ALBANY, N.Y. — In the words of Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, the Hawkeyes got “ran out of the gym” in last year’s national championship game against LSU.

On Monday in the Elite Eight, Iowa will have a chance to avenge the 102-85 loss that put an end to the Hawkeyes’ historic postseason run.

Iowa defeated Colorado in the Sweet 16 for the second straight season to earn another shot at LSU.

“I speak for everybody on our team when I say we did not come into this game knowing LSU had won and like, ‘Oh, we want to play LSU,'” Clark said after the win over Colorado. “We came into this game focused on beating Colorado because Colorado is a really good basketball team. In my eyes, they played in one of the best conferences in the country in the Pac-12 all year long.”

Clark, who recorded 30 points and eight assists against the Tigers last season, said she’s not caught up in the past. The loss to the Tigers still stings, she says, but it’s a new year, a new team.

“I try to be where my feet are and prepare one game at a time,” Clark said. “I think I wouldn’t be the player I am if I was too worried about what has happened or what is going to happen.”

Clark said on Saturday she doesn’t consider Iowa-LSU a rivalry, but if you were to scroll through social media, you would assume that’s how the rest of the world views it.

In the final moments of last year’s title game, LSU’s Angel Reese flashed the “you can’t see me” gesture before pointing to her ring finger.  This sparked controversy, but not between the two players. While others were arguing on social media, Clark and Reese clarified that “there is no beef” between them.

Still, this moment became the story of the game and is one of the main reasons this upcoming matchup has been highly anticipated since brackets were released on March 17.

“I think you get caught up in all that, and it takes your energy off the focus that you need at hand — and that is to prepare for a really good LSU team. Nothing else matters. Nothing matters that happened last year. Nothing matters except for being ready to play this really good LSU team,” Bluder said. “I just don’t think my players are going to get caught up in listening to outside voices. They haven’t all year. They’ve handled it all year, and I think that they’ll continue to do so.”

Over nine million people tuned in to watch last year’s title game, peaking at 12.2 million viewers — the most watched women’s basketball game in history. Monday’s matchup has the potential to draw the same fanfare.

Colorado head coach JR Payne, who was teary-eyed after the Buffaloes’ season-ending loss against the Hawkeyes, said she would be tuning in. Colorado beat LSU in the season-opener, the first time since 2009-10 a Kim Mulkey-led team has started the year 0-1.

“I think everybody that loves the game of basketball will be tuned into that matchup. I think it’ll be a great game — two of the best teams in the country. I’m excited that we got a chance to play both because I also think we’re one of the best teams in the country,” Payne said on Saturday night. “We won’t necessarily care who wins, but we’ll be excited for a great game.”

While Bluder herself hasn’t looked at the scouting report for LSU, the head coach said she has staff members assigned to scout different teams. Bluder said when she gets back to the hotel, one of her coaches will have the scouting report ready and they’ll sit down as a staff and “try to figure out a game plan.”

Guard Gabbie Marshall said she and her teammates will have the same mindset when preparing for LSU as any other opponent, and she trusts the coaching staff to have the Hawkeyes ready to play.

“You don’t wait till now. I mean, you’ve got to do your homework ahead of time. And believe me, there was a lot of wasted paper and hours on UCLA and some other people, but that’s why it is this time of year you have to be ready for everybody,” Bluder said.

LSU sits at 31-5 on the season, punching its ticket to the Elite Eight with a nail-biting win over No. 2 UCLA. Flau’jae Johnson led the Tigers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Reese tacked on 16 points, 11 boards, two blocks, and four steals. Johnson and Reese are the only returning starters from last year’s championship team.

While the Tigers may have less depth this season, the talent remains. Including Johnson and Reese, six LSU players average double-figures in scoring. One added threat to the Tigers’ lineup is first-year Mikaylah Williams, who played the second-most minutes of anyone on her team against UCLA and scored 12 points. LSU, who entered the season ranked No. 1, leads the NCAA in getting to the foul line with 27.14 free throw attempts per game. The Tigers are also strong on the glass, ranking third in Division I with 46.26 rebounds per contest.

“I know that these are two really good basketball teams, and it’s almost unfortunate they’re meeting this early. But everybody that’s left now is really good, and LSU is certainly that good,” Bluder said. “I just know it’s going to be highly emotional and highly competitive.”

When reflecting on last year’s postseason run, Clark said it went “so fast” and is “kind of a blur.” The star guard said she remembers what happened between the basketball games better than the time she spent playing on the court.

Clark and the Hawkeyes’ biggest takeaway from their 31 wins and heartbreaking loss in the title game last season is that “executing down the stretch is really important,” and “everything comes down to one possession.”

“I’m only promised 40 more minutes,” Clark said. “So might as well go win it.”