Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, two standout players from their college basketball days, are set to reignite their rivalry in the WNBA this Sunday. During their collegiate careers, Clark and Reese faced off in some memorable matchups, with LSU defeating Iowa in the 2023 national championship and Iowa besting LSU in the 2024 Elite Eight.
This upcoming Sunday marks the second professional meeting between Clark and Reese. Their first encounter this WNBA season saw the Indiana Fever narrowly defeat the Chicago Sky. The teams are now poised for a rematch, which promises to be an exciting clash broadcast nationally on CBS.
Ahead of the game, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index has weighed in with its predictions, favoring the Indiana Fever with a 54.5 percent chance of victory, while the Chicago Sky has been given a 45.5 percent chance to cause an upset.
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Angel Reese has been vocal about the significance of their matchups, particularly highlighting the 2023 national championship game as a pivotal moment for women’s basketball. “It all started from the national championship game, and I’ve been dealing with this for two years now,” Reese commented on Monday. She acknowledged the challenges and criticisms that have come her way but expressed pride in the attention and growth women’s basketball has garnered since that game. “People are talking about women’s basketball, who you’d never think would be talking about women’s basketball. People are pulling up to games, we’ve got celebrities coming to games and sold-out arenas because of one single game,” she said.
Embracing the role of what some might consider the antagonist in the narrative, Reese is determined to use her visibility to further promote and enhance women’s basketball. “I’ll take the bad guy role and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates… I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘The reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me, too.’ I want y’all to realize that,” she declared.
With such high stakes and personal legacies on the line, the Fever and Sky matchup at noon ET this Sunday is more than just a game—it’s a continuation of a burgeoning rivalry that is helping to shape the future of women’s basketball.
