DALLAS — With her brash talk and brasher outfits, Kim Mulkey has brought star power to the LSU women’s basketball program.
But when the ball is tipped for LSU’s national championship game against Iowa, the star power will shift squarely to the court where the Tigers’ Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark will reside.
Reese and Clark are perhaps the two most recognizable players in women’s college basketball, and it can’t hurt the game to see them playing in the winner-take-all final set for 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at American Airlines Center on ABC.
Reese, who is literally crowned in each pregame ceremony, is queen of the NIL crowd nationally. She also has become ‘The Bayou Barbie’ less than a year since moving south from Maryland.
The 6-foot-3 Reese is such a social-media star that her mother, who is also named Angel, has been inundated with dating requests via direct messages via Twitter from “men my kids’ age” who think she is her daughter.
The younger Reese has more than backed up the attention with an NCAA record-tying 33 double-doubles while averaging 23.3 points and 15.6 rebounds per game. That performance has led LSU (33-2) to its first NCAA finals appearance.
Clark, a 6-foot junior guard, has traveled a different path, although she’s the kind of player with whom LSU fans can relate. No other player in women’s college basketball has elicited comparisons to former LSU superstar and NCAA all-time men’s scoring champ “Pistol” Pete Maravich.
She scores a lot — her 27.7 ppg leads the nation — but dishes almost as well with 8.6 assists per game, which makes her 4.0 turnovers per game an acceptable footnote. Her 7.3 rebounds per game would be good for a post player.
Clark is a threat on any night for a triple-double with 11 in her career. Her latest was 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds against Louisville to send Iowa to its second Final Four. The home state girl from Des Moines Dowling Catholic then played a huge part in slaying the giant — reigning NCAA champ and unbeaten South Carolina on Friday — with another 41 points in the second national semifinal.
“I think me and Caitlin are in the same class,” said Reese, who seldom backs down from saying what she thinks. “Me and her are the top two everybody’s looking at. The both of us.
“We’re both great players. I think we bring a lot to the game. A lot of people respect us — NBA players, rappers, everybody respects us. And I think that just helps grow our game.”
It’s a matchup that could make the game a memorable one, although they won’t be guarding each other unless it’s in a help-defense role.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder knows what she’s up against having faced Reese in Big Ten play the past two seasons. What’s concerning is that Reese is much improved from her days at Maryland when foul trouble and physical conditioning limited her availability.
Like Clark, she makes her team better by forcing opposing defenses to focus on her and to leave other areas of the court open.
“Angel just seems to be playing a little bit more free at LSU,” Bluder said. “I mean, averaging 23 points a game. She shoots the ball incredibly well. But 6½ offensive rebounds? We’re going against another rebounding monster team.”
Teammates like the way Reese and senior guard Alexis Morris take the pressure off of them, on and off the court. Post player LaDazhia Williams is one of the beneficiaries.
“Her personality is great for her,” Williams said of Reese. “She’s getting a lot of deserved spotlight. I’m happy for her and cheer for her every day. She likes to make TikToks, and I’m more chill. I might get in the back of one of her TikToks.”
Mulkey said knowing where to focus doesn’t make the defensive assignment of stopping Iowa easier. She got a brief, up-close look Friday at the Hawkeyes and came away at a loss for words.
“I couldn’t take my eyes off of (Clark); gosh, she’s special,” Mulkey said. “I’ve never seen a player — I don’t like to use the word ‘never,’ but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a player that can do what Caitlin does.
“That girl is phenomenal shooting the ball. But the most impressive thing to me, now that you’re talking to an old point guard, is she makes everybody around her better.”
Talented LSU freshman Flau’jae Johnson likely will draw the first assignment on Clark in the Tigers’ man-to-man defense, but it will clearly take five players executing the game plan to win.
“Five people are going to have to guard the ball,” said LSU guard Kateri Poole, who played against Clark while at Ohio State last year. “She can cross half court and shoot it from there.
“She’s a great player. I wouldn’t be surprised if she does something extravagant tomorrow. That’s regular for her.”
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