Duquesne women's coach Dan Burt breaks down LSU/Iowa Elite 8 clash

While the Final Four is set for the NCAA Men’s Tournament, the college basketball spotlight will shine on Albany, N.Y., at 7 p.m. Monday when the women of LSU and Iowa clash in the Elite 8. The winner cashes a ticket to the Final Four, set to tip off Friday in Cleveland.

The teams feature two of the most recognizable figures in women’s basketball — LSU coach Kim Mulkey and Iowa guard Caitlin Clark. Mulkey, whose tough-love coaching style and high-profile public persona is the subject of a widely scrutinized piece by the Washington Post, has been a part of seven NCAA championships (four as a head coach, one as an assistant and two as a player). Clark is the NCAA’s all-time, any-gender scoring champion with 3,859 career points.

It’s a rematch of the NCAA championship game from a year ago, won by LSU, 102-85. Monday’s game promises to be just as hotly contested.

Who better to break down the game than Duquesne women’s coach Dan Burt, who has won 209 games since taking over the Dukes’ program in 2013? He led the Dukes to a 21-13 record this season and a berth in the WNIT.

Burt theorized that the LSU/Iowa game may have the same effect on women’s basketball that the 1979 national championship game between Magic Johnson of Michigan State and Larry Bird of Indiana State had on the NCAA Tournament.

Here are his observations, and unlike the photo that accompanies this story, Burt has some definite opinions about the outcome:

“Tonight’s game is one of completely different styles. Iowa is built around the generational talent in Caitlin Clark and her ability to score, but more so, her ability to pass and make her teammates better. I believe that Caitlin Clark is the best offensive player we have ever seen in women’s basketball.

“Iowa is a well-coached team that is filled with role players that complement Clark and her abilities. Iowa doesn’t deviate from what it does, pace and space, hunt for 3s and is a better transition team than what it is given credit for.

“I don’t like to compare women to men’s players, but there is certainly some (Steph) Curry and Golden State Warriors flavor to what Iowa and Clark do on the floor.

“LSU is a collection of highly talented women, the most talented team in women’s basketball not named South Carolina. Right now, LSU is not playing its best basketball, but its women are finding ways to win, and to win for each other. Finding that will to win for each other, at this time of the year, makes LSU the team to beat, in my opinion. LSU wins going away, unless Caitlin Clark puts on the most dominant performance in women’s basketball history. LSU just has too many weapons at every position.

“LSU’s best player is Flau’jae Johnson, who is having an excellent postseason and is becoming a national star on the court. A lot of attention goes to Angel Reese, rightfully so, and Hailey Van Lith. However, I believe the key players for LSU will be the freshman Mikaylah Williams, who is a dynamic scorer, and Last-Tear Poa, who is an outstanding defender and the team’s glue/grit player.

“Reese will be very difficult to stop in the post; she is a walking double-double machine. Iowa will have to find a way to keep her off the glass.”

Asked later about Mulkey’s impact on the women’s basketball, Burt said, “I believe coach Mulkey is a very good basketball coach and it’s evident with her success at Baylor and LSU. Her public comments and behavior are not my cup of tea.”