We’re getting at least one matchup between two women’s college basketball teams that were in last year’s Final Four.
In what will be one of the first games of the season, Iowa and Virginia Tech – both of which are expected to be ranked in the top 10 again – will meet on a neutral court in Charlotte, North Carolina on Nov. 9. The game at the Spectrum Center (where the Charlotte Hornets play) is being billed as the Ally Tipoff and will be televised by ESPN.
It’s presented by the Charlotte Sports Foundation, and it’s another sign of growing investment and interest in the sport. Stephanie Marciano, Ally’s head of sports and entertainment marketing, played college basketball at Yale.
“I’m a diehard basketball fan. To watch Caitlin Clark and her team play; you’ve got All-Americans on both sides. This is going to be an incredible game,” Marciano told The Athletic.
It’ll be a star-studded matchup, headlined by the reigning consensus National Player of the Year in Iowa’s Clark, and the reigning two-time ACC Player of the Year in Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley, who also happens to be a North Carolina native.
More than 6,800 fans packed the Greensboro Coliseum last March to see Kitley and the Hokies top Louisville — and the Virginia Tech fans are a loud bunch. Iowa travels well too. In the Hawkeyes’ nine Big Ten road games last season, the home team saw an average increase in attendance of 3,482 more fans. And Iowa’s national championship matchup with LSU was the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record, drawing 9.9 million viewers.
“This game will feature high level talent that will showcase two teams that experienced the Final Four last year. This premier matchup will be great not only for our prestigious conferences but will be a great display for women’s basketball,” Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said.
Amazing!!! This matchup will be epic w/ two of the best PGs in the nation battling it out. Oh and the reigning ACC POTY too! 🔥 https://t.co/qlAQQ9AjZv
— Kelly Gramlich (@kellygramlich) June 7, 2023
As a junior last season, Clark was second in the nation in scoring and first in passing with 27.8 points and 8.6 assists per-game. She also led the nation in 3-pointers made and averaged 7.1 boards per-game as she led the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten Conference Tournament title and their first appearance in the national title game.
Kitley, who was a senior last season but is back in Blacksburg for her fifth season, averaged 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per-game as the Hokies won their first ACC Conference Tournament title and advanced to the Final Four for the first time.
Both players have stellar supporting casts too. Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore was named MVP of the ACC Tournament and the Most Outstanding Player at the Seattle 3 regional this past season. In eight postseason games this past campaign, Amoore averaged 22.2 points, 3.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds per-game. Across the season, she made 116 3-pointers, setting Virginia Tech’s single season program record.
INBOX: Virginia Tech will face Iowa in Charlotte on Nov. 9.
The neutral site matchup between the two Final Four teams is part of the “Ally Tipoff” at the Spectrum Center. #ncaaW
Caitlin Clark vs. Georgia Amoore should be fun.
— Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch) June 7, 2023
The game is not only a big and well-deserved stage for women’s college basketball, but it’s a big opportunity for Charlotte too, to showcase it can attract fans of the sport and provide a showcase for the women’s game. The city hasn’t hosted a women’s Final Four since 1996, and hasn’t had the ACC women’s basketball tournament since 1999.
The Spectrum Center did host a pair of women’s college basketball games last December, when North Carolina faced Michigan and Oklahoma took on Florida as part of the two-day Jumpman Invitational. That event is happening again this season.
Under a previous name, the Spectrum Center was once home to a WNBA franchise, the Charlotte Sting — which featured Dawn Staley at point guard. The team folded in 2007.
