Women's NCAA Final 4 now Cleveland bound

( AP) – – There were lots of people at a theater in main Iowa on Monday night, though extremely few of them were watching an actual film.

They existed to see Caitlin Clark.

And they weren't alone. Not even close. Countless individuals-- the preliminary watching numbers are expected sometime Tuesday-- tuned in across America to see a doubleheader of women's basketball that mesmerized fans like possibly never before. Clark and Iowa, in a national-title-game rematch versus Angel Reese and LSU in one video game; Paige Bueckers and perennial power UConn versus freshman feeling JuJu Watkins and Southern California in the other.

The winners on the scoreboard: Iowa and UConn, which are heading to the Final Four in Cleveland this weekend. Perhaps the most significant winner: the females's game, which had the NCAA Tournament phase all to itself on Monday night with massive star power delivering 2 video games worthy over the excessive billing, and maybe, just perhaps, including a couple of new fans along the way.

• LSU forward Angel Reese (10) talks with coaches on the bench during the first half of an Elite Eight round college basketball game against Iowa during the NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
• LSU forward Angel Reese (10) and LSU guard Flau' jae Johnson (4) talk as Reese leaves the court throughout the 4th quarter of an Elite Eight round college basketball video game during the NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
• Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder indications autographs for fans after beating LSU in an Elite Eight round college basketball video game during the NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
• Southern California guard JuJu Watkins (12) attempts to navigate UConn guard Qadence Samuels throughout the 2nd half of an Elite Eight college basketball game in the females's NCAA Tournament, Monday, April 1, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

" It's an ideal opportunity to make the moment a motion," said former Division I safeguard Isis Young, now a broadcaster and expert. "Right now, females's basketball is a motion … … and the movement is actually riding on the back of these gamers that we're viewing."

And make no error: People were watching.

Baseball had a no-hitter on Monday night; Ronel Blanco's gem for Houston against Toronto didn't seem to record attention the way Iowa-LSU and UConn-USC did. Phoenix's Devin Booker scored 52 points, his league-high-tying third video game of 50 or more this season; it took place while fellow NBA guards Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley were tweeting about Watkins and Clark.

" Caitlin Clark the fact," used New York Knicks forward Josh Hart.

What will occur to Cleveland Browns Stadium?

In homes, in sports bars from Seattle to Miami, even in NBA locker spaces, the ladies's video games Monday night had individuals staring at tvs. There's no secret about who it'll be; the city knows Clark will quickly be calling Indianapolis home.

" Not only did we have all the TVs on the video game, we had them with the sound on, too," stated Clara Husson, a longtime basketball referee in New England. She missed her morning flight from Indianapolis to Boston after a weekend wedding event and was provided two alternatives for a rescheduling opportunity-- Monday night or Tuesday early morning.

She chose Tuesday. Easy call. "I wasn't missing these video games," she stated.

This was not just another night for women's basketball. The buzz built throughout the day. Rap artist Travis Scott told his almost 12 million followers on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, that Monday "might be one for the illest days in ladies's sports historyyyyyyy." And Hall of Famer Magic Johnson let his 5.2 million fans understand he thought about Monday's two-game slate "one of the very best in history."

The games didn't disappoint. Bettors took notice, too-- even a 4:15 p.m. start time in Las Vegas didn't keep LSU-Iowa from setting records, a surefire gauge of whether people had interest.

" It is the greatest manage we've seen for a ladies's game," Jay Kornegay, executive vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas, stated quickly before video game time. "It's already surpassed in 2015's last with these 2 teams."

Had actually the game been later in the day, Kornegay said the numbers would have been even larger.

South Carolina and North Carolina State reached the Final Four with wins on Sunday, a day when the women's game was going head-to-head with guys's tournament games. Monday's slate from an NCAA tourney perspective was all females, two video games both featuring star players, not to discuss a rematch of in 2015's Iowa-LSU national championship that smashed records by drawing almost 10 million audiences.

It was a best storm. Even in defeat, Reese comprehended the magnitude of the minute.

" I think it's just great for the sport, simply being able to be a part of history," Reese said Monday night. "Like I said, no matter which way it went tonight, I know this was going to be a night for the ages. And simply being able to be a part of history is great."

Clark is the greatest name in the college video game; she set the NCAA all-time scoring record earlier this season and has actually become a full-fledged star, starring in nationwide commercials and commanding limelights like no one else. After the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, they tuned in for the end of the Iowa-LSU video game.

" Caitlin Clark is taking the program of basketball," Celtics forward Sam Hauser said.

To Zoe Pawloski, Clark was simply somebody to share the weight space with. Pawloski used to swim for Iowa and her group would raise at the exact same time Clark's team would get exercises in.

" I never sat down and seen March Madness on TV up until Caitlin Clark," stated Pawloski, who saw the game with a few lots other Iowa fans in a bar in Council Bluffs, Iowa. "It's really cool how much she's grown basketball, and individuals understanding Iowa the school makes me actually delighted. Iowa is on the map."

Not a great deal of individuals were at the motion pictures in Waukee, Iowa, on Monday night. There probably will not be a lot of moviegoers there on Friday, either-- that's when the females's Final Four starts.

At The Palms Theater in Waukee, about 200 people appeared to view Clark use a 75-foot screen. It was a private party assembled by Dowling Catholic High School, her alma mater. And let's just say the game was far more popular than the motion pictures on other screens.

" Not even close," stated Alison Meyer, the theater's general supervisor. "Nope, nope, nope. It's quite big-time when you have an Iowa team playing, let alone someone from our hometown."

The games didn't dissatisfy. The stars didn't disappoint, either. Clark had 41 points and 12 helps, plus connected a tournament record with nine 3-pointers. Reese had 17 points and 20 rebounds. Bueckers had 28 points and 10 rebounds. Watkins had 29 points and 10 rebounds.

" It's been a great trip," Watkins stated.

And for the game, it was a terrific night.

CLICK ON THIS LINK to learn more on local Final Four events occurring in Northeast Ohio and ticket details.

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AP Sports Writers Eric Olson in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.