Tag: Women’s college basketball

When will Caitlin Clark break the Division I women’s basketball scoring record? We did the math.

It’s likely that Clark will pass Kelsey Plum during Iowa’s matchup with Michigan.

In a Jan. 31 win for Iowa over Northwestern, Caitlin Clark scored 35 points to soar past Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell on the all-time scoring list for Division I women’s college basketball.

Now, just one player’s point total stands between the superstar guard and history: Kelsey Plum’s 3,527 points that she scored while playing for the Washington Huskies.

After beating Northwestern 110-74, Clark now has 3,424 points for her career. By passing Mitchell, she became the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer, and Plum is now within real reach.

So, when will Clark break the record? We tried to do the math.

Clark currently trails Plum by 103 points, meaning she would own the record after scoring 104.

This season, Clark is averaging 32.1 points per game, which leads the nation.

Iowa’s next five games are:

  • Feb. 3 – at Maryland
  • Feb. 8 – vs. Penn State
  • Feb. 11 – at Nebraska
  • Feb. 15 – vs. Michigan
  • Feb. 22 – at Indiana

If Clark maintains her current scoring pace over these next few games, she should enter the Feb. 15 home game against Michigan about eight points shy of the record.

But you might be wondering, what if Clark goes into a scoring slump? Sure, let’s entertain that unlikely scenario.

Over the past two seasons, when playing at least 30 minutes, the lowest amount of points Clark has scored in a single game is 18 — at Maryland last season. So, in an unlikely scenario where Clark averages just 18 points per game over her next five games, she would enter the Feb. 25 home game against Illinois 14 points short of the record.

You might also be wondering, what if Clark gets really hot from 3-point land over the next few games. How early could she break it?

Clark has scored 40 points or more in a single game 11 times in her career, including three games this season. In those 11 games, she averages 42.9 points per game.

If Clark goes on a tear with the record in-sight and scores about 42.9 points at Maryland and against Penn State, she will enter the Feb. 11 game at Nebraska about 18 points shy of the record.

So, to recap: Clark will most likely break the Division I women’s basketball scoring record on Feb. 15 at home against Michigan, but she could break it as early as Feb. 11 at Nebraska, or as late as Feb. 25 against Illinois.

Hannah Hidalgo’s historic performance is the latest iconic chapter in Notre Dame vs. UConn rivalry

Against UConn, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo was the best player on the floor.

Notre Dame was licking its wounds after losing to Syracuse on Thursday for the second time this season. To cure their woes, the Irish got a crucial win over a longtime rival.

The Irish walked out of Gampel Pavilion on Saturday night with an 82-67 win over UConn, snapping the Huskies’ 13-game winning streak and blemishing their perfect record at home.

To understand the magnitude of the upset, consider that Notre Dame was ranked 15th in the AP Top 25 Poll and UConn was eighth, and the Huskies were favored by 14.5 points on DraftKings in the matchup. Additionally, Notre Dame hadn’t beaten UConn in back-to-back meetings in a decade.

And the Irish’s winning effort was all powered by the incredible play of Hannah Hidalgo, who cemented herself alongside USC’s JuJu Watkins in the National Freshman of the Year race with an otherworldly performance.

The rookie Irish guard piled up a career-high 34 points along with 10 rebounds and six assists.

She outplayed the other star on the court too in UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who finished with just 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting along with two assists, four steals and two turnovers.

According to HerHoopStats, Hidalgo has the only game of that sort – again: 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists – since at least 2009 against UConn. And she’s the first player not named Caitlin Clark to have those stats against a major conference opponent since 2020. Additionally, according to ESPN, 34 points in a single game is a program record for a freshman at Notre Dame.

UConn and Notre Dame met 11 times in the Big East Tournament, six times in the Final Four and twice in the national championship. The rivalry is a long one filled with big games and iconic moments.

And it sure feels like we’ll remember what Hidalgo did as a freshman in Gampel for quite some time.

