OT: Game Thread - NCAA Women's Final - Iowa vs LSU, "disrespectful"
The basketball season is coming to a close. The women finish first - LSU vs Iowa - in the NCAA Final this afternoon at 3:30 pm EDT on ABC.
An article on ESPN caught my eye - because of the word "disrespectful". This is a link to the article. https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/36031086/lsu-punish-iowa-disrespectful-defense. This was interesting to me, since I had not heard the Iowa players or staff refer to LSU in any negative manner. Iowa has essentially said - "We have done well, and have a great opportunity in front of us."
The key to the article, IMO, is - Iowa needed to adjust their defensive strategy against South Carolina for their semi-final game. Iowa assessed South Carolina's offensive strengths and implemented a scheme to protect / focus on the paint and interior game - giving South Carolina the perimeter / three point line and beyond. This strategy worked for the Hawkeyes, they defeated SC, and are playing LSU for all the marbles.
The LSU players interviewed in the article are calling out Iowa for being "disrespectful". Mind you, these are LSU women are saying that Iowa's defensive strategy against South Carolina (not LSU) - was "disrespectful".
Maybe it's me - maybe I'm old school - but, I find those comments to be absurd.
I'm not an Iowa fan - but, after seeing the antics of LSU against Michigan recently, I'll be cheering for the Hawkeyes later today.
I hope the game is well played - the officiating is balanced - and the game's called "the same way, both ways."
Enjoy...
If Clark can get Iowa to the win, she will cement a legacy as one of the top college basketball players ever. Love to see her drain a bunch of threes today.
Clark is really drumming up interest and enthusiasm from nontraditional womens basketball fans.
If we get hangry maybe be should grab a Clark bar instead of a Snickers bar.
Iowa is easy to cheer for. LSU is easy to cheer against. I am highly anticipating this game. Go Hawkeyes, go B1G, and go classy over sassy!
This is so true!
Clark scored more points this year than the Iowa football team (not sure if true, source is an internet meme) and watching #25 battle hard for rebounds against SC while being 1/2 to 1 foot shorter than their whole front line.
Mulkey is easy to root against for SO many reasons but this weird "disrespect defense" feels like a Jordan-esqe type fake drama that he used to use to inspire himself to play hard when he wasn't feeling it. I don't understand the need to hang bulleting board material for the other team & hype yourself up for the Natty.....IT'S THE NATTY you shouldn't need help getting hyped up for it.
Add to that the "disrespectful defense" helped a physically overmatched Iowa team do what LSU could not which is to beat S Carolina because LSU got curb stomped by 24 against SC
I think Clark scored more points Friday than the Iowa football team
Clark has more points in Iowa's eight post-season games than Iowa football scored as a team in 13.
I’m here in Atlanta… and I saw a bunch of Iowa gear in church this morning! Go Hawkeyes!!
Well no disrespect but I see Caitlin Clark University winning by 9
This was just stupid pre-game banter. Iowa was just playing percentages based on their scouting report. They essentially left the South Carolina equivalent of Zavier Simpson open on the perimeter to take the 3. LSU is saying they have better 3 point shooters than South Carolina.
The final has the potential to be a ref shit show. LSU plays a very physical game and commits numerous fouls that get left uncalled. They are very talented and the refs do not know what to do.
So, just like South Carolina?
Iowa is playing great. USC was not a great shooting team but the are a big team and they take a lot of perimeter shots knowing they can dominate the inside with offensive rebounds. Iowa stayed off their outside shooters and sagged in the middle. USC out rebounded Iowa but had to work hard to do it.
Smart defense. I'm pulling for Iowa today.
I'm not an Iowa fan either, but I am a Caitlyn fan. Also, I'm still upset over the way LSU had their way with us, so Go Hawkeyes!
Victors - I'm not suggesting that Michigan would have defeated LSU if the officiating had been balanced. But, the officials were leaning so far toward LSU - it was ridiculous.
LSU taking their cues from ol Mork. Manifest some bullshit disrespekt to get you motivated... I guess? F off with that non-sense. Hope Iowa crushes them this afternoon.
So a team coming up with a strategy to win is disrespectful? Girl, please. I saw that article and think that LSU player better play her ass off in this game and have something to show for it or she's going to look ridiculous for making those comments. Go Iowa!
The ragin' cagin's for me from here on out as a northern fan of Louisiana culture. The burrow fling was the last hurrah for me as a closet LSU fan. since then, purple face was strikes 1 and 2, this is strike 3.
Kim Mulkey is an ass. After Baylor beat Michigan two or three years ago, Mulkey had the audacity to say “One of these days those teams up north will learn how to play basketball”. She was a rock star at Baylor and is building that same status at LSU but to me she is trying to be bigger than the game itself.
We could use another diary entry to get her name vs. losing off the home page.
Sort of like COACH PRIME!!!
I think the disrespekt reference was to one point in the game where Clark appeared to be challenging a USC player to shoot a three when she was playing off her by 6-7 feet.
Whatever. She’s easily been the highlight of March Madness and deserves a win.
Kim Mulkey is a complete jackass. Go Hawkeyes.
