14.2 million viewers tuned in to watch Iowa’s 2-point win against the University of Connecticut on April 5th, making it the most viewed in ESPN history. The viewership record was ground-breaking, as this includes both women’s and men’s basketball. University of Iowa’s star, Caitlin Clark, NCAA D1 top scorer, led a victory against Paige Bueckers, Youth Olympic gold medalist, and the Connecticut Huskies. The game ended with a final score of 71-69.
The controversial part of the game occurred in the last four seconds. On UConn’s final offensive possession, with a chance to score, referees called an offensive foul on Aaliyah Edwards. This led to Iowa gaining possession of the ball, which proved pivotal to the outcome of the game. The controversial call led to players like Lebron James and LSU’s Angel Reese commenting in outrage. Lebron James said: “I ain’t rolling with that call”, while Angel Reese questioned, “Was that screen not set clean?” Other people, like actress Gaby Union and WNBA player Kelsey Plum, also commented on the tough call. However, despite the controversy behind the call, Paige Bueckers did not blame the loss on it. She said that her team could have played stronger, and that one play did not decide the whole game.
Many St. Thomas basketball players and other students who tuned in for the intense game had differing opinions on the final outcome. JV basketball player Olivia Nexar commented, saying, “I thought the refs could’ve called more fouls for UConn, which would’ve helped them win, especially in the first half”. Another player on the team said: “I don’t care what anyone says, that was unfair. If they didn’t call that [foul], UConn would’ve beat Iowa.” Other viewers had comments and questions about the game. One sports fan, Marshall Tucker, said Caitlin Clark has “elevated the game of women’s college basketball.” He continued by comparing Caitlin Clark to Steph Curry: “Steph Curry’s influence on basketball is immeasurable. For example, everybody now wants to shoot 3 [pointers]. Then comes along Caitlin Clark, she shoots 3’s like people only dream of.” He was impressed by her 25-foot shots. Tucker went on to say, “Whether you like their team or not, you have to respect her game.” Tucker said Caitlin Clark was phenomenal. “People that never looked at college basketball went on to look at it because of Clark.” His opinion on the foul call was that even if there was no foul, “…it would’ve taken a miracle for the girl to make a basket and win the game.” However, “…you never know what would or could happen. It was a call that shouldn’t have been made,” but didn’t affect the outcome of the game.
Iowa went on to face South Carolina in the championship game on Sunday. They were defeated, and the score was 87-75.
