“Anybody would’ve lost to South Carolina”: Ex-Iowa HC Lisa Bluder recalls learning from Caitlin Clark and Co.’s loss vs Angel Reese’s LSU

Former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder learned plenty from when she, Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes reached the 2023 NCAA national title game before losing to the Kim Mulkey-coached LSU Tigers. After Clark scored 41 points to power Iowa past undefeated South Carolina 77-73 in the semifinals, the Angel Reese-led Tigers dismantled Bluder's team 102-85.

A year later, they made it all the way to the national championship game again but came up short against South Carolina 87-75 in April.

"I knew how to manage the day in between the games," said on "The Ringer WNBA Show" on YouTube on Monday, a day after she took part in Clark's jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday (Timestamp: 7:40).

"Now, I know maybe it didn't look like it since we lost against South Carolina, but I think anybody would have lost to South Carolina. They're an absolutely amazing basketball team led by a great coach.

"But I think we managed our time better and, I think we were really really worried about recovery the second time than we did the first time."

Bluder went on to pass the throne to assistant Jan Jensen as she retired, ending her 24-year Iowa tenure, after last season. Although she and Clark could not win the national championship together, their time with the Hawkeyes is one that will always be celebrated by the program.

Fortunately for the current crop of Hawkeyes, they were able to nail an upset 76-69 win over the then-fourth-ranked USC Trojans before Clark's No. 22 was retired in front of both Bluder and Clark.

Lisa Bluder shares why visualization was important to her coaching

In the YouTube episode, host Seerat Sohi discussed a clip that showed Lisa Bluder's extraordinary ways to hype up her squad before playing the LSU Tigers. She talked about how Bluder had her players form a circle after practice and had them pass around scissors while envisioning what it feels like to cut down the net as champions.

The Appleton, Wisconsin, native talked about why she made her Hawkeyes do this:

"I just really believe in the power of the mind, and if you put something in your mind that you're going to do something, it becomes easier to accomplish it," Bluder said (Timestamp: 9:50). "Does it work 100% of the time? No, but I believe you have to have that step first. You have to believe you're going to do something before you actually achieve it."

For the current Hawkeyes (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten), their next opponent will be the Minnesota Golden Gophers on the road on Thursday.