Iowa’s Caitlin Clark vs. LSU’s Angel Reese: A rivalry for the ages

The introduction to Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese -- two phenoms who will face off in the purest form of basketball on Monday night in the Elite Eight -- couldn’t have happened any other way.

It could have happened only there when Reese, adorning a purple and gold jersey, raised her hand in a gesture symbolic of the result of the 2023 NCAA Women’s National Championship. Meanwhile, a likable foe, Clark, adorned in black and gold and ultimately uncrowned last season, was left without college basketball's ultimate prize for her Iowa Hawkeyes.

And now they'll meet again, Clark's chance at redemption, and Reese's chance to re-assert her dominance between the two.

Caitlin Clark has history, now she looks for redemption

Last year was, of course, a different season. Reese and Clark didn’t have even the same spotlight they have now, even in the National Championship Game. But this year's game will be different... and matter even more. It's only the Elite Eight and there will be eight other players for LSU and Iowa on the floor at any given time. But this is Reese vs. Clark, Round 2, and for the last time at the college level.

A spot in the Final Four hangs in the balance and it's win-or-go home, though whichever team advances will still have more work to do in order to attain some hardware. But even with a different place in the Women's March Madness bracket this time around, there is much to learn from last year's clash.

Clark's electric playmaking that carried Iowa to the title game last year and to the Elite Eight this season has been entertaining and the talk of the college basketball world. The same could be said of Reese's penchant for trash talking, famously highlighted by the "You Can't See Me" taunt directed at Clark in the National Championship Game in 2023. But entertainment won't matter under the bright lights.

It's about execution in March Madness, going out and playing the game to win, which applies to Clark and Reese individually, but to Iowa and LSU, respectively, as well. And for the Hawkeyes, it's a second chance and an opportunity for redemption.

For all of Clark's accomplishments, though, she is without a title at Iowa. She's in the dicussion already as the greatest college basketball player ever, and is the projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She's the all-time leading scorer in college basketball, period, after surpassing Pete Maravich's record (incidentally set at LSU) earlier this season after blowing by Washington great Kelsey Plum. She also broke a record held by Stephen Curry for the most 3-pointers made in a single season.

None of this is news, and neither are the accolades, various Player of the Year awards that were rightfully earned. There's also the endorsement deals, millions of dollars being offered by Ice Cube to play in the Big 3 after her college career, and so on.

One could argue that Caitlin Clark can't be stopped. Except that she was, by Angel Reese and LSU last year with a title on the line. And that's the one thing missing from here illustrious resumé.

It's not solely on Clark to make that happen, to be sure. Iowa is an immensely talented team top-to-bottom, a huge reason why the Hawkeyes legend has been able to pair her elite and historic scoring with equally historic assist numbers. But to reach college basketball's ultimate mountaintop, it will require a full team effort and perseverance through the tough lessons learned a year ago in the loss to LSU and how they've applied that to further their success.

Angel Reese can stop the Caitlin Clark storybook ending... again

Then there's Angel Reese, the Bayou Barbie with the spirit of a Bayou Bengal, fittingly at LSU. She embodies that fiery tiger spirit on the basketball court. It's a competitive edge that she shows for 40 minutes on the hardwood, but that permeates throughout her team, including head coach Kim Mulkey and a group that has been deemed the "villains" of college basketball. It's also a label that, though they bristle at, they also don't seem to mind.

Reese has been pretty quiet this season comparatively, however. She has been involved in more off the court, including controversy and rumors about her academics sparked by her own teammate, Flau’jae Johnson. Mulkey has criticized her social media accounts and she was benched for several games early in the 2023-24 season. But in the lights of March Madness, all the fire has returned to the most crucial space for LSU: the court.

She also has the one thing Clark is lacking, that ever-elusive championship ring.

Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese: Bad blood in the Big Dance

While there will be no punches thrown or suplexes handed out, this Elite Eight matchup makes it feel appropriate that the forthcoming National Championship Game will be held the same night as WWE WrestleMania XL. The trash talk between Clark and Reese was reminiscent of a pro wrestling promo or segment a year ago. But yet again, it's the gold -- a trophy in this case instead of a title belt -- that is the endgame for both of these stars.

Reese and Clark are Magic and Bird, two great rivals with a healthy bit of animosity. Though the two insist this isn't a "rivalry", per se, every aspect fans can calculate adds up to as much. It's the final chapter with Clark already having declared for the WNBA Draft, but this matchup, this rematch, has the ability to change narratives depending on the outcome.

No matter the outcome, though, this isn't commonplace. This matchup is the stuff of legends, and one perhaps exclusive to the magic of college basketball. And on the first day of April, fans will bear witness to a historic matchup, one impossible to predict -- as evidenced by the divisive results in that arena -- and one we'll all be better off for having watched in the end.