Audio captures Lisa Bluder ranting about Nebraska media operations, playing music during free throws

Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder was not happy with how her Hawkeyes’ stunning 82-79 loss against Nebraska unfolded on Sunday. Specifically, Bluder was frustrated with the Nebraska’s media operations, who played music when Iowa star Caitlin Clark was shooting free throws at least once.

Further, the noise wasn’t simply music. It was a taunting sound, a ‘womp womp’ of sorts, following a free throw miss by Clark. While Nebraska players attempted to answer questions during the postgame press conference, Bluder could be heard yelling about the situation.

“We got a flight to catch,” Bluder said. “This is bullsh*t. This is not Big Ten protocol. They play music while you shoot free throws?”

Here's the audio from my external microphone during today's press conference. As Alexis Markowski was answering a question, you can hear Lisa Bluder trying to get into the media room, saying, "this is bullshit, this is not Big Ten protocol… they play music while you shoot free… pic.twitter.com/f34ttfmYoM

— Owen Siebring (@owensiebring) February 11, 2024

According to Mitch Sherman of The Athletic, Lisa Bluder was yelling at a Nebraska official in the hallway outside of the postgame press conference. It was obviously a painful loss for Iowa. The team boasted a 14-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter only to slowly watch Nebraska claw its way back.

Worse, the game had national attention. At the start of the final frame, Clark was only eight points away from shattering the NCAA Women’s Basketball all-time scoring record. Clark did not score in the final 10 minutes of the game, shooting 0-6 from the floor. It’s the first time in her career she has gone scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Despite the slow finish, Clark amassed 31 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals in the loss. As a team, Iowa shot 9-of-15 from the free-throw line. The loss puts Iowa a game behind Ohio State in the Big Ten standings, with five regular season games remaining.

Kelsey Plum congratulates Caitlin Clark too early

Evidently, not everybody received the message that Clark fell short of shattering the scoring record on Sunday, including all-time leading scorer herself. Ahead of the game, record-holder and WNBA superstar Kelsey Plum posted a message to Clark on social media.

“Congratulations on the record, and really your entire season!” Plum wrote. “I appreciate what you do for the game, much respect and love! See you at the next level, hopefully sooner than later.”

After the game, Plum awkwardly sent out a follow-up message.

“My bad next game.”

Averaging over 32 points per game, it’ll all but certain Clark will eclipse Plum’s record the next time she takes the floor. Clark will hit the hardwood again on Thursday when Iowa squares off against Michigan at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.