Caitlin Clark and happy Iowa team had a blast in Sweet 16 blasting of Colorado

ALBANY, N.Y. — The scripting was exactly what was desired by Hawkeye Fan, ESPN, and especially Planet Caitlin Clark, with its ports continuing to multiply.

The story 99.4 percent of those who care wanted when the NCAA women’s tournament pairings were released two weeks ago has come to fruition. Reigning national-champion LSU and the 2023 runner-up in a regional final. Clark and Angel Reese. Again.

Iowa did what a No. 1 seed is supposed to do Saturday, and disposed of 5-seed Colorado in the NCAA women’s tournament Sweet 16 at MVP Arena, 89-68. The Hawkeyes play LSU here Monday night because the Tigers dropped UCLA earlier Saturday, 78-69.

Whether Monday’s result differs from the one in Dallas last April remains to be seen, but Iowa gave itself the chance to make it so. And did with authority, shaking off its un-Hawkeyes form in its 64-54 home win over West Virginia Monday to get back to crisp, authoritative offense.

Maybe it was freeing to be on the road again instead of worrying about possibly disappointing 14,000-some devoted followers in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Maybe Colorado’s defense bore little resemblance to West Virginia’s.

And maybe Lisa Bluder is a really good coach. Bluder did what flies in the face of what most college coaches do — women and men — and it paid off.

Clark committed her second foul with 6:07 left in the second quarter. Most of her peers — women and men — get a player out of the game with two first-half fouls to avoid being saddled with a third before halftime.

When you have a rare bird that is too good and too savvy to pick up a third personal before the break, though, you let that birdie fly.

“I thought the two fouls she got were kind of touch fouls,” Bluder said. “They were just kind of like, eh, that could have been called, maybe not called.

“To me, she's so smart. I just talked to her a little bit, just said ‘Hey, be careful, you’ve got two.’ … But she is one smart basketball player, and I really trust her.”

Clark was out for 1:31 of that 6:07, but didn’t come out until over three minutes after that second foul. Between foul No. 2 and halftime, she scored three baskets and had a sensational long pass to Sydney Affolter for an assist.

Iowa’s lead was 32-21 when Clark got her second personal.

She and her teammates weren’t a bit tentative in those last six minutes of the half, and went to the break with a 48-35 lead.

Six minutes without Clark, who wound up with 29 points and 15 assists, is what would have been the real risky business.

“Honestly,” Clark said, “I think when I step on the court, like a calming sense comes over me. This is where I'm supposed to be. I have 13 amazing teammates that have my back.

“I guess it's just kind of like go let your work shine, go have fun, go have a blast, and win or lose, there's a lot to hold your head high about. I thought that's exactly what we did. Everybody kind of played with a smile on their face and had a lot of fun.”

It was true. Forward Sydney Affolter drove hard for a basket and was fouled midway through the first quarter. She was sprawled on the floor with a wry smile. She hit the deck at least another two times on drives that punished the Buffaloes, and seemed to enjoy each spill.

Late in the game, Clark got trapped by two Colorado players before getting the ball to a fellow Hawkeye, and grinned at one of her rare tiny failures this day.

It was a day for smiles, for a game so well-played after two imperfect NCAA wins at home.

Immediately afterward, everyone wanted to ask Iowa’s players and head coach about the three-letter bad word: LSU.

“We got run out of the gym last year,” Bluder said. “It was pretty bad.”

“I speak for everybody on our team,” Clark said. “We did not come into this game knowing LSU had won, and we're like ‘Oh, we want to win to play LSU.’ We focused on this game.”

It showed. But, ahem, what about the next one?

“Yeah, I think everybody is pretty excited for it,” said Bluder. “Twelve million people tuned in last year to see this game. Might be the same this time. Who knows?

“I know that these are two really good basketball teams, and it's almost unfortunate they're meeting this early. But everybody that's left now is really good. LSU is certainly that.”

It’s been almost a year since Reese gave Clark the “You can’t see me” gesture in the final seconds of LSU’s 102-85 championship-game win over the Hawkeyes, and what a firestorm that set off. Clark diffused it by saying it didn’t bother her, but the grudge has never gone away in many circles.

“We’re the good villains,” Reese said after her team’s victory Saturday.

“Everybody wants to beat LSU. Everybody wants to be LSU. Everybody wants to play against LSU.

“You’ve got to realize we’re not any regular basketball team. Like Coach talks about it all the time, she calls us the Beatles. People run after our butts. People are coming at games. You’re seeing sellouts, you’re seeing people buying jerseys, you’re seeing more sellouts than the men.

“We’re impacting the game so much and all of us are super-competitive and want to win and do whatever it takes to win. We’re just changing the game.”

If the Tigers are the Beatles, Clark is ... well, she’s at the top of all the college charts when it comes to selling tickets and products.

Don’t look for her to get sucked into hyping Monday’s game, though, not that it needs it.

“Anytime you have a chance to go up against somebody you lost to, it brings a little more energy,” Clark said.

“I think overall, it’s just going to be a really great game for women’s basketball.”

Said Bluder: “I just know it's going to be highly emotional and highly competitive.”

It’s going to be more than that. The Albany area was first settled in 1614. It’s never experienced anything sports-wise like what’s coming its way Monday night.

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