The Hawkeyes took on the Huskies in the Final Four, headlined by two superstar guards, Caitlin Clark and Paige Buecker.

On April 5, Iowa took on Uconn in the final four, with viewership at an all-time high, hitting 12.3 million viewers. Which is more viewers than the 2023 NBA finals and was the biggest viewership ESPN has ever had on their platform.

Iowa beat Uconn 71-69 to advance to the National Championship Game. With under eight seconds left, a moving screen was called against Uconn when they were down one possession. Social media was flooded with tweets and posts dedicated to bashing the call and the officiating, highlighting the fact that the officials should not have called a foul of that caliber in a one-possession game with a chance to go to the championship game.

That was not the only thing people were upset about; they were also frustrated with the fact Iowa was not called for similar fouls, as well as push-offs Clark committed. Which I would say is a dumb way of combating the call. Uconn committed a moving screen and should be called 10 times out of 10.

Since the game ended, Caitlin Clark has had former and current WNBA players negatively talk about her. Diana Taurasi went viral for her live remarks while covering the game. Taurasi was commentating with fellow WNBA player Kelsey Plum. For context, Diana Taurasi averaged 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists in her collegiate career, while Clark averaged 28 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. Almost doubling Taurasi’s college career numbers, I would also suggest that jealousy is a big component in this one-sided “beef.”.

When Turausi was asked on air, “If you were starting a team, who would you take, Paige Bueckers or Caitlin Clark?” Taurasi said “Paige, next” with a certain tone in her voice, which came off to viewers as spiteful or hating on Clark in a way. That doesn’t make any sense to me, though, considering how Caitlin Clark has carried her team in consecutive years to the National Championship game while Paige has yet to even make it there.

This wasn’t the only time Taurasi said something about her; another moment was when she said that Caitlin Clark would have a tough time at the next level due to it being a whole different game. I found this remark to be a little humorous due to all the records she broke as well as her ability as a play maker and 3-point shooter like very few can.

Another person who seems to have soured on Clark is Breanna Stewart, who had a great college and is currently in the WNBA and flourishing. Stewart was asked whether Clark needed a ring to be considered the greatest of all time, or GOAT, for women’s college basketball. She said yes. Stewart won four championships while at UConn and was a star player, which makes you question why she has a distaste for Clark and is holding her to such a high standard.

Clark has done a lot for women’s basketball, especially in the last two years. The Hawkeyes averaged 3.8 million viewers during their regular season, and for the rest of the league, almost 500,000. Regardless of the old guard’s opinions, Clark will be the reason women’s basketball soars to new heights.