SAN FRANCISCO – Like the rest of America, NBA players were also dialed in and clamoring to watch Monday’s epic women’s NCAA tournament game between LSU and Iowa.
The game was the highly anticipated rematch between the teams that played in last year’s national championship game, won by LSU, 102-85. And the rematch in the Elite 8 didn’t disappoint. This time Iowa prevailed, 94-87.
“Right now how they’re promoting the women’s game is great,” Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “Obviously, everybody wishes they did it sooner rather than later, but it’s exciting.
“They’re holding their own down there in the college game, and obviously up in the professional level as well. Kudos to them. We’re going to keep watching and keep supporting, and it’s exciting to see.”
With the win, the Hawkeyes earned a trip to this weekend’s Final Four in Cleveland. The Iowa-LSU game drew an average of 12.3 million viewers, making it one of the most watched games in any sport – besides the NFL – over the past year.
It also outdrew last season’s Texas Rangers’ game-clinching World Series victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks (11.48 million) and outdrew every NBA Finals game from last season except one.
Of course, a lot of the attention was centered around Iowa guard Caitlin Clark and LSU forward Angel Reese.
“Those two going head-to-head, it’s just something that you would see everybody get hyped about over men’s basketball,” Mavs center Daniel Gafford said. “Seeing all that gravitate back to women’s basketball, it’s just something that you smile ear-to-ear about because they’re putting more and more respect back to the game and showing how much women love the game.
“Day in and day out, they’re getting better. They want to put themselves in a position to where they want more when it comes to their form of basketball, and I’m all for it. I’m happy for them. I just can’t wait for it to be the standard.”
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr can’t wait, either.
“I’ve been locked in on the women’s tournament,” Kerr said. “The games have been fantastic, the talent level is so high with (USC’s) JuJu Watkins and (Connecticut’s) Paige Bueckers, and of course Caitlin is incredible.
“It’s so great for the women’s game to be flourishing. (Clark is) an amazing athlete and really, really fun to watch.”
Some on-lookers compare Clark’s game to Warriors guard Stephen Curry, and others compare it to Mavs guard Luka Dončić.
“It’s more Stephen Curry,” Dončić said. “She’s the women’s Stephen Curry. She shoots it better than me.”
Hardaway joined in the conversation by saying of Clark: “She’s an amazing basketball talent. It’s very rare to see someone like that, so I was very excited to be able to tune in and have a day off to really sit down and watch. Also, she’s in the Big 10, so I’m pulling for them.
“She’s passing, rebounding and getting her teammates involved. You can tell she really does a great job of doing that. It’s not only about the shooting. It’s always getting your teammates involved and making the correct pass, especially when they’re open, and she sees that.”
Clark had 41 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists against LSU. Reese collected 17 points, 20 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Gafford describes Clark as “a bucket’ waiting to happen who is an inspiration to athletes and non-athletes, regardless of gender.
Overall, the Iowa-LSU game beat the 11.84 million viewers that watched Cheryl Miller and USC defeat Kim Mulkey and Louisiana Tech, 64-58, in the 1983 NCAA championship game. Mulkey is now the coach at LSU.
“I can’t even really put it into words,” Gafford said. “All the stuff the girls are doing on the floor, it’s amazing how they’re evolving. They’re bringing a lot more attention back to women’s basketball. I’m happy for them.”
BRIEFLY: Mavs rookie center Dereck Lively II may be sidelined up to three weeks with a sprained right knee. The injury occurred during Sunday’s game against the Houston Rockets. “I don’t know if the right word is ‘concern,’ “ Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “It could be two weeks for him to be out, but we’ll see how he feels. We’ll take it day-by-day, but hopefully he’s back soon.” Lively and guard Josh Green (right ankle sprain) both sat out Tuesday’s 104-100 loss to the Warriors . . . Before playing the Warriors on Tuesday, the Mavs were 19-6 in their last 25 games. Two years ago when they advanced to the Western Conference Finals, the Mavs were 19-6 in their final 25 regular season games. Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. said this season reminds him favorably of the 2021-22 season. “I kind of had that feeling and had that thought coming into (Tuesday’s) game,” he said. “It’s kind of similar to when we went to the Western Conference Finals how we’re all vested right now. Even though I wasn’t playing around that time (because of an injury), I still was involved heavily just when we were getting the guys ready, so it definitely feels that way. The energy, the juice, the camaraderie of the team is there similar to that team, so I’m very excited.” Guard Luka Dončić added that: “We’re just staying together. Our energy is great, everybody is getting along, so we have a great team.”
X: @DwainPrice
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