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"Full Court Press" is presented by State Farm.

Like a good neighbor State Farm is there.

Something that I would like for the fans

to think about this series is just having

a little bit more knowledge about everything that goes on

in the life of a college student athlete.

Understanding the lives of college athletes

and how we’re human.

There’s a lotta pressure on you,

but there’s so much more to the athlete

than seeing them play basketball two times a week.

I really hope fans will take away

how great women’s basketball is.

I think right now we’re at kind of like

a turning point in the game,

and I think fans will get kind of like

an inside look and cool experience.

And now, "Full Court Press"

presented by State Farm.

Good morning and happy March Madness!

- Happy March Madness. - March Madness.

I am so excited.

I can’t think of a more anticipated

women’s basketball tournament

than the one we have this year.

The NCAA basketball tournament starts this week

and the biggest star this year is a woman, Caitlin Clark.

I can’t name one college player.

- Not one, huh? - Not one.

I’m sure you’ve seen Caitlin Clark, though, right?

You’ve seen her. - Yes! That’s the only one!

A lot of, as we see, to Iowa,

but look at this region Iowa’s in.

They are the top seed.

LSU, who they played the National Championship game,

is up here, UCLA is up here.

UCLA has all of the pieces

to win a National Championship.

Let’s go! Let’s go!

South Carolina’s the top overall seed

in the women’s tournament,

finishing a perfect 32-0 during the regular season.

- Tickets are almost double

right now the cost that the men’s are.

Tickets are punched, the brackets are set,

now it’s time for the real fun to begin.

- Madness. - Let the madness begin.

Let’s let the March Madness begin, baby.

Welcome to March Madness.

Welcome to Merge Madness, America.

Here you go.

The opening two rounds

of a thrilling March Madness are complete.

The women’s Sweet Sixteen stage is set.

This has an opportunity this weekend

to be the greatest weekend for the women’s tournament.

Regular chocolate chip, walnut chocolate chip.

No brownies?

You want the brownies?

South Carolina looking to continue

its pursuit of perfection.

South Carolina dominated the first two rounds.

Kamilla was ineligible for that very first game

for South Carolina in the tournament

because of this altercation

that happened in the SEC Championship.

The beauty of South Carolina

is they were so deep this year

they could get away without Kamilla in the first round,

but she came back for redemption

in the second round of the tournament.

That’s what you get

with Kamilla Cardoso back in the game.

Gamecocks are moving on to Albany to the Sweet Sixteen.

Those first two games verse Holy Cross and West Virginia,

I played so tight.

Come on!

In the first game against Holy Cross,

Caitlin did not have her normal composure.

It’s a foul. It’s a foul.

It was the first moment where it looked

like the pressure broke her.

I’m a little worried about Iowa right now.

I think West Virginia showed a good blueprint

of how to frustrate Caitlin Clark.

I couldn’t wait to get away from Iowa City.

I felt like once we made it to the Sweet Sixteen,

it takes the pressure off of you.

And the Iowa Hawkeyes survive

the spear in the second round from West Virginia

and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

UCLA has its own aspirations

and seems ready to take that next step.

In the second half of Creighton when the season

was on the line, Kiki was at her best.

Here comes UCLA

with a chance to take the lead.

This is Rice. Got it!

She played the best complete game

of her entire season to get her team to the Sweet Sixteen.

- Game over.

UCLA headed back to the Sweet Sixteen

after erasing a double-digit deficit.

The Madness comes to Downtown Albany

with some star power in the Women’s NCAA Sweet Sixteen

and the Elite Eight.

My shoes, my suit, my jersey.

Where’s my jersey? My Jersey?

People had very high expectations for South Carolina.

The biggest question coming in was, like,

will Kamilla be able to handle the energy it takes

to be the centerpiece of the team?

We are underway.

Out!

Great hustle by Cardoso

to get back into play!

The six-foot-seven-inch Cardoso

gettin’ down on the floor.

And then it results

in a Tessa Johnson bucket.

I mean, this is outstanding hustle by Kamilla Cardoso.

Come from out of bounds and get an extra possession!

Makes a huge difference when she plays well.

Mm-hmm.

I don’t know what they’re puttin’ in the water down there.