Yeah, the disrespect card is ridiculous and not applicable whatsoever. Exactly how many times did the author mention it? It seemed like a dozen, but I have no interest in going back to count.
Simply put, yet another poorly angled ESPN article written to create controversy and thus more interest in order to garner more viewers. If this game were not scheduled to be televised on ABC, this article likely wouldn't exist.
I wont be watching but I hope Iowa wins. LSUs whole AD is shady as hell and their womens coach looks like a prosperity gospel televangelist
That outfit she's wearing screams the Anchor Man meme - I don't know if you know who I am, but I'm kind of a big deal.
Disrespekt!
It is a stupid take by the LSU player(s). Iowa adjusted their defense and did what it had to do against SC to win the game. There was absolutely no disrespect there.
On top of that, the SC postgame comments are also stupid. There was not one comment from either the coach or a player that congratulated or gave props to Iowa for the great game they played. It was all sour grapes and complaining about the officiating (which both teams had to deal with). Contrast that with the FAU men’s team’s comments about being proud of what they accomplished, giving props to SDSU and looking ahead to next season. SC coach and players come off as entitled people who expected to be given the championship this year.
Go Iowa! I don’t have a dog in this fight but I’m hoping Iowa pulls it out this evening. At least their players have class (from the few games and snippets of games I’ve seen.)
I agree with previous posts, that Iowa knew it would get killed if it didn’t protect the paint against South Carolina - whose forwards were 6’7” and 6’5”. Iowa had to gamble that South Carolina wouldn’t hit their 3’s and wouldn’t get the follow-up rebounds, unless the ball stayed within a couple feet of the basket. The strategy worked.
Not surprisingly, South Carolina had some sour grapes about the loss, since they probably had never played a good team that had adopted such a strategy.
I see a parallel with UM hockey. We get very frustrated when we play a team like Notre Dame, because we feel they can’t skate with us. They don’t even try to - their strategy is to just clog up everything and look for one or two openings when we get too far up the ice. So even with our superior talent, we sometimes lose to ND. Their Caitlyn Clark often turns out to be their goalie.
I had no idea about either team when I tuned in to watch the game, but I quickly noticed that Iowa was playing what looked like an 0-5 zone, treating every SC player like they were Russell Westbrook at the 3pt line. I'd never seen anything like that in a college or pro game. Takes guts to deploy that bold of a strategy on that stage.
It was primarily just Clark sagging off of a 21% three point shooter. If you want to be respected, make some shots. The bizarre thing was that SC’s coach never adjusted. Maybe tell your PG to step inside the line and hit a 15-footer. Or sub her out for a shooter. Instead, SC kept banging their heads against the wall and ended the game with a migraine.
Mulkey is an ass. Go Iowa.
The disrespect thing is so absurd. You want me to respect your three point shooting? Make a few. Similar strategy to how FDU beat Purdue. Pretty ridiculous to see a team call out an opponent for employing a successful strategy.
Sounds like fear on the part of LSU.
manufactured coach speak..
was it 'disrespectful' to foul Shaq instead of letting him dunk? Is it disrespectful to foul when the worst FT shooter has the ball in the last minute?
You play defense by forcing teams to do something they are not good at and taking away what they are good at.
Yes, you make SC shoot threes until they prove they can do so consistently, then you readjust.
Normally fairly neutral in these non Michigan games, but with such a stupid comment, it would be definitely nice for Iowa to 'disrespect' LSU enough to get the same result versus SC
Hawk (women's BB) fan here. Many teams tried so sag on defense against S. Carolina this season but this is the first time it actually worked. Iowa got completely outrebounded but played well enough on offense to win the game.
Today will be a different story. LSU is tall and athletic and has an experienced coach. If Iowa plays well on offense the way they have through this tournament, and most of the season, they can beat LSU. But LSU's countermove may be to play box and one against Clark and see how it goes. Caitlin is an amazing passer but when Maryland did it they killed us.
Go Hawks!
Those comments caught my eye as well for the sole reason that it's a rookie mistake to give the other team easy bulletin board material like this. I read a little bit and the LSU player that made the comments has had quite a checkered past, getting kicked off teams and transferring a bunch of times, so it seems she's just a bit of a loose cannon. Now the pressure is on the LSU player to hit those shots and back up her talking.
Hope LSU blow their doors off
MAGAs out in force for Mulkey
Oh drop it already
Does Mulkey have a performance in Vegas after the game? That’s an outfit that Elvis would be proud of.
Caitlin Clark hits one from a country mile away!
Clark just catapulted a three from 28 feet. She is made for this moment.
Really do need to guard her from the midcourt line in.
That shot by Clark was just incredible. She does it all the time though. Amazing.
Whistle is curious. Notice who is making the questionable calls - same ref, three times already.
Yep....not liking this trend. Something is up.
LSU has three extra players out there with stripes on. This will be nearly impossible to overcome. This is obviously biased officiating. Clark is 4/5 from three, and Iowa is losing
Mulkey is the Izzo of the women's game. But more personally reprehensible.
Pushing the Disrespekt button waaaaay past anything normal.
Next thing ya know, players will complain that their next opponent is not respectful because they beat the previous team.
Foul against LSU? SEC bag men must not have paid enough for the gold package.
But they did pay for the silver package