"She limited Caitlin Clark": Andraya Carter names South Carolina player who had biggest impact against $3.4M NIL-valued Iowa star

ESPN analyst Andraya Carter named South Carolina guard Raven Johnson as the player who had the biggest impact in the Gamecocks' national championship win against the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday.

On the Get Up program, Carter talked about Johnson's lockdown defense on Clark, which became the biggest factor in South Carolina's 87-75 win over the Hawkeyes.

Carter pointed out that the five-foot-eight point guard Johnson successfully shadowed the back-to-back James Naismith Player of the Year. Johnson limited Clark, whose NIL value is pegged at $3.4 million by On3.com, to seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and forced four turnovers.

"Raven Johnson came into this game with a locked-down, seat-belt defensive mindset. She limited Caitlin Clark to seven points on 3-of-11 shooting and forced four turnovers as a primary defender," Carter said of Johnson.

Carter also hailed Johnson's steal on Clark going into halftime, describing the play as the turning point of the game. The guard played 37 minutes in the final and tallied three points, five rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks.

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Disrespectful gesture by Caitlin Clark fuels Raven Johnson's drive to improve her skills

Johnson was South Carolina's primary defender on Clark (left).

Carter recalled how Clark disrespected Johnson in last year's Final Four, which became viral.

At one instance, the six-foot-zero Iowa guard didn't bother guarding the smaller Johnson from behind the 3-point arc. Clark made a hand gesture, which meant thata she was not bothered by Johnson making a shot from the deep.

Carter pointed out that the South Carolina guard used it as fuel to work on her weakness during the offseason and gave Caitlin Clark a lesson on respect in the final.

"Raven Johnson was waved off by Caitlin, and she took it personally. She got into a real low place, and she flipped that into motivation. It was an inspiring performance from Raven Johnson," Carter said.

In an interview, Johnson described the situation as the best thing that happened to her, as it inspired her to perform extra work in the gym.

"I think it put a chip on my shoulder to just get in the gym and get better. Improve on my game, improve on who I am," she said.

This was Johnson's second national championship with South Carolina. She has two more years to improve her craft and lead the Gamecocks to a possible back-to-back.

Will Johnson come back for another year with South Carolina? Let's know your comments.