![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/31/ap24091502121349-1--f09ddbe800a4256ec8909a3a09f1126ede1d8053-s1100-c50.jpg)
LSU's Angel Reese reacts in front of Iowa's Kaitlyn Clark during the second half of an NCAA women's Final Four championship basketball game April 2, 2023, in Dallas.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
Hide caption
Caption transition
Tony Gutierrez/AP
![](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/31/ap24091502121349-1--f09ddbe800a4256ec8909a3a09f1126ede1d8053-s1200.jpg)
LSU's Angel Reese reacts in front of Iowa's Kaitlyn Clark during the second half of an NCAA women's Final Four championship basketball game April 2, 2023, in Dallas.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
The highly anticipated women's NCAA basketball tournament is just around the corner, but it's not a championship.
Louisiana State University and the University of Iowa will compete in the Elite Eight on Monday at 7 p.m., featuring two of college basketball's biggest stars, LSU's Angel Reese and Iowa's Caitlin Clark. It will be their last time competing at the collegiate level. .
Many see this game as a rematch of last year's national championship, in which LSU beat Iowa 102-85. Although Monday's game doesn't end with a championship ring, the stakes are still high as it will determine who advances to the Final Four.
![LSU beats Iowa to win first NCAA title, record triple-digit point game](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/04/02/ap23092763752661_sq-7b6edfd23ce768f405e3bcf4209027f63afc14f7-s100.jpg)
During his press conference Saturday, Clark said he was looking forward to the LSU game.
“Anytime you get a chance to face someone you’ve lost to, it brings a little more energy,” she said. “Overall, I think it’s going to be a really great game for women’s basketball.”
Clark and Reese's time together in court last year also sparked controversy.
During the match, Reese celebrated his team's fourth-quarter lead by waving one hand in front of his face (a move widely known as wrestler John Cena's “You Can't See Me” move) and tapping his ring finger while looking at Clark. .
![How hand gestures dominated the NCAA title game and exposed double standards](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/04/03/gettyimages-1479190822_sq-dca0c2ce1a192d6c2da4e02768179fd3f3cf7272-s100.jpg)
Reese quickly received backlash, with commentators and observers calling it unsportsmanlike. At one point, the word “classless” was trending on Twitter in reference to Reese.
Others noted that Clark also used the same gesture during March Madness but received no such criticism. Many called it a case of racist double standards.
![Why basketball fans are crazy about Iowa's Kaitlyn Clark](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/02/03/ap24027777174517_sq-6bd793deb3c85d5992472d9cccee13ff76d351d7-s100.jpg)
However, following the hand gesture drama, both players are insisting that there is no conflict between them.
“Me and Kaitlyn Clark don’t hate each other. I hope everyone understands that. It’s just a competitive game.” lease told reporters sunday.
“I’ve been watching a lot of LSU games, and what they’re doing for women’s basketball and the way the fans are so supportive is just incredible,” Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe on Saturday. “They’ve had a great season so I know it’s going to be a great game and both teams will be ready to go.”
This season, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division 1 basketball (men's or women's). In late February, she announced that this would be her final season with the Hawkeyes and that she planned to enter the WNBA draft.