The Iowa Hawkeyes and the LSU Tigers played in Monday’s highly anticipated Elite Eight game at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
Former WNBA All-Star Rebecca Lobo, broadcasting for ESPN, took it upon herself to take a shot at New York’s capital city, Albany. Lobo felt the city was lacking in things to do.
The ESPN coverage featured Caitlin Clark’s family during the fourth quarter. During the pregame broadcast, play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco brought up a statement that Iowa star Clark made in which she said that her family had enquired about local entertainment alternatives. Speaking about finding things to do in the city, Lobo, the former UConn great and WNBA All-Star, took some heat for her statement.
She said good luck trying to find anything to do in Albany.
Locals were insulted by the comment.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan was taken aback by Lobo’s statement, so she invited the ESPN host to show her around the city.
In response to the criticism, Lobo went on social media and said she spent many fun-filled weekends in the Albany area over the years coaching her kids’ AAU teams. She said she meant no disrespect for New York’s capital or the fantastic job they did hosting the regional.
Lobo grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, 111 miles away from Albany.
The Hawkeyes prevailed against the Tigers thanks to Clark, who scored 41 points in the contest. The Final Four matchup between Iowa and UConn has been rescheduled for April 5.
More people are paying attention to women’s collegiate basketball because of Caitlin Clark, and Hawkeye Nation is pilgrimaging Iowa City to see her play.
The result is that seeing the Hawkeye star perform live is now rather pricey. Lobo, the anchor of ESPN College GameDay, thinks this will carry over into the pros, and she is backed by the data as well.
Clark, who has scored more than 30 points a game this season, is within 18 points of breaking “the Pistol” Pete Maravich’s record for most college basketball points scored. This is the reason for the $303 rise in average ticket prices for Sunday’s game against No. 2 Ohio State.
‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich has 3,667 career points, while Clark has 3,670. Fifteen thousand five hundred spectators will crowd into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to see her smash the record and then some against the Buckeyes.
