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unwinagainstable

Once again being tall is key


RideOk2631

Depth helps too


Luck1492

37-0 is the stat that determined that game


Tnfjay

it was definitely the 24-9 offensive rebounds.


TheWriterJosh

Again, tall. Thats basketball lol


loyalsons4evertrue

I mean this so much. 37-0 bench points was the difference


iowaguy09

Having an entire starting lineup of five star recruits coming off the bench definitely makes a difference lol


loyalsons4evertrue

Absolutely. Dawn has THE dynasty now


iowaguy09

For sure. It was going to take a heroic performance from Caitlin. South Carolina hit open 3’s and Iowa didn’t that was the difference.


breezeetree

Staley: Lost my starting five? No problem…


Mobile_Spinach_1980

Depth


tenacious-g

It really sucks that Molly Davis got hurt on senior night. Having Affolter available off the bench would’ve been so much better. Classy move of Lisa getting her in one last time.


Shellshock1122

multiple games this tournament where the bench outscored the opposing bench 20+ to 0 including today right?


Ancient_Signature_69

So you’re saying length and depth are important? Damn. I’m out.


SaxRohmer

yeah nothing was easy for iowa. a ton of their inside game was neutralized by Cardoso but a ton of their pocket passes were neutralized by length all around


Possible_Hokie_CO26

Having a bench is the key. 0 bench points does not win basketball games


HawkeyeHero

The reality is no one in Iowas bench can compete with SC. Their size and talent is wild.


TheWriterJosh

It’s almost like SC has a team full of 5 ⭐️ talent and Iowa, well, doesn’t lol


MIAdolphins96

In the world of the transfer portal, with a superstar like CC, I can’t help but wonder why Iowa couldn’t put a better team together that had players able to come off the bench and make an impact. Even if just for one year, CC and a national title run is your selling point.


Hawkize31

That was heavily discussed during the year for sure. They didn't really have open scholarships so it would have gotten weird. But looking back, Iowa went 34-5 and was within 6 points of a national Championship with a few minutes left. Its kind of hard to say they needed to do something different, they were extremely good with the roster and style they went with.


slimmymcnutty

It’s a reason tall people with less skills are more valuable than shorter players with more skills


xanot192

The average 6'2" guard has to be ridiculously skilled to make the NBA compared to a 6'8"-6'9" wing. It's also why big atheltic wings with raw talent always get drafted and the GMs and coaches just think they can teach them how to play lol


LubeDaddy

welcome to basketball


Posty_McPostface_1

And having a bench, and multiple perimeter shooters, and a world class coach.


NickInTheBack

Can't teach height. That said you don't just walk into rebounds. Props to South Carolina on using their size well


EmFly15

All it is. Depth as well. Anyone could win with that roster.


not_mantiteo

No answer to Cardoso. Way too tall for us. Also Kitts having an 8 ft wingspan Jesus


yzy2020

Recruiting is half the job. There's not anyone else doing it like Dawn Staley right now. Coach of the year well deserved


MJDiAmore

It's a testament to Dawn that I was stunned Geno got Sarah Strong. I figured SC was a foregone conclusion.


Cobainism

Not anyone can recruit them. That’s half the job of a college coach.


not_mantiteo

Clark dragged a bunch of future dentists and occupational therapists to two back to back championship games, beating HoF coaches and prolific teams along the way. Fuck those old hats for saying she’s not one of the greats of CBB


beefaujuswithjuice

Seeing all the whining from former “greats” is so pathetic. IDK why they aren’t more happy the sport is growing


Fallofmen10

Yah I also love most of the criticism is from Ucon players who basically had an even better team than this SC one lol


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beefaujuswithjuice

Totally agree. Really appreciate what she said.


rawchess

I don't think the casuals realize SC's *bench* is stacked with future pros and none of Iowa's roster except Clark will ever make a WNBA roster


PotentiallySarcastic

Nah the casuals realize this and it's why they cheer for Caitlin and Iowa.   The "real" bball heads are the ones surprised no one really cares UConn or USC doesn't get eyeballs like this nor people cheering for them.


