CBC Sports' daily newsletter explains why the NCAA women's basketball tournament has all the juice, and how a pair of Canadian stars fit in.UConn's Aaliyah Edwards is one of two Canadian standouts in this year's highly anticipated NCAA women's basketball tournament. The annual college-basketball/office-gambling extravaganza that is March Madness officially tipped off this afternoon.
The story didn't end there, though. A million social-media and sports-debate-show takes were launched when, in the closing moments of the final, LSU star Angel Reese taunted Clark by doing that "you can't see me" hand gesture popularized by the wrestler John Cena and pointing to an imaginary championship ring on her finger.
Clark took her stardom to new heights this season by averaging almost 32 points per game and breaking several major-college scoring records — culminating with herfor the most points of all time in either men's or women's ball. In the process, she led Iowa to the No. 2 ranking in the country. The 22-year-old also declared for the upcoming WNBA draft, where she'll surely be picked first overall by the Indiana Fever and instantly become the most popular player in the league.
The 64-team bracket tips off Friday, and features some compelling non-Caitlin storylines. After having their perfect season ruined by Clark in last year's Final Four, redemption-seeking South Carolina once again enters the tournament undefeated and ranked first overall in the country. And don't miss USC freshman phenom JuJu Watkins, who averaged 27 points to finish second in scoring to Clark. Watkins' Trojans are the top seed in their region of the bracket.