Angel Reese on her trash talk, relationship with Caitlin Clark: 'Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other'

LSU and Iowa are set to clash in a rematch of last year’s national championship game in the Elite Eight on Monday.

Once the matchup was made official, memories of the trash talk from both sides, the physical nature of the game and everything that led up to the Tigers’ 102-85 win resurfaced. LSU star Angel Reese wanted to clear the air on last year’s game — specifically noting her relationship with Hawkeye superstar Caitlin Clark.

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“For me. I don’t think people realize like it’s not personal,” Reese said of her relationship with Clark. “Once we get out between those lines, if I see you walking down the street, like it’s ‘Hey girl! What’s up? Let’s hang out.’ I think people just take it like we hate each other. Me and Caitlin Clark don’t hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It’s just a super competitive game.

“I would just wish people realize that once I get between those lines, it’s no friends. I have plenty of friends on the court that I talk to outside of the game, but like when I get between those lines, like we’re not friends. We’re not buddies. I’m going to talk trash to you. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game we can kick it. Like, I don’t think people really realize that and that’s fine.”

Reese said that she’s fine playing the villain in this situation. She’s willing to “take the hit” for it, as long as it’s growing women’s basketball. “You like it or you don’t,” Reese said.

Of course, Clark isn’t one to hold back to trash talk, either. She has admitted that she’s one to play up a crowd — and their previous meeting in last year’s national championship game showed just that. Now, it’s on Reese and the Tigers to somehow slow the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history down.

“The scouting report going into the game last year is the same scouting report going into the game this year,” Reese said. “Caitlin Clark is who she is and we’re going to have to contain her as best as we can. She’s an amazing player. … I mean, she’s scoring 30 when they win, she’s scoring 30 when they lose. So it’s a win-lose situation with it, so we’re just gonna have to not allow those other players to score.”

For LSU guard Hailey Van Lith, she recalled watching last year’s national championship game from Louisville, her old school, and feeling drawn in by the game’s emotions, relating to it in a way. LSU would pull out the win for the Tigers’ first-ever national championship, and less than a month later she’d be transferring into the program.

She’s not one to shy away from hostile situations on the court, either, but also realizes that some fans will make assumptions about on-court situations without knowing the whole story. Van Lith also knows fans enjoy the entertainment aspect of the game, using hockey fights as an example. “[But] that’s not why we do it. It’s it’s our personalities. It’s what makes the game fun for us,” she said.

Now, Van Lith has the opportunity to be in the mix for this year’s big-time matchup. With Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark leading the charge in what will be the final collegiate installment of their rivalry, one of these superstars will have to watch the Final Four from home.

Tip-off for the Elite Eight battle between LSU and Iowa is scheduled for Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m. ET.