Lot's of info here, about Paige and Caitlin, and about the two teams. Spoiler alert: everyone picks UConn.
The star freshmen meet Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ABC) for the first time on a national stage in the regional semifinals. Will UConn or Iowa win?
www.espn.com
At this point, both Paige and Caitlin have proven they are both "the real deal." No one is questioning that. As Paige said, it's not Paige versus Caitlin, it's UConn versus Iowa. Geno said the same thing. This will be the biggest stage yet for both in their brief college career. Will one of them shrink under the bright lights, I think not. It remains to be seen if any of their teammates do.
When they meet tomorrow it will come down to who has the better supporting cast. Both can lead their team, but neither can carry their team. They must have help. Who gets the most help from their teammates? Which one of their teammates will show up and show up BIG? THAT will determine who wins. How many points does the winner need to score, 70, 80, 90 points? Once again, before we "anoint" Iowa, let's not forget that during the course of the season, they managed to lose 9 games. They lost to #7 Maryland by 20 points in the BIG 10 Conference championship game. They're not infallible.
Which team will win?
Creme: UConn. The Huskies are better defensively, and with Edwards playing well, UConn has five legitimate scorers.
Voepel: UConn. It's really hard to pick against UConn when you consider how big a task it will be for Iowa's defense to keep the Huskies in check enough to be in striking distance. For what it's worth, one of UConn's few NCAA Sweet 16 losses came against a team from the Hawkeyes' home state: Iowa State beat UConn in the 1999 regional semifinals thanks to great 3-point shooting.
Young: UConn. I stan Caitlin Clark, but this is UConn, and
with so many more weapons across the board, it's going to be too much for Iowa to overcome.
Massey's Rating Service sez: UConn by 13,
84-71. One thing Carnac can guarantee, one of these teams will be going home after the game.
Big 10 Tournament Program
Iowa game notes
