South Carolina Caps Undefeated Season With Title as Caitlin Clark Ends Her College Career

South Carolina finished an undefeated season on Sunday night by beating Iowa in the NCAA women's championship game. The Gamecocks were unbeaten all year, so the win capped a campaign that was never going to be easy for any opponent to derail. The game also ended the college career of Iowa star Caitlin Clark.

Sports journalist Kavitha Davidson discussed the matchup with NPR's Ailsa Chang on Monday. She said the final delivered what people who had followed both teams all season expected. Clark set another record by scoring 18 points in the first quarter, Davidson said, adding that she wasn't sure how many records the guard had left to break. South Carolina then showed why it had gone undefeated and took control of the second half.

The title is the third for the Gamecocks under coach Dawn Staley and the second in the past three seasons. Over those three years, Davidson noted, South Carolina has lost only three games. "It's really hard to overstate how dominant this team has been," she said, in substance, pointing out that the program lost all of its starters from last year's team and still did not slip.

Davidson credited Staley for that continuity, citing her recruiting, the respect she commands from her players and what Davidson called one of the greatest basketball minds the game has seen. She also highlighted a comment Staley made after the game about recruiting. According to Davidson, the second-most important thing Staley looks for in a prospect is the player's relationship with their parents. Staley's reasoning was that players who respect their parents will respect the team.

Clark's final collegiate game was also the focus of much of the attention. She is headed to the WNBA. After the game, Staley congratulated Iowa on a great season and personally thanked Clark for lifting up the sport. Davidson called the gesture a nice moment to see.

Davidson described Clark as the most prolific scorer, men's or women's, in the history of the college game, and said her legacy will be defined by what she has done for women's basketball and for college hoops generally. She added a caveat, however. Women's basketball has had top talent and superstars for decades, she said, but fans have lacked access to them because the players were not put on television or featured on "SportsCenter."

In Davidson's view, Clark arrived at the right moment, as decision-makers have finally begun investing in programming and marketing for women's games. Advocates for women's sports have long argued that if the games are televised, people will watch, she said, and that is what is now happening.

Davidson is a sports journalist and co-author of the book "Loving Sports When They Don't Love You Back: Dilemmas Of The Modern Fan."