Iowa celebrated Taylor Swift Day with some clever tweets during an incredible Caitlin Clark performance

Nebraska knew Caitlin Clark was trouble when she walked in.

Iowa’s women’s basketball team doesn’t need promotions or gimmicks to attract fans this season. The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in attendance – by a wide margin – averaging 14,998 fans per game.

But the folks that were in attendance on Saturday as the Hawkeyes beat Nebraska were treated to another incredible Caitlin Clark performance and tunes from Taylor Swift.

It was Taylor Swift Day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and Clark tallied 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists as she continued her march toward the NCAA’s all-time scoring record and as Iowa won 92-73. Clark’s showing was fitting, considering Swift is one of her favorite artists.

Also, it marked the eighth time that Clark scored at least 30 points against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers know her scoring skills all too well. They knew Clark was trouble as soon as she walked in, and they were not enchanted to meet her once again.

For the folks that weren’t in the building to see Clark light up Nebraska, they were treated to highlights via social media that were paired with Taylor Swift lyrics.

The person on Iowa’s staff responsible for these posts deserves a round of applause.

Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer now has more wins than anyone else in college basketball, including Mike Krzyzewski

While Kiki Iriafen’s career-high 36 points were impressive, one stat from Stanford’s win over Oregon State stands out from the rest.

Stanford women’s basketball team got a big win on Sunday, taking down Oregon State 65-56 to improve to 17-2 on the season and 6-1 in Pac-12 play.

And while Kiki Iriafen’s career-high 36 points and 12 rebounds were mighty impressive as the Cardinal won comfortably without All-American center Cameron Brink – who was sidelined with a lower body injury – there was one statistic from the game that was more important than the rest.

For Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer, it marked the 1,203rd victory of her career, pushing her past former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski for the most wins all-time in the history of men’s and women’s college basketball.

VanDerveer, 70, has been a head coach in women’s college basketball since she was 24 years old. She started her career at Idaho, spent five years at Ohio State, and – aside from taking one season off to coach the 1996 U.S. Olympic team – has been leading Stanford since 1985. She’s led the Cardinal to three national championships, 13 Final Four appearances and 27 regular season Pac-12 titles.

The 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee celebrated in style, with this custom jacket from Nike:

Congratulations for VanDerveer came from across sports from across the country, including this one from tennis legend Billie Jean King:

And although VanDerveer broke his record, Coach K was nothing but complimentary.

He said in a statement:

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for Tara VanDerveer, who is already one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of basketball. This is yet another milestone to add to an amazing legacy. More important than all the astounding numbers and career accomplishments, she’s positively impacted countless lives as a coach and a mentor. Tara remains a true guardian of our sport.”

It’s fitting that VanDerveer broke the record this season too, which is the last for the Pac-12 as we know it. With her on the sidelines, Stanford has often been the league’s best in women’s college basketball. In a season where — as of this week — four Pac-12 teams are ranked inside the top 10 of the AP Poll, VanDerveer will aim to end her reign in the league in style and on top in one of its most competitive campaigns.

Pac-12 women’s basketball report: eight teams projected to make 2024 NCAA Tournament, four as top-two seeds

Four Pac-12 teams are projected to be top-two seeds in March. No other WBB conference comes close.

The Pac-12 continues to show it is an elite women’s college basketball conference. The league might not have the No. 1 team in the country — that’s South Carolina of the SEC — but the Pac-12 has a big haul of Women’s NCAA Tournament teams, and it owns a distinction no other conference can claim.

In ESPN’s latest women’s college basketball bracketology reveal, Charlie Creme has four Pac-12 teams with projected top-two seeds. UCLA is a No. 1 seed. USC, Colorado, and Stanford are all projected as No. 2 seeds.

USC established itself as a top-two seed with its win over UCLA on Sunday. That win will boost the Trojans’ position and will make it hard for USC to fall out of a top-four seed. Keep in mind that all top-four seeds get to play home games in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. USC took a big step toward being able to play at the Galen Center on the first weekend of the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament. The Trojans now need to maintain their position in the cutthroat Pac-12 Conference.