Biggest lead of the afternoon of 49 to 32,

Cardoso leading the way.

She has 13 points.

- It’s crazy isn’t it? - Yes.

Like she’s, like, not gonna be denied.

We had a amazing first half against Indiana

and maybe sometimes that’s a problem.

They came out at halftime and they’re dancing.

I was like, I know they’ve blown teams out

in the second half all year,

but are they too loose right now?

As you can see,

the tension is just killing South Carolina right now.

I’m tellin’ you,

this is a group that is really loose.

And it turns out they were too loose.

Defense! Let’s go Defense!

It’s a 10-nothing run for IU.

Dawn Staley calling the play.

Again, looks to get a touch for Kamilla Cardoso.

You gotta get Cardoso a touch here.

Parrish for three.

A significant lead has been whittled down to five.

I try to tell Kamilla this,

when she becomes a little more selfish,

that’s when her superpower will be on display.

Take your chances on you,

because ultimately it helps the team.

Dawn Staley challenged her

to be more aggressive.

She has shown that no one can stop her.

South Carolina finally getting it

to her down low, every time.

She’s calling for the ball.

Keep feeding the big girl.

Cardoso back out, Johnson for three! Huge!

With the game on the line,

Kamilla Cardoso could put the team on her back

and say, "I got us and I will carry us through."

And the South Carolina Gamecocks escape

with a 79-75 win. - Indiana 75.

They’re going to the Elite Eight

for the fourth straight time.

One loss in the last, like, 96 games.

What’s up?

And they’ve changed so much.

They’re just, like...

They have a lot of depth, too.

Who do I wanna play in the Elite Eight?

Financial professional today.

Feel comfortable about tomorrow.

Am I allowed to say this?

UCLA.

What A Sweet Sixteen matchup.

This afternoon the defending champion LSU Tigers

taking on two-seed UCLA.

I think my confidence has gone up a lot.

Just over these past few weeks it’s been paying off.

It’s about being us.

What does us look like?

What’s one characteristic of us?

- Togetherness. - Togetherness.

- Toughness. - Toughness.

Consistent.

- Aggressive. - Ooh, aggressive.

And anybody that doesn’t believe that we’re tough,

they would be sorely mistaken.

We saw some of their best basketball they’d played

in a while in those first two rounds.

And there was just a lot of question marks

swirling around which UCLA was gonna show up.

And away we go in Albany, New York.

And a steal by Reese all the way in for two.

LSU can be deadly in transition.

First half was a pretty big struggle.

You could tell that they were

a little more settled in than we were.

Rice lookin’ to drive it,

and that’s gonna be an offensive foul called on Kiki Rice.

Flau’jae Johnson, back to back triples.

They came out, they hit some threes that, you know,

we didn’t anticipate them hitting,

and our shots weren’t falling.

Rice, good luck.

Catch, fire, no.

UCLA now O of 7 from three.

Flau’jae Johnson a huge first half.

13 points. LSU leads by 7.

First of all, I think that they’re sagging you off

and sending two, and that’s when the guards can attack more.

And Lauren, you’re doing a really good job

when they’re sending two,

you’re doing a good job kicking it out,

but we need you to stay aggressive.

- We regroup here? - Yeah!

This really is just like Creighton.

They’re makin’ a lotta shots.

Adjust! Take those things away!

All of the teams that have kicked their butt,

their guards have gone to work.

There’s more in you. There’s more aggression in you.

Here we go.

One half away from someone heading to the Elite Eight.

This is a UCLA team that is talented enough

to win a National Championship right now,

and they have young pieces

that they should have together for a while.

They had missed all of those three pointers

in the first half, and then they just finally

started to go in.

London makes one that puts them up

by one in the third quarter.

UCLA has it.

Jones, her three...

You bet!

To the corner it goes.

Osborne connects!

The Bruins back in front.

I felt like we were in great position to win this game.

Rice drives it, gets denied!

Flau’jae Johnson on the block and then Rice on the foul.

Kiki Rice gets into foul trouble.

Charisma Osborne gets into foul trouble.

Lauren Betts, it wasn’t so much the physicality

that was informing the foul situation,

it was just a lack of discipline.

It really takes the game out of rhythm.

The players that, you know,

you anticipate being on the court

are not on the court or you’re playing differently

because you’re in foul trouble.

