Jill Biden wants national champ LSU and runner-up Iowa at White House

WASHINGTON — First lady Jill Biden said Monday that she wants the defeated Iowa women’s basketball team to be invited to the White House in addition to national title winner LSU.

Biden watched LSU’s 102-85 victory over Iowa from the stands Sunday night.

Speaking Monday at the Colorado state capital in Denver, she praised Iowa’s sportsmanship and congratulated both teams on their performance.

“I know we’ll have the champions come to the White House, we always do. So, we hope LSU will come,” she said. “But, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game.”

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about whether President Joe Biden would also extend a White House invite to Iowa — and whether it would be a joint visit with LSU or a separate engagement.

In her remarks, Jill Biden also marveled at how far women’s sports in the U.S. have come since Title IX in 1972 gave women equal rights in sports at schools that receive federal funding.

“It was so exciting, wasn’t it?” she said. “It was such a great game. I’m old enough that I remember when we got Title IX. We fought so hard, right? We fought so hard. And look at where women’s sports have come today.”