Women's college basketball continues to captivate the nation's attention. The interest in the sport peaked over the past year, particularly as players such as Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark rose to prominence. 

While it should be noted that South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley's impressive run in Columbia, which has so far yielded a pair of national championships, helped spark the sport's newfound popularity, stars like Reese, Clark, and USC freshman JuJu Watkins are largely credited for the unprecedented attention. 

Some have even argued that women's college basketball has surpassed the men's game. The second round of the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament wrapped on Monday, with an average of more than 800,000 viewers tuning in through the first two rounds of play. Those viewership numbers represent a 108 percent jump from last year's ratings, according to data compiled by the Sports Business Journal. 

Earlier this month, Clark became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer across men's and women's basketball, and she continues to shatter virtually every college basketball record. She propelled the Iowa Hawkeyes to another great regular season and is widely viewed as the greatest women's college basketball player in history.

Iowa and LSU each won their separate games Saturday's Sweet 16 against Colorado and UCLA respectively on March 30, setting up the two teams for an intriguing Elite Eight rematch of their 2023 NCAA championship game. 

Clark has raked in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals and has brought an unprecedented amount of attention to Iowa City.

But, amid her success on and off the basketball court, it appears that some forget Reese led the LSU Tigers team in the victory over Iowa in last year's national title game held on April 2. Reese was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player last season, and also received unanimous All-America honors.

Edging out Clark and the Hawkeyes in the championship game took Reese, also known as the "Bayou Barbie," to new heights. She now boasts 2.7 million Instagram followers and has inked endorsement deals with fast-food chain Raising Cane's and technology Caktus AI, just to name a few.

Angel Reese's On-Court Behavior Receives Harsh Criticism

But, Reese's rise to stardom did not come without controversy. In the fourth quarter of last season's championship game between LSU and Iowa, Reese was seen waving her hand in front of her face. The move appeared to be an ode to wrestler John Cena who popularized the gesture and catchphrase "You Can't See Me."

Reese looked in Clark's direction as she pointed toward her ring finger to symbolize the championship ring LSU would soon receive.

Angel Reese trash talking and