Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are headed back to the NCAA tournament finals where they will be taking on the Dawn Staley-coached South Carolina Gamecocks. For Staley and many others, the upcoming showdown versus the Hawkeyes could largely define where Clark stands in the Greatest of All Time discussions. For now, former UConn women's basketball star and current New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart remains the GOAT in the eyes of Staley.
“I agree with Stewie when it comes to winning the championship,” Staley said (h/t Andrea Adelson of ESPN), echoing Stewart's claim that despite all the individual accomplishments of Clark thus far, a national title is always going to be a major barometer of greatness in the college ranks.
“We're going to talk about GOATs. I think she's the GOAT, to be able to win four national championships and to be MVP. I think she was MVP all four times,” the South Carolina women's basketball mentor added.
Breann Stewart is still South Carolina women's basketball head coach's GOAT pick
Of course, Staley and the South Carolina women's basketball have the chance to keep Clark ring-less in college. The Gamecocks, who are gunning for their second national title in this decade, are expected top be a tough matchup for Iowa. And if Gamecocks fell prey to the Hawkeyes, Staley doesn't see why Clark can't be anointed as the GOAT. But that's a big if.
“If Caitlin wins the championship, she's pretty damn good, yeah, like, she's a GOAT. I mean, she's really damn good regardless. But winning the championship would seal the deal. I hope to the dear Lord she doesn't,” Staley shared.
But even if Iowa defeats the South Carolina women's basketball squad in the finals on Sunday, Clark wouldn't still come close to the ring count of Stewart, who won a national title in each season she spent in college with the Huskies from 2013 to 2016. During her entire college career, Stewart averaged 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists plus 1.5 steals and 2.7 blocks through 152 games.
At the end of the day, Clark would want nothing more than a win against South Carolina women's basketball, as that's a perfect way to cap off her memorable and legendary college career. Iowa nearly accomplished that mission in 2023 but Clark and the Hawkeyes fell prey to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers in the national championship game, 102-85. That deep Hawkeyes run in the Big Dance also included their win in the Final Four versus Staley's Gamecocks, 77-73.
South Carolina gearing up for rematch vs. Caitlin Clark, Hawkeyes
Clark was simply sensational in that win against South Carolina women's basketball, exploding for 41 points on 15/31 shooting from the field with five 3-pointers, six rebounds, and eight assists in 39 minutes.
“I don’t think we felt pressure to win the game, we just didn’t perform,” Staley told reporters after that loss to Iowa (via ESPN). “And that hasn’t been us all season long.”
This time around, Clark seems like an even better version of the one South Carolina dealt with in 2023.
So far in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Clark is averaging 30.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 9.4 assists, while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from behind the arc. She's also playing good defense, being active in the passing lanes and on the ball, racking up 2.0 steals per outing.
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