Eight Pac-12 teams were projected to make the NCAA Tournament by Charlie Creme. The four top-two seeds are joined by Utah, Oregon State, Washington State, and bubble team Arizona. Cal is on the wrong side of the bubble but is still in the hunt for a March Madness berth.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

No, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark will not have to take a ‘pay cut’ when she goes to the WNBA

Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon are totally wrong when it comes to Caitlin Clark’s money.

Caitlin Clark’s ridiculous talent and heroics has gifted sports media with another news cycle, which means that folks who rarely talk about or cover women’s basketball are discussing the Iowa superstar.

It all started late Tuesday night, when Clark drained an absurd logo 3-pointer at the buzzer for a win over Michigan State. And yes, Clark’s shot did go off before the buzzer sounded, despite arguments from doubters. Afterwards, Clark was – as we’ve often seen from her in postgame interviews this season – incredibly gracious and humble, soaking it all in as she continues to chase the all-time scoring record.

On Wednesday, Clark’s name predictably popped up on the scrolling side bar on many of ESPN’s talking head shows, including the show that originated that genre, “Pardon The Interruption.”

Now, on one hand, it’s great that women’s college basketball is being talked about on a show with an audience as big as PTI’s as the sport continues to grow among casual sports fans.

On the other hand, when the conversation turns into “THE PAY CUT THAT SHE’S GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE TO GO TO THE WNBA …” that is detrimental to the growth of the sport. Because it isn’t true.

Here’s the full clip, where Tony Kornheiser prefaces that belief with, “I am probably speaking stupidity here when I say this.”

Indeed, this is a belief that is not based on reasonable thought.

Still, there is a widely-spread misconception existing that women’s college basketball players will not take their endorsement deals – made possible in college through the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) law – with them when they become professionals in the WNBA.

And when people say that, we should ask them, why?

Why would national brands that endorse Clark now – such as State Farm, Gatorade, Nike, Buick, Topps, H&R Block, and the supermarket chain Hy-Vee – end their relationships with her when she (probably) gets drafted this spring by the Indiana Fever?

The fact is, they likely won’t.

She will still be a household name with more than 825,000 followers on Instagram, and her profile could grow even more should Iowa make another Final Four run or if she competes in the Olympics this summer.

Those brands are more than likely going to stick with Clark, continue to back her and continue to reap the rewards from endorsing an athlete of her caliber. Gatorade has already committed to this, as its deal with Clark is a multi-year one. In a statement announcing a partnership with Clark, State Farm Chief Marketing Officer Kristyn Cook said, “We can’t wait to drive progress forward together with Caitlin for years to come.”

So, no, Clark – or any other women’s basketball star with national NIL deals, from Deja Kelly to Paige Bueckers – won’t be taking a pay cut. The reality is that, whenever Clark decides to enter the WNBA, she’ll be making even more money. Because Iowa isn’t paying her to play basketball. Those national endorsement deals will come with her to the pros, and she’ll combine that with a rookie salary of at least $74,000.

Oh, and one more correction for PTI co-host Michael Wilbon: Iowa’s women’s team is drawing much more fans than the men, not “about as many.” Clark and her crew are drawing an average attendance of 14,998 fans per game, which leads the Big Ten by a margin of nearly 6,000. The Iowa men average 9,263 fans per game, which is 10th in the league.

There is no question of which ticket is hotter. That was proved back in October when more than 55,000 showed up to watch the Hawkeyes play an outdoor exhibition at Kinnick Stadium. As long as Clark continues to draw crowds like that, she’ll have a plethora of endorsement deals to choose from for a long time.

The only AP voter to rank UCLA over South Carolina in the top-25 poll explains why

One voter believes that UCLA has played a slightly tougher schedule than South Carolina.

January often feels like the midway point for the college basketball season. After two full months of games — and as conference play begins in earnest — stars have emerged to help the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders.

