Beyond Trash Talk: Angel Reese And Caitlin Clark Insist Rivalry Is All Business

Many women's college basketball fans have been anxiously waiting for tonight's LSU vs. Iowa game since last year's matchup.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will meet again on the court during tonight's Elite 8. After going viral last year during the championship game for "You can't see me" taunts between the two, both college basketball stars are clearing the air about their rivalry saying they are just "competitors."

During a press conference on Sunday, Reese, 21, addressed the fact that many think she and Clark, 22, dislike each other.

"I don't think people realize it's not personal. Once we get out between those lines, like, if I see you walking down the street, it's like 'Hey, girl, what's up? Let's hang out.' I think people just take it like we hate each other," the LSU star said.

"Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It's just a super competitive game and I would just wish people realized that."

Reese further explained that out on the court, there are no friends.

"Once I get between those lines, there's no friends. I have plenty of friends on the court that I talk to outside of the game. But when I get between those lines, we're not friends. We're not buddies," she said. "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. I don't think people really realize that and that's fine, I'll take the villain role."

Clark also recently shared her take on the rivalry between her and Reese saying they are just very competitive players who both want to win.

"Me and Angel have always been great competitors. There's definitely that competitive fire. Both of us want to win more than anything, and that's how it should be when you're a competitor and you get into a situation like this, whether it was the national championship, whether it's the Elite 8," Clark said after the Hawkeyes' Sweet 16 win over Illinois on Saturday.

"I think that's the main similarity is how competitive we are. We both grew up loving this game, and we're going to do anything we can to help our teams win."

Clark said that part of what makes women's basketball "so fun" is "great competition."

"Obviously, she [Reese] played in the Big Ten for a while to begin her career," she said. "And that's what makes women's basketball so fun is you have great competition and that's what we've had all year long."

Social media has been buzzing about the rematch between LSU and Iowa in anticipation of tonight's Elite 8 game.

ESPN shared a tweet by rapper Travis Scott on their Instagram page and many dropped into the comment section to further discuss Monday night's game.

"Today might be one for the illest days in women's sports historyyyyyy. Let's get it," Scott wrote.

ESPN's post received nearly 250,000 likes and 2,000 comments in just a few hours.

NBA2KLeague wrote, "Can’t wait."

Many people shared that they've been following women's basketball more than men's this year.

One viewer shared, "Can’t lie I know more women’s basketball players than men’s basketball players this year."

Another said, "I’m sure no news flash here but I’ll say it anyway women’s college basketball has surpassed men’s college basketball in excitement and I love it!!! It’s LIT congrats ladies."

In October, Reese became Reebok's first major NIL signing and the first person to sign under the new President of Basketball, Shaquille O'Neal, and Vice President, Allen Iverson.

"I am honored to be working closely with one of my longtime mentors, Shaq, along with a brand that I have admired since I was just a little kid," she said.

"It means the world to me that they trust in me to extend their legacy to be a new generation. Together, I think we have a great opportunity to do things differently, to inspire people to explore and express themselves unapologetically, and to show them how to look and feel good while doing it."

The deal includes being featured in lifestyle and performance product campaigns, and working with Reebok's teams to help influence future designs, as well as her own collection. Reebok will also work with Reese to support her Angel C. Reese Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering girls and women through sports, education, and more.

A few weeks ago, Clark revealed on Instagram that she had entered the WNBA Draft.

"While this season is far from over and we have a lot more goals to achieve, it will be my last one at Iowa," she shared on her Instagram page. "I am excited to be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft."

Not long after that announcement, Clark got an offer from Ice Cube to join his BIG3 League. While he didn't plan on the offer going public just yet, he did address it openly on social media.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3," he shared in an Instagram post.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year. Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."