Battle of the Stars: Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark
It’s a matchup the world has been waiting to see as superstars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark are set to collide in Sunday’s National Championship Game.
Reese and LSU Head Coach Kim Mulkey have fit like a glove this season. The two passionate basketball minds have gelled in their first season together after catapulting LSU to their first title game in program history.
It’s been sheer dominance for Reese. The All-American forward posts averages of 23.3 points and 15.6 rebounds a night, rewriting the history books in Baton Rouge.
For Clark, there aren’t many words to describe what she’s done this season for Iowa. The Tigers are presented with quite the challenge.
The All-American hasn’t taken her foot off the gas all year, averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists and 7.2 rebounds a night for her Hawkeyes squad, propelling them to a National Championship Game appearance.
Clark is fierce. A 6-foot guard who makes players around her better, the praise she’s received this season is well-deserved. It’ll be a challenging matchup for LSU’s guards when it comes to containing her. A relentless bucket-getter, it’s a matter of slowing her down as she’ll get her fair share of points.
The two have mutual respect for each other and it’s very clear:
The Two Continue Changing The Game
Reese understands the two are the focal point come Sunday afternoon. The superstars will have all eyes on them come tipoff as they duel for a title.
“Me and [Clark] are the top two eyes everybody's looking at. The both of us. We're both great players. I think we bring a lot to the game,” Reese said on Saturday. “A lot of people respect us -- NBA players, rappers, everybody respects us. And I think that just helps grow our game.
“It's bigger than me. It's bigger than LSU. It's just bigger. I feel like it's for women's basketball, and we've helped grow it a lot this year just being able to be who we are.”
Containing Clark
It’s impossible to stop Clark. All you can do is contain her and Reese dove into that on Saturday. Great players show up in big-time moments and the LSU program is dialed in to slow her down.
“Caitlin Clark is a great player,” Reese said. “It's going to be tough to stop her from getting her points, but being able to just contain her and not letting the supporting cast, her other teammates go off. So I think that's just something that's going to be important.”
It’s Bigger Than Reese vs. Clark
The pair of All-Americans have helped change women’s basketball. From a viewership perspective, it’s been the most watched Final Four in the history of the women’s game (up 72% from last year).
Clark detailed the moment and how she’s grateful to make change:
“I think I view matchups that people get really excited about as a really good thing for this game,” Clark said on Saturday. “I think that's what excites people and gets them to the TV. When they turn the TV on, they understand it's not an individual game. It wasn't Caitlin versus Aliyah. We weren't even matched up against each other at all. It's not going to be Caitlin versus Angel. That's not going to win a National Championship, but that's what gets them excited about watching the game.”
Mulkey’s Thoughts
The world knows how rare Clark is with the basketball in her hands. Some call her the “Steph Curry of women’s basketball” but she’s just looking to create her own path. The praise is deserved and Mulkey detailed how special of a player she is.
“I don't know that I've ever seen a player that can do what Caitlin does,” Mulkey said. “She's going to get her points. That girl is phenomenal at shooting the ball. But the most impressive thing to me, now that you're talking to an old point guard, is that she makes everybody around her better. You have great players that can get numbers, but she makes others on her team better.
“That's my first time seeing her play in person, and I didn't get to watch the game because I had to deal with [the media]. When I did get out there, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Gosh, she's special. She's special.”