LSU by four.

And that’s gonna be an offensive foul.

Number five on Kiki Rice.

- Foul!

That’s what you do!

It was really tough just sitting on the bench

feeling helpless in a sense.

They were up against a team who was more seasoned

and experienced and had been here before and did not flinch.

The defending champs are not done yet.

Hey, this program is in damn good hands,

and I know y’all are gonna finish it off next year

for us, okay?

The outcome really hurts.

It’s not what we wanted, and at the same time,

not letting it define the entire year.

I’m so proud of who you are.

I love you guys.

I just love you.

At no point did I ever think we wouldn’t be

in the Final Four and that we wouldn’t be playing

for a National Championship,

and then all the sudden that became the reality.

I think being so close, honestly,

and falling short could be the fuel that we need

for the future for this group.

We officially have our first team of the day

moving on to the Elite Eight.

Congratulations to LSU,

as we’ve got one more game from Albany.

Number 1 Iowa, Caitlin Clark and Colorado.

Once we made it to the Sweet Sixteen to play Colorado,

it was almost like a, okay, like, we’re out of Iowa City,

like we avoided a really embarrassing upset.

Getting out of there really takes the pressure off of you.

Everybody just kinda played a little looser.

The Hawkeyes take down Colorado.

And what is on deck?

Well, a rematch of the 2023 National Championship game.

Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, LSU, Iowa.

For Caitlin and the Hawkeyes,

this is the one team that kept them from the title,

and now they get to face them again

just to get to the Final Four.

And so, that fire has been burning

for pretty much 12 months.

I knew they were gonna put LSU in our region.

That’s just what they wanted to do.

They were gonna give the people that rematch.

Hello.

All right, so CC, you’re gonna start out on number 11.

Gabby, I believe number 4, Flau’Jae,

is their X factor right now, okay?

She is playing out of her mind, all right?

So stay tight, stay together, play with poise.

I caution you to get on social media

or listen to any TV shit that’s goin’ on right now.

- Delete that shit. - Honestly. Right?

- Yeah. - We don’t need

to get involved in all that crap

that the media wants to stir.

That’s not us. Just tune it out.

Put the blinders on, man.

Put the blinders on and let’s go!

- Let’s go! Let’s go! - Get your (indistinct).

Listen, the scoreboard’s gonna say

Iowa and LSU, but after last year’s trash talking,

is this all about Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese?

To be honest, like, I was super frustrated

going into that game.

Everybody wanted to talk about everything

besides the basketball.

The media just made it this battle that never was.

Me and Angel have always been great competitors,

but that’s not the only competitive thing

about where our game is at.

Like, me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other.

I don’t think people really realize that, and that’s fine.

I’ll take the villain role,

but I know we’re growing women’s basketball

and if this is the way we’re gonna do it,

then this is the way we’re gonna do it.

You like it or you don’t.

If you put together a wishlist

heading into this women’s college season,

at the very top, pretty, pretty please,

give us a rematch of LSU-Iowa.

Ever since the brackets were released,

we’ve been hopin’ for this one.

You could not have scripted this.

The lead-up and the buildup to that game

is like nothing I have ever seen in an Elite Eight matchup.

Guys, have you got anybody

with an April Fools yet?

- What? - I didn’t even realize

it was April Fools Day.

- Yeah. - Wait, what?

That’s what it’s called, right?

April Fools? - Yep, we lost

the National Championship a year ago today.

- Oh, did we? - No. Did we?

No, it’s tomorrow.

I was gonna say it was a prank,

and we actually won. - So it’s actually,

this is our redemption game on day 364.

Well, it was leap year this year.

So it’s 365. - Oh, so it is.

It was meant to be!

All right, Hawks.

So tonight after we win this game,

we get to cut down the nets again.

So I really want to pass these scissors around

and I want you to envision yourself cutting down that net.

Get up there above the clouds, above all the crap,

and have fun tonight.

Smile and have fun ’cause you guys

are at your best when you do that.

Iowa on three. One, two, three!

Iowa!

- Let’s do it.

I’m excited.

Honestly, like, this is the moment

we’ve been working for all year.

Nothin’ scares me. I think I’m ready, yeah.

