Ohio State will face Caitlin Clark, the Iowa basketball superstar.
This weekend, one of the biggest names in college basketball will be visiting Columbus.
Throughout her four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Caitlin Clark has captivated sports fans nationwide and elevated awareness of women’s hoops to a new level.
Ohio State will play Clark’s team on Sunday at the Schottenstein Center.
Chad Leistikow, who covers the Hawkeyes for the Des Moines Register and the Iowa City Press-Citizen, joins us to discuss Clark’s Hawkeyes team.
Matthew Rand: Give me additional details about Caitlin Clark’s background and what makes her a unique player.
Chad Leistikow: She moved into fourth place all-time in NCAA scoring history just the other day. If she stays healthy, which she most likely will be by mid-February, she will break the record.
She’s a fantastic distributor, though, having led the country in assists in addition to her scoring. Those are, in fact, among the more thrilling plays.
Everyone who is listening has undoubtedly heard of the logo shots. She has, like, game-winning shots from Herkey’s beak at midcourt in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and she routinely pulls up from a distance of thirty feet or more and makes three-pointers.
It’s discouraging for other teams, you know. It gives Hawkeye supporters, who have supported Caitlin Clark home and away over the whole season, much to be happy about.
Matthew Rand Alright, so she’s making her way into the historical records. But how explosive of a player is she, metrics aside? And how does she compare to the other women’s and men’s players?
Yes, said Chad Leistikow. She is, after all, the world’s most well-known collegiate athlete at the moment.
I spoke with Rebecca Lobo, a well-known ESPN commentator and former UConn women’s basketball player. She continued, saying, “[Clark] is already atop the Mount Rushmore of women’s basketball players.” The absurd part is that the COVID-19 pandemic may allow her to stay for an additional year. She won’t, in my opinion. That’s definitely a topic of discussion in Iowa, but she has the potential to stay for a fifth year and completely break all records.
Interestingly, she also has a very good chance of breaking the men’s record. As long as Iowa makes it to the postseason, she has a great chance of surpassing Pete Maravich, who has held the record for all time. That helps you understand the history she is currently creating.
Matthew Rand That is simply incredible. In particular, I’m interested to know what impact this has had on young female athletes and how it has affected sports fans more broadly.
Chad Leistikow: Matthew, what’s really fascinating is that these little males in Iowa are the ones wearing Caitlin Clark jerseys, not just little girls. It’s present everywhere.
Every arena she visits is filled to capacity. Ninety minutes before tip, they are in line waiting. On Sunday morning, I’m confident things will be the same in Columbus. It’s true that fans are lining up to see Caitlin Clark warm up because she consistently hits these enormous three-pointers.
And she gets along so well with her own admirers. She’s simply a welcome change of pace. She has such talent with the press. She even has advertisements for Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm. Really, NIL’s introduction to collegiate athletics couldn’t have happened at a better moment for her and her notoriety. She is also merely a transcendental being. That’s not up for debate.
Matthew Rand: The Hawkeyes are clearly a phenomenal team, but the 18th ranked Buckeyes, they’re no slouch either. What will you be watching for in Sunday’s match up?
Chad Leistikow: Yeah, it’s one of the toughest tests of the year for the Hawkeyes, who come into this with an 18-1 mark, the best start in Lisa Bluder’s tenure at Iowa, which is 20 plus years.
This week, I spoke with a coach who told me that Ohio State is a really talented team, so this will truly put us to the test. It is moving. You know, Iowa is more than just Caitlin Clark, but in order to prevail in such a crucial game, she does require assistance. In all honesty, from our standpoint at Iowa, they would go to 8-0 in Big Ten play and likely begin their ascent toward the top NCAA tournament seed, which is crucial in the women’s game because of first-round matchups. Afterwards, it makes the route to this year’s Final Four in Cleveland much friendlier.
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