News update:Mind blowing Caitlin Clark becomes measure reason for NCAA women’s Tournament

The Hawkeyes legend has captured the nation’s attention, but don’t sleep on all the other great storylines this season has provided

If March Madness follows the script, Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes will suffer a heartbreaking loss before the Final Four — just like Zion Williamson and Duke in 2019. But unlike that year on the men’s side that gave us a lackluster national semifinal that featured the likes of Virginia, Texas Tech, Michigan State and Auburn, the women’s game is loaded with talent, storylines, hall of fame coaches and enough star power to overcome Middle America’s new favorite team getting upset.

If Clark can lead Iowa to a national championship in her final season in college basketball, Disney will have a movie made about her life before 2024 comes to an end. It would be one of the greatest runs we’ve seen in sports, given the number of awards she’s won, the records she’s set, the viewers she’s brought in, and potentially vanquishing last season’s loss in the national championship game.

But that’s if it happens. Because in March, anytime we have players or teams set up for a grand finale, they rarely happen. Just ask Coach K and 2022 Duke. Besides, Iowa needs to get Molly Davis’ knee healthy

This, however, is where the strength of the women’s game has been this season. It isn’t all about Clark, the greatest scorer in Division I basketball history, and the Hawkeyes. For instance, this season Stanford’s legendary women’s head coach, Tara VanDerveer, broke Mike Krzyzewski’s record for most wins, and she has a star in Cameron Brink. After that, UConn’s legendary women’s head coach, Geno Auriemma, also passed Krzyzewski. UConn even has Paige Bueckers coming back for another year, so watch out for them in this tournament, and next year’s.

And then there’s South Carolina. I don’t think Clark or anybody else wants to see them on their side of the bracket. Dawn Staley’s squad is the only men’s or women’s team to finish the regular season undefeated. Mind you, she’s doing this with an entirely new starting lineup from the team that made it to the Final Four last season. Since the 2019-2020 season, South Carolina has lost nine games — that’s it.