Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry Has Return Date in WNBA

There is more than one way to make a buck gambling on sports and those who enjoy speculating on final ticket prices instead of final scores may want to take a look at buying seats for some key dates on the schedule of the Indiana Fever as the 24-year-old franchise selected Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday.

The selection of Clark, which was followed by the Los Angeles Sparks choosing Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2 and the Chicago Sky taking South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso with the third pick, may help reverse the fortunes of a team that has finished with a losing record for seven straight seasons. Indiana also had the No. 1 selection last year and used it on star point guard Aliyah Boston.

“Obviously going to an organization that has, in my eyes, one of the best post players in the entire world,” Clark said. “My point guard eyes just light up at that. And obviously, Aliyah has been one of my teammates before. I’m excited. I can’t wait.”

Whether pairing Clark and Boston, who played together on a USA Basketball Under-19 team, on the floor will be a success on the scoreboard remains to be seen, but it is already helping to make the Fever a hit at the box office as tickets for some of the team’s games are already topping out at more than $200 on the secondary market.

Caitlin Clark Made a Surprise Appearance on This Week’s “SNL”

It was a big week for guest appearances

Substantially cheaper, but maybe not for long, are tickets for Indiana’s home game on June 1 against the Chicago Sky — that date will mark the resumption of Clark’s rivalry with former LSU Tiger Angel Reese in the WNBA. Clark and Reese, who was picked No. 7 by the Sky and will form a formidable front court with Cardoso, faced off in back-to-back years in the NCAA tournament with LSU taking the first round (and the championship) in 2023 and Iowa winning the rematch earlier this month in front of a huge TV audience.

The winner of the June 1 WNBA matchup will take a 2-1 lead in the series, but the loser will have a chance to tie it up when the teams face off on June 16 in Indiana and take the lead when the Sun and Fever play again on June 23 in Chicago. Assuming the games are competitive and fans remain interested, the Clark-Reese NCAA rivalry could continue for many years in the WNBA, a prospect not lost on league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

“I would be remiss not to mention the incredible excitement and energy for women’s basketball that this group has helped build,” Engelbert said. “It’s so clear that this draft class is entering the WNBA at an incredible time. We are witnessing a transformational moment in sports that we may not experience for generations.”

Don’t sleep on tickets — or their potential resale value.