any time picking up right where they left off and showed their talents globally.

The Hawkeyes tipped it off against Team Slammers in Naples, Italy. In command throughout, the Hawkeyes were able to get everyone involved on their way to a 116-46 victory. The game was a great showing from the entire roster with some big-time performances. Seven Hawkeyes hit double-digit points.

Caitlin Clark did her thing by posting a stat line of 17 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. The reigning national player of the year shot 5-of-11 from the floor, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range.

Following her was a great showing from Addison O’Grady, who poured in 16 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance. Sydney Affolter chipped in a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

Other Hawkeyes in double-digits included Taylor McCabe with 14 points, Molly Davis and Kate Martin each with 13, and Hannah Stuelke with 12.

Here is a recap of the Hawkeyes’ game in Italy with some of the international fanfare.

Iowa to play in Gulf Coast Showcase across Thanksgiving holiday

The Iowa Hawkeyes are heading to the Gulf Coast Showcase, a tournament in support of the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Whether inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, international games throughout Italy and Croatia, or in a showcase, the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team draws more eyes than almost anyone else in the sport. They have star power, expectations, a high-scoring offense, and one of the country’s best players in Caitlin Clark.

With that, the Hawkeyes have drawn an invite to participate in the Gulf Coast Classic in Florida this year from Nov. 24-26. The Hawkeyes join the eight-team tournament field. All of the games will be broadcast across FloHoops.

Iowa is the sole Big Ten representative in the field, although fellow Power Five programs Kansas State and North Carolina are also taking part. The Hawkeyes traveled to Bramlage Coliseum last season on Nov. 17, 2022, and the Wildcats upset then-No. 4 Iowa, 84-83. Caitlin Clark finished with 27 points in that contest, while shooting just 6-of-17 from the floor and 2-of-7 from 3-point range. Kansas State leads the all-time series over Iowa, 5-1.

Meanwhile, Iowa and North Carolina have split their all-time series at two games apiece. The Hawkeyes last played the Tar Heels on Nov. 18, 2012. UNC captured that contest, 77-64.

The rest of the field includes Western Kentucky, Vermont, Florida Gulf Coast, Delaware, and the Hawkeyes’ opening matchup, Purdue-Fort Wayne. Six of these eight teams advanced to the postseason in some capacity during the 2022-23 season making this an enticing field early in the season to test the Hawkeyes.

Iowa tips off against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Friday, Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m. CT at Hertz Arena in Estero, Fla. With an opening win, the Hawkeyes’ potential semifinal matchup would come on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. CT against the winner of Florida Gulf Coast-Delaware.

The tournament’s championship game is slated for Sunday, Nov. 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The Gulf Coast Showcase is in an effort to support the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Bringing the Hawkeyes into the field makes complete sense given how special the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital is to the University of Iowa.

Hawkeyes’ fans will be able to purchase tickets directly from the Gulf Coast Showcase’s website should they want to make a trek south in November for some winter warmth.

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Hailey Van Lith sets the narrative straight between herself, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark

Hailey Van Lith said the media and public got it all wrong on Caitlin Clark’s “you can’t see me” gesture during their Elite Eight battle.

When the Iowa Hawkeyes met the Louisville Cardinals in the 2023 women’s basketball NCAA Tournament, there were plenty of storylines and fireworks that arose from Iowa’s 97-83 win that sent them to the Final Four.

Arguably, the main storyline was Caitlin Clark’s “you can’t see me” hand gesture that the media portrayed as a shot at former Louisville, now LSU Tigers guard Hailey Van Lith.

Van Lith spoke about the moment with NBA reporter Taylor Rooks. As it turns out, the national media saw the gesture and ran with it despite not knowing any of the background. Van Lith spoke about her and Clark’s relationship postgame, and how the story is most definitely not as it appeared.

“It was actually hilarious because right after the game I texted her and I was like, ‘The media is dumb.’ I’m sorry, you guys have no idea. They just make stuff up and then they just put it all over the internet and everyone thinks it’s true. Like, it’s just hilarious.

