April 2, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Hear how Caitlin Clark and Iowa defeated Angel Reese and LSU
By The Next
Megdal: 'You can actually feel it when the women's game gets to another level'
![Screenshot 2024-04-02 at 12.19.50 AM Graphic with photo of Iowa players Hannah Stuelke, Caitlin Clark, and Sydney Affolter celebrating during an Elite Eight game against LSU. Text below reads "Caitlin Clark Prevails!". Locked On Women's Basketball logo at the top right corner. Headshots of guest Isabel Rodrigues and host Howard Megdal at lower right.](https://i0.wp.com/www.thenexthoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-02-at-12.19.50 AM.png?fit=1024%2C573&ssl=1)
On today’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal and contributing editor for The Next Isabel Rodrigues discussed the 94–87 win Iowa and Caitlin Clark orchestrated over LSU in the Elite Eight. They started by talking about the atmosphere in Albany’s MVP center during the game:
Continue reading with a subscription to The Next
Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.
Already a member?
Login
“It reminded me [that] you can actually feel it when the women’s game gets to another level,” Megdal said. “I felt that way covering the Lynx and the Sparks during their intense rivalry. Now again, Iowa was very clear, it’s not a rivalry. It’s not a rivalry. … This is a couple of really high level teams playing a couple of years in a row. But Minnesota versus Los Angeles felt like we were reaching a new level ,New York versus Las Vegas felt that way, as well. And it felt here that way tonight.”
Get 24/7 soccer coverage with The Equalizer
The Next is partnering with The Equalizer to bring more women’s sports stories to your inbox. Subscribers to The Next receive 50% off their subscription to The Equalizer for 24/7 coverage of women’s soccer.
Rodrigues also spoke about how Caitlin Clark, who had 41 points and 12 assists during the game, contributed to that environment: “First of all, her performance was undoubtedly one of the best things to happen in the city of Albany,” she said. “It’s her ability to include the rest of her team and to really move the ball around that makes that 41 points possible in the first place. Like that doesn’t happen if she’s not actively engaged and moving the ball around and having [LSU] think on their feet at all times, unsure of what’s coming next. Because I mean, I’m of the opinion that [Caitlin Clark] is a better passer than she is a shooter. There are just some things that she does that are absolutely unreal, they are just unreal.”
Megdal then shared some of what he had learned after visiting LSU’s locker room postgame, in particular how much Flau’jae Johnson impacted the game for the Tigers.
“It was obviously somber and it was hard, [Angel Reese] at first had some trouble even talking to reporters and she gathered herself and was great. And so talking to her about what Flau’jae could be, there’s this level of pride in what she has done over her first two years,” Megdal said. “You know, Angel said at the press conference, talking about Flau’jae, … ‘[she’s] just a sophomore.’ And so I asked her to unpack that a little bit and she talked about that this is somebody with no ceiling. And I know you hear people say that … but in this case, [she’s] somebody who puts up 23 points on 18 shots, an elite defender and elite rebounder [not] just for her size but for her position.”
Add Locked On Women’s Basketball to your daily routine
Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
Listen to Locked On Women’s Basketball to hear more from Megdal and Rodrigues about the game, which will go down as one of the most anticipated and widely watched games in women’s college basketball history. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball and basketball history!