We have always said we wanna get back to Cleveland,

now we’re 40 minutes away from doing it.

All right, let’s go through match-ups first.

CC, you’re on number 11.

You’re very capable.

You know our easiest way on the ball screen.

That’s over or under, easiest way.

Syd, on number 12. - The grueling nature

of their season, like the crowds, the pressure,

has them as prepared as they possibly can be

for this moment against a super team.

♪ Cut my life into pieces ♪

♪ This is my last resort ♪

♪ Suffocation, no breathing ♪

♪ If I cut my arm breathing ♪

A trip to the Final Four on the line.

The rematch is underway in Albany.

Clark connects!

Here’s Clark driving in for two.

Caitlin Clark is at her best

when she can balance her three-point prowess

with attacks to the rim.

Clark, you bet!

Could you have possibly asked

for a better start if you’re Iowa?

Didn’t I tell y’all?

When we’re losing it’s ’cause of us.

They’re not better than us!

They dump it into Reese.

Reese’s bodies inside.

Easy finish for Angel Reese.

And now Reese comes up with a steal!

Reese all the way in to give LSU the lead.

Angel Reese!

It just felt like a heavyweight fight,

like the drama, the intrigue.

It was magical to be in that crowd and feel that vibration.

- LSU! LSU!

LSU! LSU! - Clark shakes Van Lith

into the lane.

Gets fouled by Reese.

And then Angel Reese takes a tumble afterwards.

Oh no. - Angel Reese.

And you just hope this is not going

to affect Angel Reese and LSU tonight.

No offensive rebound for LSU

since Angel Reese left the game.

Now, Angel Reese is gonna hobble

to the scorer’s table and check back in for her team.

Entering the game for LSU,

number 10, Angel Reese.

Clark eyes up, behind the back,

through the lane, lays it in!

Iowa back in front!

Johnson on the attack, spinning, and finishing!

What a move from Flau’jae Johnson!

- Flau’jae Johnson! - We have a tie game

at the half.

I was definitely tired.

It was an up and down first half,

but going into halftime, like,

we were in a really good spot.

All we have to do this half is play defense.

Yeah, that’s literally it.

Like, their defense is not good.

- No. - We’re gonna score

as much as we want,

but they’re probably saying the same thing

about our defense. - For sure.

But that’s not true.

And Angel’s, like, so tired.

She does not wanna foul right now,

so keep goin’ at her.

- She have two fouls? - She’s got two.

- She has two. - Two.

Attack her early.

- Good job, you guys. - Way to go Hawks.

We got 20 minutes.

We get 20 minutes to go out there,

show ’em who’s best, all right?

- Let’s go. - 20 minutes

to put everything else aside, 20 minutes to elevate.

Here we go. Second half action.

A trip to the Final Four at stake.

Oh my!

From Schenectady! - Three pointer goes

to Caitlin Clark!

Coming out in the second half,

the biggest thing was we set the tone right away.

I made a few threes, which helped.

Go, Iowa, go!

Clark!

She’s possessed!

It’s the distance

on these Caitlin Clark threes.

It’s just ridiculous.

Clark fires. You bet!

Her seventh three of the game.

Caitlin Clark passes Taylor Robertson,

most career threes in Division I history.

I’ve never seen anyone perform

like Caitlin Clark did in that moment.

She was at the very best version of herself.

- Here we go!

Here we go- - Back to Clark.

Stuelke lays it in!

Plus the foul.

Jason Sudeikis all smiles.

A 12-point Iowa lead.

Reese leans in

and that’s a charge!

And number five on Angel Reese.

Angel re-aggravated an ankle sprain

that she had done in the SEC Tournament.

I do think it affected her game.

Clark evades.

That will do it.

This time it’s Iowa!

The Hawkeyes are headed back to the Final Four!

We’re goin’ to the Final Four!

We got redemption and beat LSU.

As a competitor, you love that.

But also more importantly,

our group was going back to the Final Four,

a place that a lotta people thought we wouldn’t be.

Believe!

- Believe! - Woo!

We had all said that if Iowa really wanted

to be contenders, it was gonna have to be

everybody else not named Caitlin

that would have to step up and play well,

and they were playing great.

But I still felt like South Carolina was the team to beat.

