Caitlin Clark has done nothing but set the entire sports world on fire with her record-setting 2024 season. The Iowa Hawkeyes standout is as big of a ratings draw as the sport has ever seen, and it's thanks in large part to her stellar offensive game that makes her such a treat to watch. But during Iowa's Final Four clash against the vaunted UConn program, Clark has struggled to get it going.

Clark had a first half she would much rather forget; facing the defense of Paige Bueckers and Nika Muhl, the Iowa star put up just six points on 3-11 shooting, allowing UConn to take a 32-26 lead entering the halftime intermission.

Even the best players go through difficult stretches, and Caitlin Clark is no different. But Clark has set quite a lofty standard for herself that it becomes very surprising when she doesn't play at her usual level — a testament to how well UConn has game-planned for her on the night. This difficult first half from Clark spawned a plethora of reactions from fans who wanted to see more out of the Iowa star.

“So far, Caitlin Clark has been a disaster, misfiring and mispassing,” notorious pundit Skip Bayless wrote.

UConn's defense on the Iowa star — smothering

But again, most of the credit goes to UConn for how well they've defended Caitlin Clark. Clark had her way in the Elite Eight against the overmatched Hailey van Lith, but the Huskies have thrown Nika Muhl as the primary defender on Clark to great effect. Muhl has then gained national recognition, although her foul situation will be something to watch in the second half.

“That's two fouls on Nika Muhl, who has been the primary defender on Caitlin Clark. (The one smothering her.) Something to watch,” Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic pointed out.

Still, greatness always manages to find a way to deliver at the most crucial moments. Caitlin Clark is going to get hers, no matter what. In fact, she already began the second half on a much better note. (At the time of writing, Clark has made two threes in the second half, including a four-point play.)

UConn will have their work cut out for them if they want to deny Clark a chance to give Iowa a national title before she jumps to the WNBA in a few weeks.

Caitlin Clark doesn't shoot well vs. UConn, again

Caitlin Clark has had little to no problems torching most of her opposition. However, UConn has given her problems in her first two matchups against them, and their Final Four matchup in 2024 has proven to be more of the same.

Clark's first career matchup against UConn came in 2021, when Iowa came up against them in the Sweet Sixteen. Clark struggled immensely; she shot just 7-21 from the field, including 4-12 from beyond the arc, as the Hawkeyes suffered a 92-72 defeat to the Huskies.

And then in a regular season clash in 2022, Caitlin Clark did not make the most out of her opportunity to avenge her defeat to UConn in the prior year. She made just nine of her 24 field-goal attempts, shooting below 40 percent from the field yet again as the Huskies defense made her work for every basket.

Clark still has a few minutes to exorcise her UConn demons, having one more quarter to improve upon her 5-14 showing thus far.