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Iowa's win over UConn inspired heated reactions and memes

People don't like refs.

Tim Marcin

on April 6, 2024

paige bueckers and caitlin clark battling over a ball

Credit: Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Iowa women's basketball squeaked by UConn — a blue-blood giant of the sport — in the NCAA Final Four on Friday night. Led by superstar Caitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes bested the Paige Bueckers-led Huskies by a score of 71-69.

In case you missed it — which is increasingly unlikely considering how the sport is rocketing in popularity during this tournament — it was an amazing game. UConn did about as good a job as a team can in containing Clark, but the star's teammates stepped up under the big lights.

It was tight the entire game and the chatter online was fantastic. It was fascinating to see Iowa — a No. 1 seed but a historically weaker program elevated by a single great player — take on the legendary UConn. People online loved it.

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There was some controversy, however. A late offensive foul call against UConn helped decide the outcome. Most folks didn't argue there wasn't a foul on the play — UConn set a pretty straightforward moving screen — but rather people thought the call shouldn't have been made in the final moments of the game. In the end, though, it was a foul and the call was made. It all but sealed things for Iowa.

Some folks joked and hypothesized that ESPN wanted Clark in the final. Others pointed out that there was a foul and the call was correct. Even into Saturday afternoon, the arguments kept on going.

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Up next? Iowa will play the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday to decide a champion. It'll certainly be an interesting game. The Hawkeyes have Clark, sure, but South Carolina hasn't lost a game all year. It'll be a heck of a matchup and you can rest assured folks will be arguing about it online.

Topics Sports

Tim Marcin

Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).