For the fourth straight season,

South Carolina is headed to the Final Four!

Coach Staley, your average margin of victory

all year long with like 26 points per game.

The Final Four, it was really special.

Looking at all the hard work we put in,

and see that everything paid off was amazing.

Proud, each and every one of you for committing to it,

proud of you for performing when you needed to perform.

We’re gonna go and enjoy it for the first day, right?

And then it’s business.

- Good job, y’all. - Here we go.

Together on three!

One, two, three.

Together!

The Final Four in Cleveland is set.

South Carolina and NC State, Iowa and UConn.

But let’s get you some other big stories.

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso announcing via social media

that she is declaring

for the 2024 WNBA Draft. - Welcome!

We need her!

In ESPN’s latest mock draft,

she’s projected to go number four overall.

There you go.

I was like, okay, maybe I should make my decision

before the Final Four.

I think this is a really important moment for me

and I wanna go there with no pressure on my shoulders.

I don’t wanna think about nothing else,

but just going out there and playing every single game

like it’s my last game with this team.

I texted Coach Staley I wanted to meet with her.

I went to the office, I talked to her.

I told her I thought I was ready

to take the next step in my life.

She told me she think I was ready, too,

so that’s all I needed to hear.

When I go to the next level,

I’m gonna start living by myself.

I was in the gift suite and I was like, what should I get?

’Cause you gotta have something to cook with.

These would be good for you for where you’re going.

I’m just sayin’.

What is it called, Mary?

Hamilton Beach Blender

with Travel Cups. - What you gonna blend?

Well, you know when I move out

I’m gonna have to figure out how to cook

and live a life without y’all.

I feel like I’m ready.

I just gotta learn how to cook

and then I’ll be fine.

Bye, Kamilla.

Ready to go In Cleveland, Ohio.

First game of our semi-final doubleheader tonight,

NC State against South Carolina.

The NC State-South Carolina matchup

I think had really high expectations.

For the holdovers from the team a year ago,

they recognized very quickly it can all come crashing down

in the semifinal round if you’re not focused.

Cardoso. Wow!

Through two defenders, able to bank it home.

Kamilla was building on some

of those earlier rounds where she was asserting herself.

Cardoso the rebound.

She has a double-double.

She had a double-double in that game.

She was owning that.

Undefeated South Carolina will play

for the National Championship on Sunday.

I just gotta play good.

I know when I play good that my teammates get it going, too.

So let’s just do this and win a National Championship.

- Featuring the UConn Huskies! - A reminder, Iowa and UConn

is coming up next.

I grew up a pretty big UConn fan.

Maya Moore was my favorite player growing up.

I wanted UConn to recruit me.

I always wanted Geno to call me just because he’s Geno.

Like, he’s one of the best coaches of all time.

We respect them, we don’t fear them.

Let’s go. - Let’s go.

- Together, one, two, three. - Together!

Geno never called me. Mm-mm.

It woulda been cool.

I always had my eyes peeled, but no.

UConn, the winningest program

in the history of women’s college basketball.

Iowa trying to get to its second straight

National Championship game.

I have a chance to beat UConn on the biggest stage

in front of 14.2 million people.

Obviously, I was licking at my chops a little bit.

Here’s Clark driving in lane,

and Caitlin Clark has the first points of the semifinal.

So much talk

about Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers.

Paige Bueckers, people forget,

was the first and still only freshman

to win National Player of the Year.

- Bueckers, connects!

Three!

Paige Bueckers,

a triumphant return after a season missed due to injury.

And that is how

the first half will end.

Holding Caitlin Clark to six points.

Paige and UConn and Geno,

they’re kinda like, don’t sleep on us.

What’s the score?

We’re down six.

All right, I mean, our shots are gonna fall.

I mean Caitlin, you’re a fucking dog.

Like, do not...

We have the most confidence in you ever, so you’re fine.

Getting ready to start this second half

in Cleveland, Ohio.

Clark, is gonna spin away from traffic,

double screen, gets open, and hits!

First three of the night for Caitlin Clark.

Clark for three.

It is good!

Plus the foul.

Clark, step back three. You bet!

- Three, Caitlin!

We had two really costly turnovers late in that game.

Clark on the move, finds Stuelke.

Stuelke dishes.