On the women’s side, there are just seven undefeated teams left. We can break them down into two categories.

Three of those teams are greatly exceeding expectations and taking advantage of schedules that are a bit softer than those of the other unbeatens. But nonetheless, they enter 2024 with zero losses. They are: West Virginia, Oregon State and TCU. A round of applause for those three.

The other four are teams that more recently have established themselves as powers in women’s basketball. They’ve been tested. They’ve played tough schedules. They have signature victories. They should compete for their respective conference titles, and they’re now expected to make deep runs in March.

Those teams are: Baylor, N.C. State, South Carolina and UCLA.

For the past few weeks, the 36 voters on the Associated Press Top 25 Poll have agreed that South Carolina was the nation’s top team. And of course, there’s good reason for that. The Gamecocks have marquee wins over Notre Dame, Utah and North Carolina, and they rank first in the nation in offensive and defensive rating, according to HerHoopStats.

What Dawn Staley is doing with South Carolina this year is incredibly impressive. She lost all five starters – all of whom were WNBA Draft picks – from a team that won the SEC and went to the Final Four last year, and the Gamecocks still look like juggernauts in the sport with players like Raven Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Kamilla Cardoso leading the way.

But this week, I diverged from the rest of the AP voters.

I put UCLA at No. 1.

After the Bruins beat rival USC on Saturday – a previously unbeaten team armed with Freshman of the Year frontrunner Juju Watkins – I felt compelled to take a closer look at the resumes of UCLA and South Carolina.

Here are the facts:

  • UCLA has four wins this season over currently ranked AP Top 25 teams (UConn, Florida State, Ohio State and USC). South Carolina has just two (Notre Dame and Utah) after North Carolina fell out of the poll this week.
  • If you want to judge teams by where they were ranked when the games occurred, fine. UCLA beat two top 10 teams (No. 7 UConn and No. 6 USC) while South Carolina has only topped one (No. 10 Notre Dame).

Simply put: I think UCLA has played a tougher schedule.

I’ve also seen both of these teams play in-person this season: South Carolina three times, and UCLA once at the Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun. To me, the Bruins looked like the better team. Kiki Rice, Londynn Jones and Charisma Osborne make for a dynamic backcourt trio, and Lauren Betts controls the paint and protects the rim in a way that few players can, which is why the Bruins are No. 1 in rebounding rate at 63.4%.

I also believe that UCLA’s best win – take your pick of either a neutral site triumph over UConn or a home victory over USC – is better than South Carolina’s best win, which is probably the Gamecocks’ season-opening shellacking of Notre Dame. Two months into the season, the Irish – fresh off an upset loss to Syracuse – don’t look as good as the Huskies or Trojans.

Further, I don’t think South Carolina has done much yet to make a convincing argument as to why it is leaps and bounds better than UCLA. The Gamecocks rose to the top spot in Week Two simply because they had the best Week One victory after the preseason top two – LSU and UConn – lost to Colorado and N.C. State. Some voters selected Iowa as No. 1 in Week Two, but they too joined the folks voting for the Gamecocks in Week Three after the Hawkeyes lost at home to Kansas State. South Carolina essentially became No. 1 by default and kept winning. The Gamecocks deserve credit for those victories, but it doesn’t mean that their place atop the sport is inarguable.

A big topic of conversation in women’s college basketball in recent years is the increased amount of parity. That’s still true this season. South Carolina doesn’t seem unbeatable, and neither does UCLA. Neither does Baylor or N.C. State. We could very well enter March with zero unbeaten teams.

At the halfway point in the season, there’s room for multiple teams to get No. 1 votes.

Caitlin Clark’s ridiculous assist vs. Minnesota set multiple records for the Iowa superstar

Caitlin Clark continues to rewrite record books as Iowa continues to pile up wins.

It feels like Caitlin Clark is breaking a new record every week.

