With stars like Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins, women’s Sweet 16 is must-watch TV

If you think the NCAA women’s tournament has more drama, intrigue and star power than the men’s field, you’re not alone.

Let’s go to the numbers: Monday’s second-round game between Iowa and West Virginia — a gritty, physical defensive showcase, aired on ESPN — averaged 4.9 million viewers. That’s the biggest number for a game before the Final Four in women’s tournament history.

People are watching.

Now, of course, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is driving this bus. She’s been selling out arenas and pushing TV ratings all season as the Hawkeyes — who will play Colorado in the Sweet 16 — push for a return to the national title game.

But there is so, so much more. Can South Carolina remain undefeated? Will youth — in this case, the likes of freshmen JuJu Watkins (USC) and Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) — be served? Can LSU repeat? Can the Pac-12 conference, about to finish its final season of existence, go out with a bang with three of its teams slated to play this weekend?

For starters. So, for anyone who thinks the tournament begins and ends with Clark, here are some other story lines to think about as the tournament resumes on Friday and Saturday:

With a chip on their shoulder since a semifinal loss to Iowa last year, the South Carolina Gamecocks are, so far, perfect. What team has three players become first-round WNBA picks, reloads, then goes 34-0? Center Kamilla Cardoso is expected to be a top-ten pick this year, and she’s probably not the best player on her team (see: freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley). Will S.C. be tested by Indiana — one of only two Big Ten Conference teams left in the tournament — which has been strong with Sara Scalia’s shooting and Mackenzie Holmes’ efficiency?

There is Clark, of course, who will go into the WNBA sunset with a ton of victories and more points than anyone in Division I basketball history. There is Hopkins’ own Paige Bueckers who was marvelous in UConn’s victory over Syracuse, after which Huskies coach Geno Auriemma declared that he had the best player in college basketball. Don’t forget Bueckers’ teammate Aaliyah Edwards. Or Stanford’s Cameron Brink, LSU’s Angel Reese. Cardoso. Bueckers has said she’ll return to UConn next year; Reese hasn’t made an official announcement. But if she goes into the draft, Reese, Clark, Edwards, Brink, Cardoso and Edwards should all be top-8 picks.

But don’t worry. There are a slew of freshman about to stake their claim as the next great one. The 6-2 Watkins is a different player than Clark in her physicality and ability to get to the bucket. But Watkins averaged more points as a freshman than Clark did. Hidalgo is Notre Dame’s engine, scoring, rebounding, assisting and stealing; she had 10 steals in the Irish’s first two tournament wins. Fulwiley might be South Carolina’s most important piece and is coming off MVP honors in her first SEC Conference tournament. Madison Booker has Texas in the Sweet 16.

LSU and UCLA might be the most compelling matchup. Can UCLA center Lauren Betts contain Reese? Can Colorado — a team of (relatively speaking) lesser-known players upset the Hawkeyes?

Looking ahead to a potential Elite Eight, how much fun would it be to see an Iowa-LSU game, a rematch of last year’s title game? Or to see Bueckers and UConn face off against Watkins and USC? To see Hidalgo go against Fulwiley?