It’s taken away by Arnold!

Save to Edwards and Connecticut takes a time out!

All the sudden UConn is in a position

to probably win this game.

The biggest thing about our group

is nobody was ever frazzled.

It was always just go back down on defense and get a stop.

10.8 seconds remaining.

Muhl, the drive.

Five seconds left.

Looking for Edwards, and the offensive foul!

An offensive foul on Edwards

with 3.9 to go.

It was really the whistle heard round the world

for March Madness.

In the moment it seemed like an unfortunate whistle,

but on the replay, she is way outside of her shoulders.

It’s a foul.

It was a moving screen for everybody

that thinks it wasn’t a moving screen.

Her feet were super wide.

She was moving and maybe Gabby sold it a little bit,

but she got nailed like it’s a moving screen.

It saves the game for Iowa, just point blank.

And that will do it!

Iowa survives Connecticut

and heads back to the National Championship game.

Hey, I!

We’re goin’ to the championship!

- Championship!

- Natty!

Fantastic games last night.

It’s been a tournament of impossibly high expectations,

but one game will determine the outcome

of the entire season tomorrow.

Either South Carolina stays perfect

or Caitlin Clark gets her fairytale ending.

The rematch in the National Championship game

was a rematch from the semi-final game

from the previous season where Iowa shocked the world

and ended South Carolina’s undefeated season.

We sort of had the clash of these titans.

Could Caitlin Clark end her storybook career

in the most storybook of ways,

and could South Carolina exact revenge

for what happened to them last year

and punctuate a perfect season?

Number 22, Caitlin Clark.

How we gonna play her is much different

than we play anybody, okay?

We don’t want to run up at her ’cause she’s gonna go by us,

and once she goes by us, she’s gonna have options.

She’s good at threadin’ the needle, she’s good at finding,

she’s good at pulling when she’s got space,

so we’re gonna beat her.

Is she gonna bang some threes?

You’re damn right.

We can’t get dejected.

They’re playing their best basketball,

they’re playing inspired,

they’re playing like they wanna win

a National Championship.

So are we.

This is a team that just doesn’t have a lotta weaknesses.

Kamilla’s playing so well, just runs the floor beautifully,

rebounds incredibly, shooting the ball well.

One person can’t stop her.

We got one more game. Nothin’ else matters.

Your feelings don’t matter. They don’t.

You’re right here.

You’re one game away from experiencing something

that you’ll never, ever forget.

Winning or losing, trust me, it works both ways.

There’s always a lotta debate for players and coaches

whether a championship is needed to cement a legacy.

Yeah, I was really good in college,

never won a championship.

Man, you gotta win a championship.

You gotta win a championship.

If Caitlin wins a championship, she’s pretty damn good.

Like, yeah, she’s a GOAT good.

I mean she’s pretty damn good regardless,

but you know, winning a championship would seal the deal.

I hope to the dear Lord she doesn’t.

I-O-Wa!

Think about Crossover in Kinnick,

the very first game of the year,

was our game in Crossover in Kinnick,

and now we get to play in the very last game of the year.

We’ve had quite the story, and I cannot imagine

doing it with any other group, I really can’t.

Win or lose this game,

I want you to take that with you for the rest of your lives

because I know how successful you guys are gonna be

the rest of your lives, okay?

Let’s go and have fun today!

Let’s go do it!

Let’s play B!

- Very similar follow-up.

- Together, one, two, three. - Together!

How do you feel?

Good.

Me, too, actually.

Jason Sudeikis just texted me.

"I mean... look... they called this place Believe-land

before y’all got here.

Now you guys got the chance to remind them why."

You have your room key?

Mm-hmm.

- All right. - Let’s do it.

Let’s hit it.

As we work our way towards tip-off

for which team walks away with the title

of National Champions tonight, South Carolina or Iowa.

We believed we could win.

We were never like, it’s gonna be a miracle

to win the National Championship verse South Carolina.

We were confident that we were gonna find a way to win.

Man, lemme get out.

- Get it out! Get it out!

Let’s go!

Kamilla Cardoso!

Caitlin Clark!

Clark, open three is good!

Caitlin Clark, she can do everything,

like, she’s a great all-around player,

so it’s really hard to guard her.

