Deebo Samuel, George Kittle make bet on South Carolina vs. Iowa in national championship
San Francisco 49ers stars Deebo Samuel and George Kittle have a friendly wager on the women’s college basketball national championship between South Carolina and Iowa. With Samuel a Gamecocks alumnus and Kittle having played his college ball for the Hawkeyes, school pride is on the line for both.
Samuel revealed during an appearance on Bleacher Report‘s “Courtside Couch” at the men’s Final Four that the loser will have to wear the winning team’s jersey to a game next season. He also expressed his faith in South Carolina and Dawn Staley to get the job done.
“Coach Staley been had things going for a while, so I’ve got all the hope for her,” he said. “I’m pretty sure like 99.9%. George Kittle, I hope you’re hearing this. This is gonna be a dub.”
South Carolina is looking for its second national championship in the past three seasons and the third total under Staley. The Gamecocks finished the regular season undefeated and have so far rolled through their five NCAA Tournament games in dominant fashion.
South Carolina handed NC State a 78-59 blowout loss to advance to the title game behind 22 points and 11 rebounds from Kamilla Cardoso. Carolina is currently a 6.5-point favorite in the matchup according to FanDuel.
Iowa, on the other hand, squeaked by UConn on Saturday with a 71-69 win. The Hawkeyes benefitted from a controversial call at the end of the game after Aaliyah Edwards was called for a moving screen with less than five seconds to go, resulting in a turnover.
Caitlin Clark has dazzled all season for Iowa as she shattered several records, including becoming the NCAA’s all-time career leader in points. She led the Hawkeyes to a 77-73 win against South Carolina in the Final Four last season, scoring 41 points.
Tip off for the national title game between South Carolina and Iowa is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Iowa-UConn sets new ratings record
Looking to build on the momentum created by a record-breaking Elite Eight matchup, ESPN had another dream showdown Friday night in the Final Four. That’s when Caitlin Clark and Iowa squared off against Paige Bueckers and UConn for a spot in the national championship.
The expectation was the TV ratings would continue their steady rise as two of the biggest names in the sport went head-to-head. That continued as it became a one-possession game in the final minutes and a controversial call dominated the conversation on social media.
It lived up to the billing. An average of 14.2 million people tuned in as Iowa held on to defeat UConn and punch its ticket to the national championship, ESPN announced, with a peak audience of 17 million. That topped the previous record, which Iowa set in its last NCAA Tournament game against LSU, for the most-watched college basketball game in ESPN history.