Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers in Final Four has fans losing their minds (2024)

The Monday night women's NCAA tournament Elite Eight slate brought forth some exciting matchups; in the end, it was the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes that took home a 94-87 victory over Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers, avenging their defeat last year in the national championship game. Later in the night, Clark and company then witnessed Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies take care of business against JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans.

This side of the bracket was as star-studded as it's going to get, and there is one more high-profile matchup to come between two of the most ballyhooed collegiate players in recent memory in Clark and Bueckers. This impending matchup between Iowa and UConn will be the final opportunity for these two to meet in the collegiate level, sparking an uproar among fans who can't wait to witness the two trade blow for blow for a spot in the national title game.

“Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark is going to be crazzzzzyyyyyyy 🔥,” @erinasimon wrote.

PAIGE BUECKERS VS CAITLIN CLARK ON FRIDAY WE WILL BE THERE pic.twitter.com/y1OOFdfT1U

— Miles (@mtvsthewrld_) April 2, 2024

Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark

Friday night pic.twitter.com/xbhRGZybWY

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) April 2, 2024

Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark will feed generations. https://t.co/Jc5uxdqzwn pic.twitter.com/YcLI2oKcHq

— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) April 2, 2024

CAITLIN CLARK VS PAIGE BUECKERS IN THE FINAL FOUR pic.twitter.com/wJdn0unSlK

— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) April 2, 2024

See Also

Paige Bueckers, Aaliyah Edwards carry resilient UConn past USC in Elite EightGeno Auriemma gives spiky defense of his Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark opinionUConn's Paige Bueckers has habit of beating Iowa's Caitlin Clark - SRN NewsA love letter to basketball, by Caitlin, Angel, Paige and JuJu

Caitlin Clark vs Paige Bueckers in the Final Four pic.twitter.com/Zlj5ddXQQ8

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 2, 2024

WE FINALLY GETTIN A PAIGE BUECKERS x CAITLIN CLARK REMATCH AND IT’S TO GO TO THE NATTY LET’S GOOOO pic.twitter.com/nK3dUz6nqt

— elena 𐚁 (@gumbo_skriimp) April 2, 2024

Is UConn Caitlin Clark's white whale?

UConn isn't a fixture on the Iowa schedule, but the two teams have faced each other twice over the past four years. The result both times was a Huskies victory, with Caitlin Clark struggling immensely in those two defeats.

During Clark's first loss to the Huskies on March 27, 2021, the Hawkeyes got blown out by 20, 92-72, with the NCAA's all-time leading scorer putting up just 21 points on 33 percent shooting from the field. Clark also turned the ball over five times during that contest.

And then during Caitlin Clark and Iowa's November 27, 2022 loss against UConn, the Hawkeyes put up a much better fight (just a seven-point loss, 86-79). However, Clark couldn't seem to get anything going. She shot just 9-24 from the field, including a putrid 2-11 showing from beyond the arc, and to make matters worse for Iowa, Paige Bueckers wasn't even active during this game after she missed the entire season due to a torn ACL.

Clark will want to turn her fortunes around against UConn at one of the biggest stages imaginable. However, through two contests, the Huskies seem to have her number. She has done nothing but get better since those two aforementioned matchups, so it will be interesting if the biggest star in college basketball conquers yet another obstacle in her illustrious NCAA career.

Can Iowa conquer the historically-great Huskies?

For a while, it was shocking if the UConn Huskies didn't end up hoisting the national championship trophy at the end of the women's collegiate basketball season. From 2009 to 2016, the Huskies won six national championships. Since the turn of the century, UConn has won 10 championships while always making it at least as far as the Sweet Sixteen.

The UConn women's basketball program is the greatest in history, and with Geno Auriemma still at the helm, it won't be easy at all for Caitlin Clark and Iowa to overcome this hurdle — especially when Paige Bueckers is playing exceptional basketball.

In a tough matchup against JuJu Watkins and USC in their Elite Eight matchup, Bueckers was outstanding, putting up 28 points on 11-23 shooting while hauling in 10 boards and six assists. She was a menace defensively as well, notching three steals and two blocks.

A matchup between the explosive Caitlin Clark, the woman who can pull up from wherever she pleases, and Paige Bueckers, a do-it-all, stone-cold winner, will be quite a sight to see. The Final Four clash between Iowa and UConn will be on Friday, April 5, at 9:30 PM E.T.