"Caitlin Clark by far": $1.5 million NIL-valued Flau'jae Johnson picks top 4 toughest opponents
LSU's Flau'jae Johnson named Caitlin Clark as her number one toughest opponent she faced in March Madness. She faced Clark twice in her college career. The first meeting occurred in the 2023 national championship game when the LSU Tigers snatched their first-ever title after defeating Iowa 102-85.
Clark scored 30 points, but it was not enough to stop LSU from winning. In the recent episode of her podcast "Best of Both Worlds," Johnson picked her top four toughest opponents.
"Number one, I'mma go Caitlin Clark by far," Johnson asserted (at 5:45).
Their second encounter came a year later in the Elite Eight showdown. The Hawkeyes avenged their loss with a 94-87 victory, with Clark dropping 41 points and 12 assists.
Johnson, with a $1.5 million On3 NIL valuation, mentioned former Utah star Alissa Pili on her list. She faced Pili in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 March Madness, where LSU escaped with a narrow 66-63 victory.
"I think [Alissa] cooked us in that Utah game," Johnson said (5:59). "She's good — like, she's big, she's strong, she can shoot. Yeah, Utah almost got us, but they didn't."
Johnson also mentioned Savannah Wheeler from Middle Tennessee as one of her toughest opponents. Wheeler had 21 points and seven rebounds against LSU in the second round of the 2024 tourney. Johnson scored 21 points herself to lead the Tigers to an 83-56 win.
"This girl from Middle Tennessee, she was killing, bro," Johnson added (6:23). "She was getting to the cup any kind of way she wanted to. She was shooting threes ... She was kind of tough. They had us scared in Baton Rouge in the second round."
Lastly, Flau'jae Johnson spoke of former Virginia Tech player Georgia Amoore as one of the toughest players she has ever faced. LSU defeated Virginia Tech in the Final Four 79-72, where Amoore had 17 points and three assists.
"She was a really good player ... In that Final Four game, I remember we were down, and my man kept hitting threes. I was going to cry," Johnson continued (6:50). "But Georgia Amoore—I love the way she plays. She plays with such a pace. She's a really good guard, and she knows how to lead her team."
Flau'jae Johnson and LSU Tigers face two-seed NC State in regional semifinal
Flau'jae Johnson and the No.3 LSU Tigers are set to face one of their toughest challenges of the season as they go up against the two-seed NC State Wolfpack in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The Tigers’ performance against Quad 1 opponents this season has been inconsistent, holding a 6-5 record. Meanwhile, NC State has played more Quad 1 games and holds a better record than LSU at 8-6.