LSU still plans to stay the course now facing Caitlin Clark’s Iowa in the NCAA women’s final

Conversely, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said facing the Tigers will be like “playing South Carolina almost with a little bit better shooters."

by Maria McIlwain

Published April 1, 2023, 3:58 p.m. ET

DALLAS — On Sunday, one team will hoist a national championship trophy for the first time since the NCAA began sanctioning women’s basketball championships in 1982.

But at least one person — LSU coach Kim Mulkey — has been here before, having won three titles at Baylor.

And while facing a familiar foe in South Carolina may have been easier, even though the Gamecocks beat the Tigers, 88-64, in SEC action this season, Mulkey is confident her squad will be ready for the challenge the Hawkeyes (31-6), led by national sensation Caitlin Clark, represent.

“We can’t change who we are,” the second-year Tigers coach said. “We got back in that game [Friday] night [against Virginia Tech] because of defense and rebounding. I just think we took it up a notch in the fourth quarter. Keep doing that.”

Iowa may not have been favored in its matchup with South Carolina, but head coach Lisa Bluder said facing the Tigers (33-2) will be like “playing South Carolina almost with a little bit better shooters.”

“Angel Reese is a fabulous basketball player, and, obviously, we coached against her when she was at Maryland,” said Bluder, who’s now in her 23rd season. “We coached against [Kateri] Poole when she was at Ohio State. So we do have some familiarity with these players. Angel just seems to be playing a little bit more freely at LSU. I mean, averaging 23 points a game. She shoots the ball incredibly well. But 6½ offensive rebounds? We’re going against another rebounding monster team. They’re just incredibly good at that.”

The Tigers shot 47.1%, including just 3-of-13 from three, on Friday. Meanwhile, they amassed 38 rebounds, while Iowa was outrebounded, 49-25.

Clark, the nation’s third-leading scorer with 27.3 points per game, put together an all-time performance in the 77-73 win over South Carolina, with 41 points, six rebounds, and eight assists while Monika Czinano added 18. Even Mulkey, who was busy following the 79-72 win over Virginia Tech, took notice.

“That’s my first time to see her play in person, and I didn’t get to watch the game because I had to deal with y’all,” Mulkey said of Clark, the AP player of the year, among other honors. “When I did get out there, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Gosh, she’s special.”

None of Mulkey’s players have been on this stage before, but the grit and determination the Tigers showed in rallying from a 12-point deficit have been evident to her all season. Reese had 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Alexis Morris finished with 27.

“And I say this in a complimentary way, they remind me of guys,” Mulkey said. “You know how the guys roll the ball out and let’s get after it? That’s what I get to coach every day. They get on each other. They’ll challenge each other. They don’t take it [personally]. They know they’re on the same team, but I guess it’s maybe [holding] each other accountable in a different kind of way. Not so much a nice way as it is just, ‘You’ve got more in your tank. Let’s go.’ Or ‘Get that rebound.’ It just reminds me [of] growing up playing with the guys and how the guys talked to each other like that.”

Reese, the fifth-leading scorer in Division I at 23.2 points per game and the second-leading rebounder with 15.7 per game (her 220 offensive boards are tops in the country) is a big part of LSU’s run, and she said Mulkey is helping the team stay humble. And as a team leader, she’s helping the Tigers stay calm, too.

“This is an exciting moment for our program, and this is an exciting moment for everybody in Baton Rouge,” Reese said. “But just being able to stay together at this time and just believing in each other, that’s the biggest thing we’ve been doing.”

Clark said her team’s self-belief has been critical to its success.

“Yeah, I think I had that calmness about myself [Friday] night,” she said. “I had a belief in my teammates. I thought we played really good basketball. I have to do the same thing on Sunday. I understand there are only 40 more minutes left in my season, which is kind of sad because it’s been so much fun. But why not go cut down another net?”

Ultimately, Reese and Clark know the game is bigger than them — even if they have the most star power.

“It’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than LSU. It’s just bigger,” Reese said. “I feel like it’s for women’s basketball, and we’ve helped grow it a lot this year just being able to be who we are.”