Sweet Revenge for Iowa Against LSU

Hawkeyes Advance By Defending Champs

It had to be this way. The magical ride needed revenge. You may have heard, it's usually sweet. 

Iowa Basketball tasted it Monday night in Albany. The top-seeded Hawkeyes advanced to their second consecutive Final Four with a 94-87 victory against No. 3 LSU. 

Last season ended with Iowa losing to the Tigers in the national championship game. At that point, a new mission began for the Hawkeyes. That journey continued with payback in Upstate New York. 

Round 1 will go down as a key piece of the game's meteoric rise during the last 12 months. Monday's sequel lived up to the hype. 

If Iowa completes its pursuit of the mountain top, the rematch will serve as an important piece of the accomplishment. Even if they come up short, the Hawkeyes achieved history Monday. 

The list of programs reaching back-to-back Final Fours can't be long. It's a special Iowa team. 

The Hawkeyes took LSU's best punch Monday. They never flinched. They stayed focused. 

All-American Caitlin Clark followed up a precise dissection of Colorado in Saturday's Sweet 16 with a similar procedure. The game's biggest star drained 9 of 20 three-point attempts en route to 41 points. She added 12 assists and six rebounds. 

Clark has taken the high road since being shown up at the end of last season's title tilt. LSU star Angel Reese talking trash and gesturing in her face was tough to take for the ultimate competitor. 

The Iowa senior said that Monday's matchup wasn't about revenge. Still, it felt great. It had to. 

Reese and Clark are superstars sharing mutual respect for each other. They also want to win, badly. 

Now the storybook season marches on with what should be an exciting upcoming chapter. Clark and the Hawkeyes will face off against another headliner. They meet up with Paige Bueckers and UConn or Juju Watkins and USC in the Final Four. 

But first, it's time to exhale. Realize it's likely to be an unproductive week at work again, Hawkeye Nation. Take a few minutes to think about Monday and smile. 

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Clark received plenty of help on Monday. Senior Kate Martin netted 21 points, hitting clutch shots. Sydney Affolter continued thriving in a starting role, contributing 16 points. 

It's been that way on most nights this season. Martin has shown up frequently. Affolter, Hannah Stuelke, Molly Davis and Gabbie Marshall all have come up big in supporting roles. Iowa has always seemed to receive what it's needed. 

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-LSU outrebounded the Hawkeyes, 54-36, an astonishing discrepancy. The Tigers scored only 14 second-chance points on 23 offensive rebounds. 

-With Stuelke in foul trouble, Addison O'Grady played 16 minutes. She chipped in five points, four rebounds and sound defense.