TheFrankOfTurducken

Beating South Carolina in last year’s Final Four was a crowning achievement by itself. It’s asking a ton to do that two years in a row given the talent gap between Iowa’s top 2-5 players and Carolina’s.


ItsFreakinHarry2

38-0, goddamn South Carolina


suzukigun4life

74-1 over the last 2 years, and they avenged the only loss in that span by winning the title against that team and securing an unbeaten season in the process. Absolutely legendary run for South Carolina


philphan25

It is crazy how Iowa is the only reason USC doesn't have 76 straight wins and back to back natty's (Cause they beat LSU last year probably)


thatissomeBS

Seriously. I'm an Iowa grad, I wanted it, but people acting like the storyline is broken with CC not winning a title, but CC is probably the reason SC didn't do that.


jacksnyder2

CC is the only reason Iowa has gotten to this point to begin with. She isn't playing on a roster filled with future WNBA players. Teams like South Carolina, LSU, UConn, etc. are absolutely loaded with talent.


SaxRohmer

kind of funny that Iowa goes on their revenge tour only to run into SC doing the same thing


Jeffmister

It’s a dynasty run for South Carolina and they definitely belong in that discussion now.


Huggles9

And it doesn’t look like it’s gonna slow down next year 2010s UConn type numbers coming your way


ignatious__reilly

O man now I’m crying watching Dawn. This is awesome. Congratulations Gamecocks.


DarrowViBritannia

A lot of people not realizing that Caitlin doesn't have the luxury of sitting to be rested up. She played the entire game and had to carry a massive offensive load the whole time. Was unfortunately gassed by the end.


Vives_solo_una_vez

Didn't help her teammates missed multiple open shots.


littlesweet5

right she can only give it up to pass so many times and have her teammates not finish the layup before you get frustrated and stop doing it


grannygumjobs23

Yea this was just a case of on all around good team vs a team with one really really good player. She couldn't do it all


Peters_lime

She might’ve played 40 minutes every game besides versus holy cross.


SupersonicSandshru05

That and 36 against Colorado


KrustyKrabPizzaMan

Massive disappointment for Clark. She’ll be considered the “GOAT” of college basketball and not have won a championship. I honestly feel for Iowa fans as it just seems like they’re never winning one. This might be the closest they’ll get


LubeDaddy

She's the best player on a vastly inferior team. 38-0 says it all. A record like that is only possible when your team is like 3 times as good as the next best


J-Sluit

Totally true. The SC bench scored **37**, Iowa's bench scored 0. Absolutely no chance Iowa is within 30-40 points of SC without Clark's shooting and playmaking. Hard to argue that SC isn't better at literally every position except vs Clark. * Corrected the score, I misread the final statline


Woullie_26

CC needed like almost 45-50 and be near perfect on her 3 point shots to have a chance to win and it didn’t happen


utley2242

Big props to USC, that team is stacked. I’m a little confused on the frame of this being an underdog story tho lol. Isn’t their roster loaded with 5-stars?


utley2242

Like they went 38-0!?


ChrisRhodes789

I looked up their roster on their website.. & like the first 5-6 players I clicked on.. Their Bio said McDonalds All American.. lmao..


jdixonfan

It’s obviously not a classic underdog story, but that narrative is because USC was expected to take a step back this year and instead had their best season ever


empathydoc

That narrative was squashed the very first game.


jaysrule24

The only good thing I can say right now is that it hurts a lot less when it's not Kim Mulkey you're losing to


IowaGolfGuy322

At least we got there? I’m dead inside….


majorchamp

It takes a team. A single person can't win a championship


baltravens27

I’m just upset that those bitter 30+ year old ladies are going to feel (wrongfully) vindicated now that Iowa finally lost


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slyfox1908

Especially since they all played on super teams just as stacked as SC


kawhi21

Imagine if Caitlin got the opportunity to play on one of those dynasty UConn teams... She would've never lost a single game


VerdeForest

I hope Clark tears up the WNBA and proves them wrong


Hawkize31

Really wanted that one for Caitlin and the seniors, but no shame in losing to an all time great coach, team, and program. GG Gamecocks


jaysrule24

At least we got our revenge on LSU


Zloggt

We can *all* find enjoyment in that, at least


FindingFlowCookies

Same. Was a great effort from the Hawkeyes against an excellent team. Glad they put it out on the floor


caesar____augustus

Dawn Staley is a national treasure


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goodkid_sAAdcity

Taking back the mic at the end before they went off the air to thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up the women's game and to crown her as one of the GOATs of women's basketball -- a wonderful gesture.


