Caitlin Clark Scores 41-Points to led Iowa to 94-87 Win Over LSU

On Monday night the basketball world gifted us with a rematch of last year's National Championship game between Iowa and LSU. The Match-up between Caitlin Clark and Angle Reese has been eyeing on the March Madness Bracket since the first round. The Hawkeyes came back for revenge, as Caitlin Clark led them to a 94-87 win over the LSU Tigers. The magnificent run of Caitlin Clark continues as she cements herself as a generational player. In the win, Clark has become the 1st player in NCAA Tournament history to have three 40-point games and has set the record for the most 3-point FGs made in Division I history. With the victory, Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes will return to the Final Four to take on Geno Auriemma's UConn Huskies.

PAiGE BUECKERS OUtLASTS JUJU WATKINS AND USC

USC Freshman JuJu Watkins' freshman season was nothing short of magical. In a matchup against an experienced UConn Huskies squad, Watkins and the Trojans were in quest of a Final Four bid for the first time since 1986. Despite its lack of depth in the roster, and early game foul trouble, Geno Auriemma's Huskies executed down the stretch. A large part of their 4th Quarter run was Paige Bueckers, whose leadership and poise were the ultimate difference maker. UConn ends Watkins' magical season with an 80-73 win.

Despite the loss, JuJu Watkins made history by becoming the all-time freshman leading scorer (920 points), surpassing Tina Hutchinson. In this NCAA tournament, JuJu Watkins put up 110 points just one point shy of Tamika Catchings' tournament record back set in 1998. In one season, Watkins led USC to a Pac-12 title (for the first time in 10 years), finished second in scoring (26.9 PPG), set a USC scoring record with 51-point performance, and an elite eight appearance. The passing of the torch is near, and we're witnessing the new face of Women's Basketball... JuJu Watkins!

Coach Auriemma will make his 23rd Final Four appearance with the Huskies (most for any program all-time). UConn will take on Iowa in a Final Four matchup for the ages. A clash of the stars - Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers. In their last matchup, UConn defeated Iowa in the Sweet Sixteen 92-72. However, Both Clark and Bueckers were freshmen. Now at the peak of their powers, Will Caitlin even the score or will Coach Auriemma record another National Championship?

The Future of Women’s College Basketball

The growing popularity of women’s college hoops has created a cultural shift in sports. According to ESPN, Monday’s Elite Eight matchup drew 12.3 Million viewers, becoming the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record. For the second straight year, the women’s NCAA Tournament has overtaken the men’s from a viewership perspective. A contributing factor lies in the unique storylines — whether it’s Kim Mulkey’s vs. the media, Caitlin Clark’s breaking records, or Coach Staley’s South Carolina Squad going undefeated. Fans are intrigued by these programs and get the chance to witness the rise of the college’s brightest stars. This year’s Final Four will have yet another opportunity to showcase the product of women's talents while redefining new standards for women's college hoops.

NBA’s 65-game rule has top players expressing their frustrations

In recent weeks, the NBA’s 65-game rule has impacted the earning potential of the league's brightest stars. Midway through the season, several notable stars were sidelined with injuries and approaching ineligibility. Here’s a list of notable players who’ve missed over 10 games this season: Lauri Markkanen, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jimmy Bulter, Jamal Murry, Kristaps Porzingis, Kyrie Irving, Evan Mobley, LaMelo Ball, Darius Garland, Zach Lavine, Bradley Beal, Mitchell Robinson, and Marcus Smart. A notable case is the reigning MVP Joel Embiid. The 76ers star is having a career-best season, leading the NBA in scoring with 35.3 points and adding 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Embiid suffered a lateral meniscus knee injury suffered against the Golden State Warriors on Jan 30. The 76ers recently announced that Embiid has undergone a knee procedure and will be out for at least four weeks. It's evident that Embiid will fall short of the 65-game requirement to earn post-season awards, but the reigning MVP has his sights set on a post-season return.

What is the 65-Game Rule ?

The league's new rule accounts for all players to participate in 65 games for at least 20 minutes to be eligible for major individual awards: Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of The Year, Most Improved, and All-NBA honours. Under this rule, players can miss 20% of games. In addition, there are protections against season-ending injuries (62 games) and bad faith circumstances. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league office put this rule in place to emphasize the importance of its regular season while protecting the paying customers spending money to see their favourite players on the court. In recent years, the era of load management has kept the league's top 25 players missing over 25% of games. The NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, stated that the collective efforts of the league, stakeholders, and the NBPA found that 17 games was a good number on the cutoff point on the 65-game requirement.

65-Game Rule Can Cost Tyrese Halliburton $41 Million

The Indiana Pacers star has missed 13 games due to a hamstring injury, and missing four more games would deem Haliburton ineligible for all post-season awards. The two-time all-star is in the final year of his contract, and not meeting the 65-game requirement can cost him a difference of $41 million via his new contract extension. The two-time all-star has been named as a starter for the first time in his career and should receive All-NBA honours if stays healthy.

If so, his five-year contract starts at 30% of the team's salary cap which is around $141 million. Under the NBA’s recent salary cap projections, Haliburton’s next deal would be a five-year $245.3 million if he receives All-NBA honours. If Haliburton is not awarded All-NBA honours due to ineligibility of the 65-game requirement, he will earn $204.5 million. Haliburton expressed his frustrations about the 65-game rule “I think it's a stupid rule, like plenty of the guys in the league, but this is what the owners want, so as players, we gotta do our job and play in 65 games if we're able to”. The bottom line is that Haliburton needs to stay healthy in order to secure the $41 million on the table.

The implications of the 65-game rule have left players a little uneasy . Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors wasted no time in addressing that he is not a fan of the rule. “its quite bulls—”. Green believes that Embiid returned back from his injury because of the 65-game rule, but ultimately forced it resulting in an injury. “I don't really bang with it and now we've got one of our premier faces in this league, the MVP of our league possibly hurt for an extended period of time because he's forcing it.”

But there’s no inclinations of adjusting the 65-game rule. Commissioner Adam Silver and the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), will go to market for their upcoming TV Rights deal with an estimated cost of $8 billion. From a business perspective, the league needs cooperation from the players in order to retain high value of the NBA. The premier faces of the league is one of it not the biggest asset for shareholders and partners.

Written by: Hussein Abdullahi