Lisa Bluder says Caitlin Clark doesn't have to do anything different against LSU

Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder has been a witness to the excellence of Caitlin Clark all season long. Ahead of the biggest game of Clark’s life and Bluder’s career, Bluder said Clark doesn’t have to change anything about her game.

“She doesn’t have to be anything different on this stage then she’s been all year. She loves this stage and I know she’s gonna shine,” Bluder said on ABC ahead of the Sunday’s NCAA National Championship Game in Dallas. “I’d love to see some other people step up and do their jobs because they’re all just as good.”

Clark has been on a tear heading into the national championship game, scoring over 40 points in the Elite Eight and the Final Four.

The national player of the year is averaging 32.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

But they have a more-than-worthy opponent in the final game in LSU. Led by All-American forward Angel Reese, the Tigers present a similar challenge down low as what Iowa faced with South Carolina in Friday’s Final Four game.

“They’re excellent rebounders,” Bluder said. “Angel Reese is just unbelievable on the glass. Their point Morris is so fast. We’re gonna have our work cut out for us. There’s no doubt it’s going to be an unbelievable game.”

Blunder said she hopes Clark and her team enjoy and relish the moment — and hopefully make history.

This is only Iowa’s second-ever Final Four and first ever national championship game appearance.

“I really wanted them to look at the banners and know that those banners are at every single Final Four,” Bluder said. “They win one today and that banner will be there for their kids to see, their grandkids to see forever. So 40 minutes of basketball, a memory of a lifetime.”