LSU star Flau’jae Johnson and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark have met twice in the NCAA Tournament, with each player winning a matchup.
03:53 ET, 11 Jun 2025Updated 03:55 ET, 11 Jun 2025
Flau’jae Johnson is entering her senior season at LSU(Image: Getty Images)
While attending college simultaneously, ex-University of Iowa hoopster Caitlin Clark and LSU’s rising star Flau’jae Johnson went head-to-head twice in the NCAA Tournament. They split victories—Johnson’s Tigers clawed their way to glory in the 2023 title game, while Clark’s Hawkeyes soared in the 2024 Elite Eight.
“I mean we tied, but I’m up, though,” Johnson boasted during a sit-down with Complex. “Because we won in the [2023 NCAA] championship game, know what I’m saying? She beat me in the [2024] Elite Eight. Took away my Final Four ring.”
Despite their fierce on-court skirmishes, Johnson—a college peer and once tight with Angel Reese—admitted she still tracks Clark’s pro progress. It comes after the WNBA star watched her Fever teammates in action as her injury absence continues.
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“But we are tied, and that’s why I’m going to some Fever games this year,” Johnson disclosed. “Scope the scenario out….[Clark] is my dog. I text her, ask her for advice all the time.
“Like, ‘How you shoot like this? Why you do that?’ Because she’s one of the greatest shooters in the world, I just be trying to get tips, and she the coolest. Like, willing to help. Shoutout double-C.”
In the unforgettable 2023 national finale, rookie Johnson dropped 10 points and snagged seven boards, playing a crucial backup gig in LSU’s 102-85 coup.
Reese ascended as the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player following a majestic 15-point, 10-rebound display in the final showdown. Undeterred, Clark unleashed a 30-point barrage despite the loss.
Clark and Johnson met twice in the NCAA tournament(Image: Getty Images)
Clark sought revenge the following season, racking up 41 points and 12 assists against LSU guard Hailey Van Lith in a 94-87 victory. Johnson, despite scoring 23 points, experienced defeat.
Johnson, having witnessed Clark’s dominance firsthand, gave her a shout-out in one of her songs. “I shouted her out on my song, too! I’ve got to tell her,” Johnson said.
“[Clark] just has this ‘keep going’ mentality. Bad games, whatever. Like, keep pushing to win. She really has that killer instinct. And that’s something that many athletes lack, the ability to switch it on and off.
“But I don’t think she ever switches it off.In her track ‘Help Me,’ Johnson pays tribute to the former University of Iowa star with the line “Double-C on my jacket like Caitlin Clark.”
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Clark was again missing on Tuesday as the Fever slipped to a 77-58 defeat against the Atlanta Dream. She is continuing her recovery from a quadriceps injury and Stephanie White was left to rue her absence.
“Their physicality on defense really hurt us,” White said. “They have Olympians on this roster, right? And I thought our ability to match that physicality on defense, our positioning, our connection, was not there, and they took advantage of it.”