This. Is. March.

What we are all about to bear witness to Friday night is exactly what March; nay; BASKETBALL is all about.

Basketball is a rare sport in that it can have dominant players at the same position go head to head and compete directly against one another all night long.

To preface this matchup, it should be noted that the two have played each other before. The two stars went head to head in a Sweet 16 matchup back in 2021, but it’s safe to say that the stakes and the intensity will be taken to an all time high now that the two players are the de facto leaders of their respective squads.

Their first go around, it was the Huskies that got the better of the Hawkeyes in a 92-72 blow out. While Clark lead her squad in scoring with 21 points, inefficient as it was, it was Bueckers who had the more impressive game in their first head to head.

Bueckers posted 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, not to mention that she was playing second fiddle to Christyn Williams, who was going nuclear during that run.

Now, there’s only one thing left to do. Sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch these players duke it out in what should be an all out war come Friday night.

My Prediction:

Iowa is hungry. Iowa is coming in with revenge on their minds. Iowa has one of the greatest players in college basketball history. Iowa is avenging their loss in the national championship last year. Iowa…. is going to lose to UConn in a very close battle that sees Paige Bueckers coming up with a key defensive stop near the end.

Now, do I think CC beats Paige in a 1v1? Probably. However, it’s the entire team around Paige that I think steps up and propels this team to a victory. Watch out for Aaliyah Edwards. She WILL have a big game.

At the end of the day, matchups like these are what makes this sport great. The storylines and the rivalries are what draws us in to watch the sport, and to see the women’s game being propelled in this way is really a great thing. Now, as I said before, let’s sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and watch this absolute clash of the titans.