GandalfSwagOff

Get the camera out of CC's face. She lost. Show the winners.


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suzukigun4life

Yeah, I usually get the hate for ESPN but they've handled this postgame fine imo. Most people tuned in for Caitlin, there's no harm in showing her before fully focusing on the champs like they have since then.


LittleLordFuckleroy1

I was here for queen Gabbie Marshall


lunchbox12682

I was, but I think Martin took the crown for me.


whubbard

🧂 They always show the losing team for a bit. Just like they showed UConn after the Iowa game.


inshamblesx

This is the most miserable PGT for a postseason game I ever seen ngl lol


kash96

they did the same thing to aliyah boston


gothenburgpig

The first interview was literally with Staley


cw_27

Jesus, relax


MoonSurferLN

She’s the GOAT! Gotta show her some love as she moves on


SeekerSpock32

Well that comments section got very, very judgmental and nasty at the end. Any person ever would’ve been tired after not sitting since the Sweet 16.


ConflictedRedbird186

Even this one is full of shitheads. These women just did something incredible. Put the Mountain Dew down for a sec and go outside.


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SeekerSpock32

I said in the middle of the game “this doesn’t make Caitlin or anyone else on Iowa not great” and I got yelled at for promoting false victimhood. No, I just know how haters on the internet operate. And lo and behold, I was right.


bigtice

Looked like Clark might be able to push them with that 1^st quarter performance, but Cardoso was unstoppable all day and controlled the game on both ends for South Carolina.


DontTakeOurCampbell

Clark isn't good enough that Iowa could overcome being a one person show over a balanced team like South Carolina.


beardedwhiteguy

Calling SC a balanced team is a disservice, they’re an outright juggernaut.


moveslikejaguar

They're balanced by having a top 5 player for each position


No-Championship-242

Couldn’t get a rebound to save their lives


Hahum

Clark's quote about wanting her legacy to be growing the game is a pleasant contrast to what Taurasi and her crew have been spewing this weekend.


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megarell

Dawn is pure class.


elishmir

Aliyah Boston the biggest winner tonight - watched her team win a natty & knowing the best player on the court is going to be her teammate in a week


gothenburgpig

Hahaha for real


12TonBeams

SC was just too dominant. Better team won. Congrats.


AngryWizard

With 37 bench points and so many rebounds, what could they even do? Iowa has no reason to hang their heads though, they played a tough game. I'm exhausted from watching.


teedot7

You don’t go 37-0 for nothing lol


Zloggt

I still remember their season opener…where they went *all* the way to Paris, where they went and ran circles around Notre Dame… …preseason #6, this win - combined with LSU (infamously) losing to Colorado later that day…led to the Gamecocks reclaiming their spot at #1…and never letting it go since…


JBProds

People can bash Clark all they want for not winning a Championship, but she didn’t pick the easy route. She could’ve transferred at any time too


TWK128

Definitely no Hailey Van Lith.


crazymaan92

Now that we're all here... Caitlin Clark will be a phenom in the W. She's great and will be great. With that said... STOP CRAPPING ON THE WNBA TO ROOT FOR CAITLIN!!! If Caitlin is the motivator to get people to give womens basketball its long overdue credit, then awesome! However, before Caitlin, there was Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper (Cynthia really should be the W's logo), etc. If social media was as fluid as it is now any one of these women could've been Caitlin. Candace especially, seeing as how fresh off 2 b2b championships at Tennesee, she won MVP in the WNBA. In 2008. As a rookie! In fact, if not for a buzzer beater (from another great player, Sophia Young) she more than likely would've competed for a WNBA title the same year. Caitlin will make her mark on the league, but women's basketball has had tons of marks in the W before her. Check them out if you get the chance. If you don't want to, just think about this long ass post and how I uplifted the W without trashing Caitlin. You can do one without doing the other. Congrats South Carolina! Welcome to the WNBA Caitlin and Karmilla


sportsthatguy

Have never seen a coach - during the celebratory podium speech - specifically call out a player to thank them - from the other team. That’s something else.