Here’s Clark, wheeling, taking,

and banking it home.

Clark...

Oh my!

From the future! - Caitlin Clark!

Will Iowa wind it down? No.

That’s why!

A stunning opening quarter from Clark.

She has 18, the most ever in a championship game quarter.

I made some tough shots,

but they just kept throwing different people at me.

I think I expended a lot of energy in the first quarter.

Once she started scoring a lot,

everybody was more like locked in.

Tessa Johnson comes out to meet Clark,

Clark evades, bounces, O’Grady gets denied by Cardoso.

Cardoso working O’Grady.

Cardoso, and the foul.

Watkins, dumping it inside.

Cardoso has given the Gamecocks

their first lead of the afternoon.

Shot clock turned off and Johnson picks the pocket of Clark!

Raven Johnson lays it in!

- Johnson!

The last play before the half,

you could just feel a momentum shift there like,

uh-oh, Iowa’s in trouble here.

If you score 18 points in the first quarter,

you’re not gonna have the energy

to play through the whole game.

Shout out to my girl Ray.

Played some great defense on Caitlin.

- And that’s how

the first half ends!

And South Carolina takes its largest lead

of the game into the half.

It was a tough matchup for us

having 6’1", 6’2" Hannah Stuelke

going up against 6’7" Kamilla.

Kamilla Cardoso!

She’s just too tall, she’s too good.

She finishes well around the rim.

Her standing in the paint, it’s a big difference maker.

The separator, Kamilla Cardoso.

She’s been playing with a different ferocity

in the last couple of weeks.

Clark, the crossover,

and the hit from three.

- Three! - A big one for Iowa.

Can they build off it?

We cut it to five points

with five minutes to go, but at the end of the day,

they just were a little too much for us.

Kamilla Cardoso!

Perfection with a touch

of sweet redemption!

Undefeated South Carolina has won

its third National Championship.

Coach, you’re one of the toughest

to ever come outta Philly.

We don’t see these tears from you often.

She was proud we won the championship,

and I feel like we all got emotional,

but it was just the feeling that we did it,

like relieved, you know?

She trusted us.

She never lost her faith in us

and we was able to do it.

We did it for her.

The Most Outstanding Player

for the 2024 NCCAA championship

is from Monte Claros, Brazil, Kamilla Cardoso.

There’s a lot of us who’ve been working

in women’s college basketball for a long time,

and I feel like we’ve all been pushing this boulder

up the hill together, like,

"Just trust us, you’ll love this. These women are great."

We’ve been waiting for so long for everybody

to see how great women’s college basketball is.

Like, welcome!

Thank you for wrapping your arms around these women.

They deserve it.

There’s been so many that have come before them

to put them in this moment

and build the foundation for this moment.

I wanna personally thank Caitlin Clark

for lifting up our sport.

She carried a heavy load for our sport

and it just is not gonna stop here on the collegiate tour,

but when she is the number one pick in the WNBA Draft,

she’s gonna lift that league up as well.

So, Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there,

you are one of the GOATs of our games and we appreciate you.

Great job, you guys. Man!

You fought, you battled.

Heck, we got within five. So good.

So good, you guys.

They’re a professional team.

Honest to goodness, they are.

So do not hang your heads. Do not.

Yes, we’re sad that the seniors are leavin’ us.

That’s tough. That’s the tough part about this.

But we got to do this together, right?

We got to have this journey together.

Caitlin, thanks, man.

Thanks for believing in us,

and you got this whole locker room to believe.

Caitlin, you got everybody to believe along with you.

The impact that you had on young women

in this sport doesn’t get tarnished.

It will always be there.

You have raised this sport to a new level

’cause of the way you play the game.

Don’t ever forget that, okay?

Let’s bring it in.

Great job. - Great job.

Hawkeye pride, one, two, three.

Hawkeye pride.

Just wanna say thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, really,

thank you to all of y’all.

You committed to each other.

I’ve never been part of a team

that hold each other accountable

while lifting each other up.

And then Kamilla, your sacrifice, it’s incredible.

Basketball in life will forever repay you

for your sacrifice.

You’re gonna do incredibly well

and we are gonna sit back courtside to see it.

We thank you for choosing South Carolina.

We really do.

- Love you. - Love you!

