When it comes to Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark, it seems that there is nothing she can not do on the court as the senior guard continues to break records. Besides achieving the mark for the most points scored in NCAA history, she has now the most points scored in the Big Ten tournament.
Clark and the Hawkeyes will face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the championship game as the last time they faced off on Feb. 11, the opponents achieved a comeback victory, 82-79. Clark predicts that the Huskers will “box-and-one” the Hawkeyes according to Michael Voepel of ESPN.
“I would expect them to box-and-one us tomorrow,” Clark said. “That's something we worked on every single practice since that game.”
People wonder why Clark has been so productive at the college level as she is considered arguably the greatest woman to play college basketball. Besides her immense talent, herself credits her head coach in Lisa Bluder for letting her “be me” in how they play basketball.
“This offense is like perfectly suited for my game,” Clark said. “She lets me be me, and it's been the same way for four years. But I've had a lot of really good teammates that have allowed me to be me too.”
Clark on breaking the Big Ten points record against Michigan
Clark is modest and humble in all the records she is breaking as saying that achieving the Big Ten record is “something that's really hard to do.” She got the record in the conference semifinals game when the Iowa women's basketball team beat Michigan, 95-68 behind Clark who scored 28 points.
“Obviously breaking the Big Ten record is something that's really hard to do,” Clark continued. “These games are never guaranteed. You can come here and just play one game, and it can be over. I'm really grateful to play the maximum number of games every season I've had of this tournament. That is probably the only reason I have this record.”
Michigan's head coach credits Clark
Michigan head coach Kim Barnes complimented Clark and her ability to play basketball as she mentioned that it goes beyond her unbelievable way of scoring. Clark is averaging 31.9 points, 8.8 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field this season.
“She can score the basketball better than anybody, but she can pass the basketball better than anybody,” Barnes Arico said. “I think that's what makes her so special. You try to keep the ball out of her hands because she's such a great decision-maker. But she's tough to guard. I don't know if anybody's figured it out.”
“Yeah, we were the lucky ones that got to be at Iowa when Caitlin broke the record, so we kind of were in the same environment today,” Barnes Arico continued. “Any time they made a run, the place erupted, or any time there was a big play, the place erupted.”
It will be Clark's final season with the Iowa women's basketball team as she has officially declared for the upcoming WNBA draft where she will look to extend her legacy further to the professional level. In terms of the draft, the Indiana Fever have the No. 1 overall pick as it could be the easiest decision they have ever made.
Follow Us
Subscribe