Caitlin Clark. Angel Reese. Monika Czinano. Alexis Morris.
Those are stars of women’s college basketball. They should be on the court and deciding the biggest game of the year. Scratch that, arguably the most watched and anticipated game in Women’s NCAA Tournament history.
That’s how it should go. Until it didn’t. And it didn’t due to the officials completely losing control of the game, the moment being too big for them, and ultimately stealing the spotlight from two teams that deserved so much better.
Ultimately, Iowa didn’t do enough defensively and that cost them in the end. There is no denying LSU shot the ball lights out and that is where the credit does come into play. Regardless of the refs having absolutely no idea how to handle this moment, the Tigers made big shot after big shot.
That doesn’t change how special and magical this season was for the Hawkeyes. The ride they went on, the players that shined, and the moments that happened are all part of the joy.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the National Championship that deserved so much better than it got.