This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a fantastic week and have a great weekend ahead.
Let’s talk about Caitlin Clark. Because what she accomplished on Thursday night was so special. She became the all-time leading scorer for women’s D1 college basketball, passing Kelsey Plum’s previous mark of 3,257 points. A 49-point barrage against Michigan landed Clark at 3,569 total points for her career so far.
She broke the record in her way, too. With a logo 3-pointer. Because of course, she did. We all knew how it was happening. She knew how it was happening.
And so it happened.
THE RECORD!!!! 🤩 @CaitlinClark22 THE NCAA WBB DIVISION I LEADING SCORER!!! pic.twitter.com/BEZ0d2TAlJ
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 16, 2024
That’s special. The mark of a superstar is knowing lofty expectations are being placed upon you every single night, yet still surpassing them every single time. That’s Caitlin Clark for you. She’s better than anyone could’ve imagined.
But what if I told you there was still more for her to do? She’s reached the top of the mountain, but she’s not done climbing yet.
RELATED: No, Caitlin Clark won’t be taking a paycut when she goest to the WNBA
Obviously, there’s the goal of winning a championship with Iowa that, once again, feels in reach. The Hawkeyes got to the championship game last season only to be overwhelmed by LSU’s talent and shot-making. They’ll have another solid chance at getting back this season. Maybe Iowa can break through.
But there’s also more Clark can accomplish individually. She’s got a legitimate shot at becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer for D1 basketball — both on the men’s and women’s side.
Pete Maravich currently holds the record at 3,667 points. Clark is just 99 points away from breaking it. There are four games left in Iowa’s regular season. If she sustains her average of 32.1 points per game she should get the record by the end of the month when Iowa plays Minnesota on Feb. 28. She’ll certainly have it by the time the Hawkeyes play Ohio State on March 2.
That’d be so incredibly impressive. That’s a record that has withstood the test of time — it’s held firm since 1970 when Maravich finished playing college basketball.
Not that Clark needs to sell anyone on how great she is anymore, but that would cement her as one of the greatest college basketball players ever — championship or not.
NCAA 25 is FINALLY HERE … almost
It’s been so long since we’ve had an NCAA video game. The last one was in 2014 when Denard “Shoelace” Robinson was on the cover of the game. I’m betting some of you don’t even know who that is.
Well, folks, the wait is nearly over. After a decade, we’re finally getting another installment of the EA Sports classic. College Football 25 is coming. Here’s Christian D’Andrea with more.
“Concerns about student athlete compensation rights in the aftermath of Ed O’Bannon’s Supreme Court win over the NCAA in 2015 effectively shuttered the series. But with name, image and likeness rules now allowing players to monetize their college careers, a pathway was created to allow the beloved franchise to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Specifically the kind of phoenix that runs the option and takes Ball State to the national championship.
Years of speculation have finally given way to a concrete announcement. While the name has changed from “NCAA Football” to “College Football,” EA’s back in the game — and the next installment comes out this summer.”
If that doesn’t get you hype, I’m almost certain this trailer will.
Yeah, It’s really happening! Coming this summer. Full reveal in May #CFB25 pic.twitter.com/yMMXz7OeR8
— EASPORTSCollege (@EASPORTSCollege) February 15, 2024
I can’t wait until this summer. I’m whooping all of you online.
RELATED: 9 athletes who should be on the cover of College Football 25
Y’all really don’t like bad officiating
So we’ve got the results from the poll we posted following the Knicks game on Monday.
A quick refresher: The Knicks-Rockets game was completely ruined by a bad foul call on Jalen Brunson in the end that gave the Rockets free throws to win the game. Crew chief Ed Malloy admitted the call was wrong in the pool report.
I asked you all if you thought officials should be punished for mistakes like this. And, further, I asked what punishments you thought were appropriate. There were 72 votes in total. Thank you for voting, btw!
The results:
— A whopping 92 percent of you thought Malloy’s entire crew should be suspended after this.
— Another 88 percent said bad officiating should definitely be punished.
— Most of the punishments ranged from “suspension with no pay” to “further officiating training.” I thought suspension with no pay sounded a bit harsh, but that seemed to be the consensus in the written responses.
Officiating is hard. I get it. It’s not a job I’d ever want to do. At the same time, blowing a call like that and completely changing the outcome of a game could impact things down the stretch. So I also understand why folks are so passionate about it.
The Knicks are protesting the loss. We’ll see what the results are. Maybe the NBA can find a way to make it right.
Photo Friday: The Shot
There’s Caitlin Clark, in all her glory, shooting the shot that would ultimately set her new record.
Just look at the crowd around her. You can see the anticipation from the fans. It’s incredible. What a moment. What a shot. This will live on in the history books forever.
Quick hits: Best bets for All-Star weekend … Dawn Staley on Clark … and more
— Prince Grimes has the best bets for All-Star weekend here. Go make some money with my guy.
— It’s really cool to see Dawn Staley rooting for Caitlin Clark here. Meghan Hall has more.
— Here’s a brilliant column from Cory Woodruff on the slow death of Coyote vs. Acme and what it signals for Hollywood.
— Mitchell Northam has the winners and losers from the NCAA women’s college basketball committee’s top-16 reveal.
— A’ja Wilson. Always keeping receipts. Meghan Hall has more. f
— Shaq thinks Caitlin Clark is the GOAT. Idk about that. Here’s Charles Curtis with more.
That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
A bit of a housekeeping note: TMW won’t be sending on Monday. I’ll be out of commission for the day. But we’ll be back to your regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday.
We’ll talk again soon! Peace! We out.
-Sykes ✌️