"The Angel Reese effect": Jason Whitlock takes petty jab at Sky star at the expense of Caitlin Clark amid NCAA ratings collapse

Reacting to the drop in NCAA women's championship game ratings compared to the previous two years, sports journalist Jason Whitlock took a jab at Angel Reese at the expense of Caitlin Clark. Whitlock took to X on Monday and sarcastically cited Reese on a term coined for Clark's impact on the game to explain the collapse in ratings.

"The Angel Reese Effect. Women’s college hoops not the same without her," Whitlock tweeted.

The viewership of the NCAA women's championship game had previously witnessed over 100% increase in 2023 when Caitlin Clark led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the finals against South Carolina. It saw an additional 90% increase in 2024 when Clark and the Hawkeyes faced Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers in the finals.

In the 2025 championship game featuring Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies facing South Carolina, the ratings saw a 55% decline compared to the historic viewership achieved previously. However, it remains a lot higher than what the event witnessed prior to Clark's back-to-back trip to NCAA championship games.

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Angel Reese hypes 2020 WCBB Class with Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and more after UConn's championship title

Led by Paige Bueckers, the UConn Huskies clinched the 2025 NCAA title with an 82-59 win over South Carolina on Sunday. After the championship game, Angel Reese took to X to hype the 2020 WCBB Class for their contribution to women's basketball.

"2020 class has done so many special things for the game. #proud" Reese tweeted.

Reese further reposted a fan's tweet, which showed a 98 rating for her, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink and Kamilla Cardoso. The fan also claimed them to be the "greatest class of all time."

While Paige Bueckers started her collegiate career in the 2020 class, her injury during the 2022-23 season delayed her entry into the WNBA. She is expected to be selected first overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

The previous year's first overall pick, Caitlin Clark, showered praise on Bueckers' overall game during an appearance on "The Bird & Taurasi Show" during the NCAA title game on Sunday.

"I think that one of the greatest things about her game is just her poise and her maturity. Nothing ever seems to faze her. She's always the same constant leader."

The 2020 class has played a key role in the rise of women's basketball over the past few years. Their success in the NCAA has also carried forward to the WNBA, which saw a meteoric increase in interest in the previous season, with fans hyped for the next.