Despite being ranked third going into the NCAA Tournament and having little chance of making it to the title game, the injured UConn Huskies are still dancing, with just Iowa, the top-seeded team, standing in their way.
UConn was favored to win the NCAA Women’s Tournament in only 3.5% of the brackets on CBS. Given the injuries head coach Geno Auriemma has dealt with, it makes sense. However, UConn has a healthy Paige Bueckers this season, and so far, it has been sufficient. In the 80-73 victory against JuJu Watkins and the top-seeded USC Trojans in the region, Bueckers scored 28 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for UConn.
Auriemma will always have more scoring depth than Lisa Bluder and Iowa on his thinned-out bench. Nonetheless, the Hawkeyes have consistently shown that they should not be taken lightly. Gabbie Marshall scored 89 points and made four of five free throws as Iowa defeated Colorado 68-88. Kate Martin led Iowa to a 94-87 victory against LSU with 21 points. Iowa advanced to the Final Four because to Addison O’Grady’s big minutes in the paint, which helped slow down Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow.
On its route back to the Final Four, Iowa has mostly dominated, winning by margins of 26 over Holy Cross, 10 against West Virginia, 21 against Colorado, and 7 against LSU. To reach to this stage, UConn defeated Jackson State and then faced off against Syracuse, Duke, and USC.
Before discussing the main plot points to watch in the game below, let’s take a deeper look at how fans can see the action on Friday night in Cleveland.
How to watch Iowa vs. UConn
When: Friday, April 5 | 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time
Where: Cleveland, Ohio’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
ESPN on TV; Fubo live streaming (Try it out for free)
Iowa vs. UConn: Main plot points
The contest between Paige Bueckers and AP Player of the Year Caitlin Clark is the main plot point. In the same recruiting class, they both joined the NCAA, but Bueckers was the star player while Clark was the hidden gem. We have a healthy Bueckers team and the incredible Clark, who keeps setting new records, at the Final Four.
Auriemma referred to Bueckers as the top player in the nation the other day. Now that UConn and Iowa are set to play, he has lightheartedly recanted his remarks.
“I am aware that there is no personal relationship between us. Auriemma made a jest on Monday, saying, “I don’t need to be seeing her drop 50 on us next weekend.” She’s the finest player, in my opinion. I never said that Paige is the top player in the nation. In my opinion, [Caitlin] is the greatest player ever. Whoever declared Paige to be the top player is unknown to me.
In the case, Auriemma thinks there’s no stopping Clark, so his UConn squad will do their hardest to slow down the rest of Iowa.
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