CLEVELAND — Caitlin Clark and Iowa will try to win the school's first national championship. Standing in the way is undefeated South Carolina.
For Iowa to win its first national championship here are a few keys:
CLARK EFFECT
Clark has always seemed to play her best on the brightest stage. She had 41 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the win over South Carolina last year in the Final Four. Her coach has run out of words to describe her brilliance on the court. She'll need to have one more big game for Iowa to have any hope of capping off her historic career with a national championship. South Carolina has the length and athleticism as well as the depth to make Clark work for her shots.
REBOUNDING
Iowa averages 41.6 rebounds a game, about five less than South Carolina. The Hawkeyes can't let South Carolina dominate the boards like they did last year when the Gamecocks outrebounded them 49-25. This season they've punished opponents with easy putbacks and that would be tough for Iowa to overcome.
“I think going into that game last year, to say we’re going to beat South Carolina on the glass is probably something that’s not going to happen every single time we play them. But you have to be able to manage it the best you can,” Clark said. “And I think we did that versus LSU, and that’s where you get confidence from is just you kind of weather the storms on the glass, you try to come up with big ones when you can.”
When is Iowa vs. South Carolina?
The NCAA women's championship game between Iowa and South Carolina tips off Sunday, Apr. 7 at 2 p.m. CT. Tune in to watch all of the action on News 8.
Immediately after the ABC post-game show following the conclusion of the game, News 8's 30-minute Caitlin Clark special, A Lasting Legacy, will air exclusively on News 8.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel
