LSU found defense on South Carolina's shooters 'very disrespectful' ahead of matchup with Caitlin Clark, Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks Friday nighttime successful the Final Four to gain a berth successful the nationalist title crippled against LSU. 

They did truthful by regularly sagging disconnected South Carolina’s shooters, daring them to marque jumpers successful a crippled the Gamecocks changeable conscionable 4 for 20 from beyond the 3-point line. 

Caitlin Clark (22) of the Iowa Hawkeyes dribbles against Raven Johnson (25) of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 3rd 4th of the 2023 NCAA Tournament Final Four astatine American Airlines Center March 31, 2023, successful Dallas, Texas.  (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark, who led Iowa with 41 points, went viral for waving astatine South Carolina defender Raven Johnson successful the archetypal fractional arsenic Johnson stood wide unfastened supra the arc. 

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The strategy appears to person bothered a fewer LSU players. 

"I watched the game, and I'm watching them defender South Carolina. I don't deliberation they tin defender america that way," LSU defender Alexis Morris said Saturday, according to ESPN. "I don't deliberation you tin conscionable permission maine unfastened connected the perimeter oregon permission america unfastened connected the perimeter. 

"Me, personally, I find it precise disrespectful. So, I'm going to instrumentality that personally going into that game. You're going to person to defender us. That's conscionable the rival successful me, and the volition to win."

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Against a bigger South Carolina team, Iowa made the determination to battalion the overgarment and unrecorded with the Gamecocks' shooting from the outside. 

South Carolina changeable 31.5% from 3 during the 2022-23 the season. 

The South Carolina Gamecocks seat reacts successful the closing seconds of the 4th fourth against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Tournament Final Four astatine American Airlines Center March 31, 2023, successful Dallas, Texas.  (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

"We're not going to defender LSU the aforesaid mode we guarded South Carolina," Clark said. "Obviously, with South Carolina, you've got to prime your poison. If they were going to bushed us, we were going to fto it beryllium by the 3-point line. You person to prime and take your battles. We can't defender everything. 

"That's the crippled of basketball. You person a scout. You cognize subordinate personnel. What are you going to springiness up? That's what we were going to springiness up. We had each the respect successful the satellite for South Carolina, and particularly their station play."

Alexis Morris of LSU reacts during the 4th fourth against the Virginia Tech Hokies during the 2023 NCAA Tournament Final Four astatine American Airlines Center March 31, 2023, successful Dallas, Texas.  (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

While LSU changeable conscionable 23.1% from 3 successful its triumph implicit Virginia Tech successful the Final Four, the Tigers changeable 35.9% from byond the arc arsenic a squad this season. 

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"That was precise disrespectful, and [South Carolina] didn't instrumentality vantage of that," LSU defender Kateri Poolev said, per ESPN. "If they bash it to us, we're going to instrumentality advantage."

LSU and Iowa quadrate off successful the nationalist title crippled Sunday astatine 3:30 p.m. ET.