“We were laughing about it because she did it to her strength coach. She didn’t do it to anyone on our team, especially me. Definitely not toward me. She did it to her strength coach and it wasn’t even in a moment where I didn’t even see it in the game. I was probably dribbling the ball up the court after she just hit a 3 in our face. It’s just funny how camera angles and perceptions are skewed through the media, but it was just hilarious. We laughed about it after. I don’t even remember, I didn’t even see it happen, so my perception. … I don’t even have one because I didn’t even know it happened until I saw it over Instagram later,” Van Lith said of the viral sequence.

The narrative ratcheted up even more when LSU’s Angel Reese seemingly returned the favor to Caitlin Clark with a “you can’t see me” gesture in the waning seconds of LSU’s 102-85 victory over the Hawkeyes in the national championship game. This sparked a national discussion that there was animosity in women’s basketball.

Some loved the perceived payback from Reese while others attacked her return gesture to Clark. As it turns out, the entire thing was blown out of proportion from the get-go.

“People have speculated and said it on social media, ‘Was it to Hailey?’ And I’ve just never answered because who cares? This is my first time. I’m clearing it up, guys. Caitlin Clark did not do this to me, and if she did that would’ve been hilarious and we would’ve laughed about it, too. It’s not that serious,” Van Lith said.

Nonetheless, Van Lith has since transferred to LSU and is teaming with Reese to form one of the strongest duos in women’s college basketball. Clark returns for another year with most of her supporting cast by her side.

Could we get lucky enough to see these three stars meet up in a postseason battle once again?

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Caitlin Clark Mania continues on the diamond, creating craze of thousands at Iowa Cubs game

From the hardwood to the baseball field, the Caitlin Clark Mania doesn’t slow down. The Iowa Cubs game is the latest example.

Caitlin Clark isn’t just the biggest star in women’s college basketball anymore. She has become a sun in her own solar system with media, news, and fandom orbiting her. The Iowa Hawkeyes basketball star dominated another sporting venue over the weekend.

Clark was at the Iowa Cubs game on Saturday signing autographs, taking photos, and meeting with fans as she continues her off-the-court excellence that mirrors what she does with a basketball in her hands. What took place at the game was of superstar-level proportions.

Clark had fans lining up hours before entry for their chance to meet her. Clark’s presence at the game shows the high-level desire to see anything she does. The game sold over 10,000 tickets and had fans lining up at 6 a.m. to see her.

Iowa Cubs play-by-play voice Alex Cohen said it was unlike anything he’s experienced during his time with the franchise.

“I’ve worked for the Iowa Cubs for five years. We’ve had celebrities, politicians and athletes make appearances, with all-stars and Cub greats having MLB rehab stints at Principal Park. I’ve never seen a buzz at the park like the one for Caitlin Clark tonight. Awesome,” Cohen wrote on his Twitter feed.

This outing comes on the heels of the announcement that Caitlin Clark will be playing alongside Drake alum but noted Hawkeye supporter and current PGA Tour golfer Zach Johnson in the John Deere Classic Pro-Am on July 5.

Caitlin Clark was a national storyline in the Hawkeyes’ postseason run to the national championship game and there are no signs of the fan intrigue and the desire to see her slowing down.

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Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball going global with three games in Italy, Croatia

Ciao, Italia! The biggest star in women’s basketball is going global. Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are headed to Italy and Croatia.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team captivated the nation last year from Iowa City, to Seattle, to Dallas on their magical run to the Final Four. So, why not take things even bigger and better?

That is precisely what the Hawkeyes are doing. The Iowa women’s team is going to Italy and Croatia in August to play three international games over the stretch of August 4-16. Why not make things global when you have the biggest star in women’s basketball in Caitlin Clark? She took America by storm and now can do the same globally.

Per Iowa’s official site, the team will take an international tour to the Amalfi Coast, Dubrovnik, Naples, and Split. The opponents have yet to be released. These exhibitions will be an experience for the Hawkeyes to travel abroad, experience Italy and Croatia, and spread the rapidly growing game of women’s basketball as some of the best ambassadors of the sport.

