NCAA selection committee 'kinda screwed' Iowa in women's tournament, ex-ESPN star says

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The Iowa Hawkeyes have one of the toughest paths to the Final Four in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as they were chosen to be the No. 1 seed of the Albany Region 2 bracket.

The Caitlin Clark-led squad drew a ton of media attention this season. Clark started the year pursuing Kelsey Plum’s all-time scoring record and ended the Big Ten Conference Tournament with more points than the Washington legend, Lynette Woodard and Pete Maravich.

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Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark celebrates after the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament championship game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on March 10, 2024, at the the Target Center in Minneapolis. (Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

As a reward, Iowa may have a rematch of last year’s national championship against LSU before even getting to Cleveland for the Final Four. UCLA, Colorado and Kansas State are also among the teams that could give the Hawkeyes a headache.

Former ESPN columnist Jemele Hill believed the NCAA selection committee "kinda screwed" Iowa.

"Think the committee kinda screwed Iowa a little bit with that region. To have to go through the defending national champions (LSU) and UCLA… don’t know if they deserved that," Hill wrote on X.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder acknowledged the importance of having the No. 1 seed in the tournament but understood that it doesn’t guarantee the team anything.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark talks in a press conference after the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament championship game on March 10, 2024, in Minneapolis. (Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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