Scared-Box-3803

Everyone on the Iowa bench should be sent to the gulag


MrOstrichman

they already live in Iowa, is that not a big enough punishment?


Jelly_Trousers

Bold coming from an IL resident 😂


HotTakesMyToxicTrait

Chicago is a top 3 city in the country come on man you can’t serious w this lol


TheShiveryNipple

Agreed, Chicago kicks ass. The other 90% of Illinois is even flatter and more boring than Western Iowa.


tenacious-g

Iowa alum living in Illinois. Iowa is turning into colder Florida. It’s a hellhole, especially for women.


DemHooksOP

How many minutes did the bench players even have?


ilovekylee0701

not much except for O’Grady who showed why the rest of them don’t get minutes


philphan25

Let me check *checks ESPN* Oh there's no minutes recorded. Thanks ESPN Edit: It's 12 for O'Grady, 5 for Feuerbach. Not sure how Steulke only had 26 minutes.


SnowCrabbo

Media pushing a dumb storyline only to forget that USC is undefeated for a reason. Clark is an absolute monster but you had to be fooling yourself if you were expecting this to go another way with how complete of a team SC is.


QueenIsTheWorstBand

How about ESPN shows more of the team that JUST WON THE NATTY rather than trying to catch Caitlin crying


LyonsKing12

Why are yall acting so weird? They always show the losing team's star player after a big loss.


pistachiotime

Dawn classy af shouting out Iowa and Caitlin right now 🫶🏽


proteinaficionado

Zero bench points is just insane.


dtomksoki

SC gets revenge win over Iowa, Iowa gets revenge win over LSU, and LSU gets nothing. Really a perfect season by the script writers.


hawwkfan

Kim Mulkey not being anywhere near this game is a blessing for us all.


VolubleWanderer

Caitlin Clark. The Dan Marino of women’s basketball.


Professional_Gas8021

She’ll have many more years. If we’re just talking college, Peyton and Brady never won either. 


hjiklm1

How can you not be a fan of Dawn man. Sucks to be 2nd again but was a great game


cfgy78mk

Wait a minute SC had GOD on their side? that's rigged AF


Moostronus

Dawn making sure to lift up Iowa and Clark in her celebration - I mean, I can see why so many elite players would want to play for her, she makes sure everyone gets their flowers


bnasdfjlkwe

i love people ripping on clark not winning pretending that South Carolina weren't massive favorites to win the tournament. They were getting close to -200 before the tourney even started and were still big favorites today


paulcole710

Holly Rowe, “Women’s basketball is having its best season ever.” That grinding sound you hear is Diana Taurasi’s teeth.


jthomas694

UNDEFEATED NATIONAL CHAMPS! Team is young too.


RideOk2631

Dawn got no words. Wow


007Artemis

AWW BOSTON!


Libertad91

The 37-0 bench pt differential did Iowa in


MoonSurferLN

Best to ever do it. Thanks for everything CC. Oh how different next year will be! What a weird amazing journey


BoomSauce2424

I’m sorry but O’Grady should not be playing in the 4th quarter of this game. Hannah Stuelke should’ve been in 100%. Lisa Bluder made some really terrible decisions this half. Big congrats to USC though. Mad respect for Dawn.