Earlier this month, the Iowa superstar guard surpassed the 3,000-points-scored mark for her career and Kelsey Plum’s all-time collegiate scoring record is within sight. She’s received praise from the likes of Lil Wayne and Mike Krzyzewski this season and has starred in commercials alongside Jimmy Butler.

On Saturday against Minnesota, Clark shattered more records with one neck-breaking assist.

In the third quarter of contest, Clark whipped in a pass from the top of the key to Hannah Stuelke, who finished the shot in traffic for Clark’s eighth assist of the game.

It was the 902nd dime of Clark’s career and it made her the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader. Clark on Saturday also became the first player in the history of Division I basketball – men’s or women’s – to tally at least 3,000 points, 900 assists and 800 rebounds in her career.

Clark’s collegiate career isn’t over yet, but it’s safe to call her one of the greatest of all time. The numbers don’t lie.

Here’s the record-breaking play:

Clark finished Saturday’s 94-71 win with 35 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, giving her the 49th double-double of her career.

Mike Krzyzewski explains why he would’ve loved to coach Iowa’s Caitlin Clark

Coach K is the latest to pay compliments toward the Iowa superstar.

The list of great players that have been coached by Mike Krzyzewski while the winningest coach of all-time was piling up victories at Duke feels endless.

From Christian Laettner and Grant Hill to Carlos Boozer and Shane Battier, to Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson. The list goes on and on and on, and that’s without getting to Coach K’s work with Team USA, where he coached the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to gold medals.

But there’s at least one player that Krzyzewski wishes he could have coached.

Recently on his SiriusXM podcast, “Basketball & Beyond with Coach K,” the retired former Blue Devils coach told Iowa star Caitlin Clark: “I would have loved to have coached you.”

Here’s more from Krzyzewski, who seemed to have endless compliments for Clark:

“You have an incredible platform now. You’re going to be one of the leaders to help millions of young girls realize their dreams – not just in sport. … It was fabulous talking to a great player. You made my day. You know what? You are so real. I would’ve loved to have coached you. And you’re not afraid. You’re not afraid. And God bless you. I’ve really enjoyed it, and I’ll be pulling for you the whole season. Stay healthy and stay real.”

Krzyzewski is likely not alone. It’s safe to say that a whole lot of coaches would like to have Clark on their team.

The reigning consensus national player of the year, Clark is leading the nation in scoring this season with 29.5 points per game and is fifth in assists with 7.4 per game. Iowa is 10-1 and ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 Poll this week.

Clark has one year of collegiate eligibility left beyond this season, but should she declare for the WNBA Draft, she will likely be the No. 1 overall pick. She already has endorsement deals with big national brands like Gatorade and State Farm, and it seems like businesses in Indianapolis are eager to work with her should she become a member of the Indiana Fever this spring.

Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark inks NIL deal with Gatorade

Women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark added Gatorade to her NIL portfolio as she continues her quest to become the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader at Iowa.

As Iowa star Caitlin Clark ascends the college basketball record books, her NIL portfolio continues to grow.

Clark inked a new NIL deal with Gatorade on Tuesday, according to a news release from the company. Gatorade joins State Farm, Nike, Buick, Bose, H&R Block, and others in having deals with Clark – who recently became the 15th college basketball player ever to reach 3,000 career points.

Gatorade will donate $22,000 to the Caitlin Clark Foundation as part of the deal.

“This partnership is special because not only does Gatorade fuel the best athletes in the game, but they’re also committed to leading by example and giving back, which is what I strive to do every day,” Clark said in the news release. “I’m honored to join such an iconic brand that has some of the most elite athletes in sport on their roster and can’t wait for what’s ahead.”

Clark joins a star-studded group of college athletes with NIL deals at Gatorade, including fellow women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers at UConn, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and Penn State running back Nick Singleton.

No. 4 Iowa will take on Cleveland State on Saturday, December 16 at 8:00 PM ET as Clark continues her quest to break the all-time women’s college basketball scoring record of 3,527, set by Kelsey Plum at the University of Washington in 2017.