LSU head coach Kim Mulkey celebrates after cutting down the net following the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game against Iowa on Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Dallas. LSU won 102-85 to win the championship. (Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Three-point shots dropping from what looked like a mile away. A rivalry between superstar players so heated it warmed the entire arena.

Controversial refereeing that had fans across the nation duking it out on social media. And a coach whose glittering, tiger-striped pantsuit would be the envy of singer Elton John.

Sunday's women's NCAA basketball championship had everything a fan could want — and then some — despite the lopsided score at the end. Louisiana State University's purple-clad Tigers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes and phenom Caitlin Clark by a score of 102-85. The hullabaloo over dubious calls and the trash-talking on the court, with LSU's Angel Reese apparently taunting Clark that a championship ring would soon be on her finger, still generated buzz well after the buzzer sounded.

While we could have done without the taunting, this game nevertheless feels like a milestone moment. For the first time in memory, the NCAA women's championship is casting a long shadow over the men's game, slated for Monday night.

On Monday morning, it was the women's game, not the usual previews of the men's championship, dominating newspaper home pages like StarTribune.com. Debate over Reese's and Clark's rivalry still simmered on Twitter and Facebook. That's progress, long overdue and a tribute to the caliber of the players who battled Sunday afternoon in Dallas.

It's also remarkable considering that just two years ago controversy erupted during the NCAA's annual tournament over facilities for women players that were clearly second-class to the men's. The shabby setup became a shameful symbol of how women's competition lacks the resources and spotlight of the men's. In the scandal's aftermath, the NCAA finally began branding the women's tournament as "March Madness" too.

Congratulations are due to the LSU Tigers, whose shooting accuracy boggled the mind even more than their coach's one-of-a-kind attire. But this game will be remembered for more than LSU's triumph. It was an epic faceoff, one that left no doubt that the women's tournament offers the same compelling mix of talent and drama that has made the men's tournament a rite of spring. Bravo!