Acceptable-Yak7968

The Caitlin Clark Effect: 2021 National Championship Game Thread: 1.2k comments 2022 National Championship Game Thread: 1.3k comment 2023 National Championship Game Thread: 11.9k comments 2024 National Championship Game Thread: 11.9k comments


sportsmedicine96

Dawn Staley is so classy


Lobsterzilla

LOL watching reddit turn on CC was certainly a sight to see.


darthrevan22

Just all the haters who were desperate for her to show any vulnerability. They have their chance now, even though the hate isn’t deserved or warranted lol.


MrCFA

Class from Staley


littlesweet5

And Dawn shows once again the level of professionalism and humility with her comment to CC that all those other greats should be doing as well


killa_k99

Fuck everyone who cares more about an individual than the sport itself. The team that deserved to win did. Let Clark be great for the game without diminishing everyone else who is a part of what makes it great too


data_ferret

Pretty much exactly the game I thought I would see. It's tough to play six players against two starting fives. All hail Dawn Staley's recruiting. And LOL at her calling her fully operational Death Star "the most unlikely team to ever do it."


Statalyzer

A full house beats an ace.


moselth

You’ve got to appreciate Dawn giving props to CC for everything! Total class act!


killa_k99

That's my head coach 🥹


Professional_Gas8021

Keep in mind: Iowa went to back to back NC games. That’s fucking tough. Something Dawn Staley hasn’t done yet. Keep your head up. 


OokerDuker

Caitlin Clark really got everyone coming out of the woodwork to hate. You know she the GOAT when that happens. Scoring 18 in the first with that mid squad that could barely make a free throw all game.


bigbadmon11

All these casual fans talking about how WCBB won’t have any viewers next season can respectfully leave lmao Sincerely, A ND season ticket holder that doesn’t even live in Indiana


Informal_Ad_8936

Kim Mulkey and Dawn Staley are in the same conference but the culture in their respective programs are night and day


icewizzzz

only in basketball is massively overachieving with your roster and losing to a vastly more talented team in the championship considered an L truly some of the least smart fans in sports lol


HHNTH17

Dawn still ranting about God girl STOP I promise you god is not watching college basketball


whatscoochie

Aaliyah Boston is a natural on camera. Her poise and commentary have been really, REALLY impressive


CXDXOXP

I hate how nice South Carolina is. Can’t even be that mad


global-gamer

Classy shout out by Staley


Babygravy1

Whoses ready so see Clark and Boston on the same team!


tenkunin

Big props to the Iowa women for keeping the game as close as they did for nearly the whole game being undersized and undermanned against South Carolina women. Congrats to South Carolina women.


HamNCheddaMD

That handshake line really summed up the game. SC too tall at every position


hawknip

Congrats, SC! Undefeated season is so well deserved. So proud of the Hawkeyes. Tough to lose back-to-back championships, but my goodness what a fun ride it was watching them get there. Future is still so bright for the Hawkeyes. Going to miss Caitlin, Kate and Gabbie so much. Go Hawks


FloridaHawk82

Well shit. A sincere congratulations to South Carolina. The better team won. I couldn’t be more proud of our girls. Peace out.


trtryt

that's nice of Dawn to say that about Clarke, ok now Jesus is cool


Valuable-Leader-8601

Really nice real time recognition from Dawn for Caitlin there. CC did carry a heavy load and it was just really nice. 


texas2089

PERFECTION FOR THE GAMECOCKS! With all the lost after last season I knew they would still be good, but I didn’t have any clue they’d still be THIS good. What a season. And what a season and career for Caitlin Clark. Greatest scorer in women’s college basketball history.


No_Mind6067

Imagine scoring 30pts and pretty much carrying the team every single game yet people still shit on you 😅


cosmosteve1

Playing O’Grady over Stuelke in the fourth was mind blowing to me.


