Is The NCAA Orchestrating An Iowa vs. LSU Rematch? Numbers Appear To Say Yes

Look I'm going to come right out and say a few things so you motherfuckers don't try and put words into my mouth:

- I'm a Caitlin Clark fan. She's obviously the most electric player in all of sports right now, and I went to go see her in person when she came to Columbus and tickets were up in the $200+ range. The way she plays her game, pulling up from 30 like it's a layup, is one thing. But the way she is her own person and doesn't give a fuck about what anyone else thinks is truly special.

- Caitlin Clark is a whiny little baby. She complains about every single call, yells at the refs, and pushes off / takes cheap shots....a lot.

- The NCAA is 100% orchestrating an LSU vs. Iowa rematch (and they should)

The fact of the matter is that I was onto this well before the brackets were even announced. In fact, I remember saying it on a bus ride home from a game in February that I predicted the Selection Committee would give Iowa the easiest path imaginable, pairing it with giving LSU an attainable path to the Final Four. Boy was I wrong! They put them both in the same bracket, matching them up in what would be the most anticipated Elite 8 game in the history of the tournament, both genders included.

And with both teams playing close games in the Round of 32, the referees understood the assignment:

I'm well aware that West Virginia played a physical brand of man-to-man basketball yesterday with the intentions of being the Bad Boy Pistons to ruffle Clarks feathers, while Iowa sat in a zone and allowed them to chuck threes. Yes, the style of play absolutely contributed to the 27 to 11 foul discrepancy, but you're CRAZY if you think a 30 to 5 free throw differential is acceptable to a losing team. Even with the fouls at the end of the game juicing the numbers a bit, you cannot tell me with a straight face that when it became 48-48, the refs didn't catch each other's eyes and acknowledge that the history of the sport was on the line and they didn't to do something. Just saying that a 25 free throw differential is a tough pill to swallow when a game is 52-52 with a few minutes left….

…and LSU had the same exact thing the night before. I know they ultimately won big, but ummm, to all you "did you even watch the Iowa game reply guys", did you know LSU was down 36-32 at the half to…..#11 Middle Tennessee State? And then they proceeded to shoot 37 free throws to their opponents' 9, winning the game handily. All I'm saying is that an LSU / Iowa moneyline parlay wouldn't be the worst thing to consider on Saturday in the Elite 8….

For reference: tickets for South Carolina's Regional (#1 in the country, undefeated, favored vs. The Field to win it all) are about $30. Tickets for the following days Regional Semis with both Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark playing? $180 to get in. And I'd imagine that jumps north of $300 should they both advance to play each other.