During Iowa’s upset win over South Carolina at the Final Four on Friday night, a clip of Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark dismissively handwaving an unguarded Gamecocks player went viral.
The player, South Carolina point guard Raven Johnson, did score 13 points, but it was clear that Iowa was willing to let her beat them and not the Gamecocks’ interior players.
LSU guard Alexis Morris observed the strategy, and she didn’t like it, telling ESPN’s Andrea Adelson she felt it was “disrespectful.”
“I watched the game, and I’m watching them guard South Carolina. I don’t think they can guard us that way,” Morris said. “I don’t think you can just leave me open on the perimeter or leave us open on the perimeter. Me personally, I find it very disrespectful, so I’m going to take that personally going into that game. You’re going to have to guard us. That’s just the competitor in me, and the will to win.”
Morris’ comments have been met with some curious reactions from fans and media members.
“It’s called a scouting report,” said Clayton Sayfie of On3 Sports.
It’s called a scouting report. https://t.co/8RmKv6tCzb
— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) April 2, 2023
“It worked,” another commenter noted.
It worked. https://t.co/vgKradzuaN
— Jason Howe (@JediFett) April 2, 2023
“How is this something she could take personally?” another person asked.
How is this something she could take personally https://t.co/nlx91jZPjv
— Usman Garuba Believer (@sad_rockets_fan) April 2, 2023
“I like that,” a fourth person countered.
I like that https://t.co/lXjPFrWr1r
— Mr. Big Stepper (@jfrmdafloss) April 2, 2023
“Super weird thing to say,” another person chimed in.
Super weird thing to say https://t.co/bJL5JgidSH
— Lauri for MiP (@jazzareb) April 2, 2023
Clark was actually asked about her leaving Johnson open and conceded that she and her teammates will have to employ different tactics against LSU.
“We’re not going to guard LSU the same way we guarded South Carolina,” Clark said. “Obviously, with South Carolina, you’ve got to pick your poison. If they were going to beat us, we were going to let it be by the 3-point line. You have to pick and choose your battles. We can’t guard everything. That’s the game of basketball. You have a scout. You know player personnel. What are you going to give up? That’s what we were going to give up. We had all the respect in the world for South Carolina, and especially their post play.”
LSU and Iowa have tipped off in the national championship game on ABC.