“We are incredibly excited to have the resources and opportunity to expose our program and give our players an opportunity to travel abroad. It will add tremendous value to their life experience, education and allow our team to get practice and game reps we wouldn’t get otherwise,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said of the upcoming summer trip.

Longtime starter Gabbie Marshall made the decision to return to Iowa City for another season with the Hawkeyes. Now, she gets to take part in this historic trip for the program.

“We’re all super excited to share this trip with our teammates that haven’t been overseas yet. It should be a great team bonding experience for us,” Marshall said.

It will be the program’s first overseas expedition since the Hawkeyes traveled to Spain in the summer of 2019.

This news comes on the heels of more local news regarding the schedule for next season. Iowa’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will both be playing in Des Moines on Dec. 16 at Wells Fargo Arena. This doubleheader of games will see the women take on Cleveland State and the men face Florida A&M.

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LSU’s White House invitation saga: A complete timeline involving Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey, Jill Biden and more

Here is everything you need to know about LSU’s White House invitation.

The NCAA women’s college basketball tournament was one of the most thrilling competitions in recent memory, and it ended with utter madness.

LSU defeated Iowa, 102-85, in the national championship title game Sunday. Both teams enjoyed very exciting runs during the entirety of the tournament, especially thanks to standout performances from LSU’s Angel Reese, as well as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.

This was one of those tournaments you would want to watch on repeat if you could. But it was LSU who cut down the nets when it was all said and done, becoming national champions for the first time in program history.

But since the Tigers’ title, there’s been some controversy involving them, first lady Dr. Jill Biden and the team’s potential celebratory visit to the White House. Let us explain what happened with a detailed timeline…

Iowa vs. LSU title game puts up massive ratings as most-viewed women’s game on record

The Iowa Hawkeyes versus LSU Tigers didn’t just have big ratings, they were out of this stratosphere. A look at the record-breaking numbers.

The Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers each had so much star power and multiple reasons to tune into the Women’s NCAA Tournament title game. The evidence is undeniable that people tuned in and they did so in record-breaking numbers.

Social media lit up from tipoff and continued to be buzzing until the final buzzer went off. The game had swings in it and so much action that it kept fans tuned in the entire time as Iowa tried to come back, but ultimately fell short to the Tigers.

The ratings have come in for this game and they are astronomical in what they turned out as. This game set multiple records and had a viewership increase that is almost unheard of. The ratings came in at 9.9 million viewers with a peak viewership of 12.6 million viewers.

This game is the most-viewed NCAA Women’s basketball of all-time, regardless of the network. It is also the highest ever in the history of ESPN+, the network’s subscription service.

A fascinating tidbit about the ratings is that this game was up 103% year over year when comparing ratings. This game was exceptionally marketed and was everything that the women’s game could have asked for.

It has become pretty hard to deny the viewership, the star power, and the headlines that exist in women’s college basketball. They just need their platform to be seen on a national stage and prove how incredibly entertaining the product is.

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LSU’s Alexis Morris perfectly recreated Joe Burrow’s legendary locker room cigar pic

What an iconic moment connecting the school’s teams.

There were a lot of incredible highlights from the aftermath of LSU’s 102-85 national title game win over Iowa on Sunday afternoon.

You had Angel Reese mocking the Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark with her own celebration (which later had people applying some awful double standards). You had Reese and Seimone Augustus sharing an awesome and emotional moment together.

But lost in the shuffle might have been what Alexis Morris was up to. On her Instagram, the guard shared a photo of herself, in uniform, smoking a cigar while holding the national championship trophy. In case anyone needed a reminder, it’s an homage to Joe Burrow’s legendary locker room cigar pic after he took LSU’s football team to a 2019 national title game win.

What a great callback after another big-time championship for the school:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqjtOCbsZey/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqlM-l1rwok/

Two LSU legends, forged in greatness, forever memorialized with a celebratory cigar picture.