- Love you, Kamilla!

Did all you could, right?

You did fabulous. Good job.

Make a career.

What a run, dude.

Love you. Proud of you.

I didn’t know you were here.

Yeah, I just lost the National Championship

for the second year in a row,

but it’s not the wins, it’s not the points,

it’s not the crazy shots.

It’s literally everything else in between.

Practices with the girls and getting to interact

with the fans and play in those environments.

Let’s go!

There’s so much to be proud of

and so much to hold to hold your head high about.

The University of Iowa announced

that basketball star Caitlin Clark

will have her jersey retired and replaced with an apron.

Oh!

Here to comment is Caitlin Clark.

I had seen his jokes prior,

so I knew it was gonna be a fun little bit.

I knew people were gonna love it.

I can’t tell jokes like you do,

but I did write some jokes, and it would mean a lot to me

if you read some of ’em.

Just right over there on the cards.

The Indiana Fever have the first pick

in this Monday’s Draft, a reminder that Indiana Fever

is a WNBA team and not what Michael Che gave

to dozens of women at Purdue University.

See, that’s a good joke.

I want more respect!

It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Caitlin was hilarious.

She has captured the imagination

of the public in this incredible way.

She is an agent for change.

Women’s basketball, all gas, no breaks.

The WNBA Draft is tonight!

The excitement surrounding

the WNBA Draft tonight in Brooklyn is palpable.

Caitlin Clark enters the draft as the overwhelming favorite

to be selected first overall by the Indiana Fever.

We all know about Caitlin Clark,

but a lot of other stars were born.

It could be Cameron Brink from Stanford,

it could be Kamilla Cardoso

who just won a National Championship with South Carolina.

That looks really good.

When you’re Caitlin Clark and you’re going

to this draft, you know where you’re going.

I’m pretty sure her family had already started

moving her stuff to Indiana.

I don’t wanna squeeze the jacket.

Don’t ruin my fit.

For Kamilla,

there was a little bit more anticipation.

Because we’re on the orange carpet,

I feel like it’s time for us

to talk a little bit of fashion.

Caitlin Clark, Prada head to toe.

She broke the internet with this from me.

- Congratulations. - Thank you.

Good evening and welcome to the 2024 WNBA Draft

presented by State Farm.

As we gather here tonight, it’s clear that women’s sports

and specifically the WNBA are more than a moment.

Congratulations, Class of 2024.

Welcome to the W.

With the first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft,

the Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark,

University of Iowa.

Yeah!

It doesn’t feel like I’ve changed or like I’m different.

Like, I just feel like I’m meant to be here.

This is what I was supposed to do.

I’ve always believed in myself the same way.

I think that’s what’s allowed me to achieve greatness.

This is Governor Holcomb from Indiana.

Hello, Governor, this is Caitlin Clark.

Me, too, I’m really excited to get there. I can’t wait.

With the second pick, Cameron Brink,

Stanford University.

Having my family here to experience

this very special moment with me,

my dreams is really coming to reality.

With the third pick, the Chicago Sky select

Kamilla Cardoso, University of South Carolina.

The goal was to give my family a better life,

and I know now I’m gonna be able to do that.

I don’t have to use the GPS anymore.

I actually kinda know where I’m going.

I found an apartment.

I got kind of moved out of my other apartment in Iowa City.

We’re gonna try to eat out like once a week

and just try new places.

There’s a lotta good steak houses in Indiana

that I’m excited to try.

I feel like you couldn’t have scripted, like,

the last six months of my life any better.

And at times it was a lot,

and there was like a lotta pressure on me,

but I’m very thankful for everything

that’s happened, good and bad.

And it’s weird, like, starting a new chapter of my life.

Like, I’ll miss Iowa City,

but I’m very excited to be in Indianapolis,

and I feel very confident in everything that’s gonna happen,

Going into the WNBA, I know there’s pressure.

To be honest, like, I like it.

I think that helps me perform at a higher level.

I think it attracts more people that wanna watch the game.

Losing, it makes me hungrier for even more.

We’re gonna have all the pieces that it takes

to win a National Championship.

Now we know we don’t wanna feel like that again, so.

The feeling of falling short.

- We have to. - Next year we’re winning.

Sweeping.

Omaha!