CLEVELAND — Women’s college basketball has never been more popular.
When Caitlin Clark’s Iowa team defeated reigning national champion LSU in the Elite Eight on Monday, 13.2 million viewers tuned in on ESPN, more than those who watched the clinching games of last year’s NBA Finals or World Series, according to the Nielsen ratings.
Clark’s Hawkeyes will play Paige Bueckers’ UConn Huskies on Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland in the Final Four, and millions of people are expected to tune in again.
Clark, a two-time Naismith National Player of the Year – she earned the honor for the second straight season Wednesday – will compete against Bueckers, a former Naismith National Player of the Year herself.
Each 2024 First-Team All-American has carried her respective team to the sport’s pinnacle over the past several weeks. Bueckers, a redshirt junior, has averaged 28 points per game in the NCAA Tournament while Clark, a senior, has matched her season average with 32 points per game in the tournament, including an incredible 41 against LSU.
UConn fans are entirely familiar with Buecker’s stellar career but might not be as aware of the greatness Clark has achieved over the past four years. Considered by many to be one of the best women’s college basketball players of all time, Clark is an unstoppable force.
No one will argue that Clark is the greatest deep threat in the history of the women’s college game. Her quick release and seemingly unlimited range can be compared to only a few players, male or female – Steph Curry immediately comes to mind. Guarding Clark on the perimeter, or beyond, is a nightmare for opposing teams. Her shot selection looks audacious until the ball goes through the hoop.
Earlier this winter, Clark became the all-time scoring leader in Division 1 NCAA history, breaking a record that was set by LSU’s “Pistol” Pete Maravich more than 50 years ago. Clark also scored more points this season than any Division 1 women’s player in a single season, ever.
Clark shot 38% from the field this year, nailing an incredible 193 three-point attempts. Throughout her career, she has hit 540 shots from distance during the regular season.
Clark is the first player to win back-to-back Naismith awards since UConn forward Breanna Stewart did so three times in a row from 2014-2016. She is one of only eight players ever to win the award at least two years in a row and the 10th to win it multiple times.
Guarding Clark isn’t as simple as limiting her jump shot. In 2023-2024, Clark averaged 9 assists per game, leading the nation. To put the number in perspective, the second-highest assist leader averaged 7.3 per game.
That means Clark makes her whole team better, which is why the Hawkeyes are in the Final Four in back-to-back seasons. Last year, Iowa lost to LSU in the title game. They already got revenge on the Tigers on Monday and have their sights set on lifting the championship trophy on Sunday night. Unfortunately, Iowa has revenge to take on UConn too – the Huskies and Bueckers eliminated Clark from the 2021 NCAA Tournament during their freshman seasons.
Clark can also rebound the ball well for a guard. This season, she averaged 7.3 rebounds per game. There really isn’t much that Clark can’t do.
Bueckers will be tasked with guarding Clark when the national semifinal begins, and senior guard Nika Muhl, the two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, could be given the assignment as well.
It’s going to be an uphill battle on Friday night for a UConn team that has been hindered by injuries to five players who would have started or played significant minutes. But no one expected the Huskies to get this far. With perhaps the greatest coach the women’s sport has ever seen, Geno Auriemma, victory is never out of the question.
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Nonetheless, the Huskies have their work cut out for them. And if they pull off the upset and slow down one of the most prolific female athletes of all time, undefeated South Carolina likely waits in the national championship. This weekend won’t be easy for UConn, but the team wouldn’t have it any other way.
UConn plays Iowa Friday night at 9:30 p.m. on Friday on ESPN. Husky fans can’t wait to tune in for what should be a memorable contest.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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