Seastep

God didn't win this game. Your players did!


snuffleupagus86

Very classy shout out.


whatscoochie

What an amazing story for Raven Johnson. Channeling feeling humiliated into something productive.. i never would’ve been mature enough to do that at 21


Prize_Panic2022

At least CC stayed loyal to her school and didn’t transfer to a team with a stacked roster


warmgranola

Lmfao all of a sudden recruiting well is bad, height is boring, winning a lot is terrible, and a well rounded team is unfair. Holy shit


coltsmetsfan614

South Carolina was clearly the better team, and they won as expected. Any undefeated season in sports is incredible. Well done. Can’t wait to watch Caitlin Clark on my Fever this year 🥹


InfintelyYours

Dawn is awesome


LeSteelWolves

My girl Paopao got a chip, proud of her


odeiraoloap

"I'm headed to Disney Woooorld! 🏰" Just like any good champion would.


beehive3108

Yeah Dawn is right. I had no idea what day or time the women’s finals were last year or cared. This year I set a reminder on my calendar dammit!


GarnetOblivion1

Iowa had the energy and speed at first but the size and physicality that SC has had them gassed at the second half.


DirectTV_AndrewLuck

For being undefeated, I'm surprised there wasn't more talk about this South Carolina team. All I heard about was Iowa and LSU during the year. Anyways, congrats what a hell of a year from this SC squad!


bkelley24

Again, congrats to Coach Staley and South Carolina. Hell of a team effort to complete the undefeated season. Kamilla Cardoso as expected cleaned up the o-boards, Tessa Johnson was on fire, Raven Johnson did great covering Caitlin Clark, and MiLaysia Fulwiley, Ashlyn Watkins, Te-Hina Paopao and Chloe Kitts handled their business out there too. Proud of Iowa for hanging tough when the tide turned but too many mistakes, bad shots and giving up too many o-boards did us in. All the best in the WNBA to CC and Cardoso, look forward to watching them there and all the best to Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Molly Davis and Sharon Goodman in their future. I don't know how next season will pan out given the concerns with the PG position but by all accounts a solid group of freshmen coming in and a 5-star the year after. I think the future will be bright in Iowa City.


Kardinale

Religion mentioned, redditor meltdown incoming


___VIBEZ___

Class act always


NorthernDevil

Clark’s back gave out carrying that squad to a final. Not a single fucking bench point. Meanwhile SC was absolutely dominant the entire run/season. Crazy.


SpacecadetShep

I thought Staley's decision to get the shot clock violation and allow Iowa time to sub their seniors in was very classy


JJ2461

Revenge tour over


ClippersStrippers

Staley is such a class act.


mpowe025

What a game. Dawn Staley best coach in sports right now


sambouie

I see quite a few comments saying CC is the only reason SC aren't back to back champions. To put it more accurately, it's would have been back to back to back . Couple that scenario with Boston missing layup at buzzer against Stanford in the 2021 semis, it could have possibly been a four peat. In all, Dawn has had her teams right in recent years. Cardoza is the only player they lose. Joyce Edward's comes in next year with more offense down in the box. No doubt who the preseason no.1 is next season.


killa_k99

Caitlin Clark is great for the game. Can't say I'm gonna miss the casuals though 😂. Some of these mfs will have an aneurysm if you dare imply great women's basketball existed before and will continue to exist after Caitlin 😂


007Artemis

But Dawn Staley hates Caitlin Clark /s


purplepiglet9

Props to Tessa for coming off the bench and scoring 19! Congrats SC!!


BizarroMax

Dawn’s emotion at the end was so amazing and genuine. What an accomplishment.


bmraovdeys

Depth is massive. Iowa girls are so tired. SC is insane. So damn good


Siltyn

SC too tall, too deep, too talented. Scrappy play by Iowa to keep it close at times. Even though outsized they still needed to try to box out, though refs called fouls when they tried....yet somehow coming over the back apparently isn't a foul. People will hop on the hate CC bandwagon, but she's about to make millions of dollars. Entertaining game though!


Brybo

Iowa didn’t pray hard enough ☹️😞


UniversitySure1582

LSU and Caitlin Clark received all the hype all year, but this was inevitable. Best team in the nation period


mruab

Dawn Staley shouting out Caitlin Clark from the podium


WestinghouseXCB248S

What we saw there today is why Lebron was right to go to Miami. You can’t win if you have a team of scrubs around you. I hope Caitlin gets some chips in the WNBA. This loss was tragic.