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There’s no personal animosity between college basketball stars Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese, just a very fierce competition, they say Monday night in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. He said he will take part in the long-awaited rematch. “I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everyone to understand that. This It’s just a super competitive game. Get between the lines, no friends. I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole match, But once the game is over, we can kick it. I don’t think people really understand that.” Defending champion LSU, the No. 3 seed in the Albany 2 Region, (31-5) and top-seeded Iowa State (32-4) each won Saturday, setting up a rematch of the 2023 national title game, which the Tigers won 102-85. Reese, who had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the game, pointed the finger at Clark at the end of the game, imitated pro wrestler John Cena’s “I can’t see you” hand gesture, and threw the trash. The talk was interrupted. Rees and Clarke had made the same gesture toward their opponents in previous matches, making their perceived rivalry and relationship a hot topic in the national debate. “The competitive heat is definitely there,” said Clark, who scored his 3,859 points during his outstanding career. “We both want to win more than anything. That’s how you should be when you’re in a situation like this as a competitor, whether it’s a national championship or the Elite Eight.” The main similarities are: This is the strength of our competitiveness. “We both grew up loving this game, so we’re going to do whatever we can to help our team win.” The championship was watched by 9.9 million people on ABC and ESPN2, making it the most-watched game on record. It was an NCAA women’s basketball game. “Anytime you have a chance to play against an opponent you beat, you get a little more energy,” Clark said Saturday. It’s going to be a really great game for women’s basketball.” Reese also says it’s important to grow the game and get people watching, even if it means being seen as an adversary for your actions. I also took perspective. “I’ll take the bad guys. I’ll take the hits, but I know we’re growing women’s basketball,” Reese said. If this is how we’re going to do it, this is how we’re going to do it. You either love it or hate it. ” –Field level media