March Madness is living up to the hype, and so are its top Canadians

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Last night's NCAA women's basketball quarterfinal showdown between Iowa and LSU did not disappoint. With a spot in the Final Four at stake, Iowa sensation Caitlin Clark delivered a signature performance, scoring 41 points with 12 assists to lead the Hawkeyes to a 94-87 win over the defending champs in a rematch of last year's landmark national title game.

LSU star Angel Reese, the trash-talking (or at least trash-gesturing) foil to Clark last year, was excellent too. The 6-foot-3 forward scored 17 points and grabbed 20 rebounds despite reaggravating an ankle injury in the second quarter, when her dominance around the hoop had the Tigers up by four.

And, of course, LSU coach Kim Mulkey did Kim Mulkey things. Colourful pantsuit? Check. Fiery sideline antics? Check. The full Mulkey experience was on display after that long-awaited Washington Post profile of the Don Cherry-flavoured coach finally dropped over the weekend. (Turns out, it was a nuanced portrait of a complicated person, not the "hit piece" Mulkey primed her supporters to expect.)

After vanquishing LSU, Clark will now try to slay the most successful program in the history of women's college basketball. Her opponent on Friday night in Cleveland is Connecticut, which is headed to the Final Four for an incredible 15th time in the last 16 tournaments — a run that includes six of the school's record 11 women's national championships. The Huskies are hungry too: their last title came eight years ago, and their streak of 14 straight Final Fours ended last year with a loss in the Sweet 16.

Despite a slew of injuries