History was made last night when Caitlin Clark led the charge in a high-stakes showdown between teams ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the NCAA Women’s college basketball tournament. Clark’s stellar performance for the Iowa Hawkeyes left spectators marvelling at the professional execution of her game, as they faced off with the LSU Tigers – a rematch from last year’s National Championship.
In lieu of succumbing to the crushing defeat they experienced in the previous year, Clark resolutely seized the chance to shine, mesmerizing the captivated crowd with every steal, every pass, every shot. She lit up the scoreboard with a whopping 41 points, served 12 assists, and posted seven rebounds, managing to outshine her opposing rival Angel Reese.
As the game entered its final stages, during the fourth quarter, Reese could do little but shake her head in disbelief as Clark effortlessly notched one of her nine three-pointers. Pushing through the pain that shadowed her throughout the match, Reese managed to record 17 points on a disappointing seven for 21 shooting.
Clark’s scintillating performance paved the way for a thrilling 94-87 victory for the Hawkeyes that has now secured their place in the Final Four for a second consecutive year.
Moreover, the match between Iowa and LSU blanketed the betting arena in an unexpected wave of excitement. Both teams lauded for their household name stars — Clark and Reese — drew in a flood of wagering activity via sportsbooks, positively shattering records.
As influential names in the betting industry chime in, FanDuel has deemed the Iowa-LSU game to be its largest ever event for women’s sports, with an incredible increase in betting on women’s sports unfolding recently. Fanatics Sportsbook also highlighted how the showdown between the two teams raked in more than double the tickets and money than any other women’s March Madness game this year — putting high profile men’s games like North Carolina-Alabama, Kansas-Gonzaga, and Kentucky-Oakland to shame.
The Iowa-LSU face-off monopolized DraftKings’ Monday night, even as the side act of Connecticut versus the University of Southern California drew its share of engagement.
A special night for both the game and sportsbooks was elaborated upon by Seamus Magee, BetMGM’s trading manager, commenting on a record-breaking performance in both pregame and live in-play action.
Yet, despite Iowa-LSU’s thrilling game standing as the most betted women’s event in history, its reign might be facing a swift end.
The Hawkeyes’ next stop is the NCAA Women’s Championship Final Four, where they’ll face the UConn Huskies. Expectations are high as Clark will be pitting her skills against another breakthrough star, Paige Bueckers.
ESPN Bet lists Iowa as a favorite by a slim 2.5 points ahead of UConn. However, many states continue to impose bans on player prop bets involving college athletes. Bettors in certain areas – namely Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, and Wyoming – stand as the exemptions to this rule, affirming an interesting turn for the betting industry as the game draws near.
