Caitlin Clark’s opponents respect her game but respect her impact more

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark hit a contested 3-pointer on Monday over Hailey Van Lith in the Hawkeyes’ Elite Eight match-up against LSU. The Tigers guard shrugged — it gave off a “what can you do?” vibe — and immediately went viral for the response.

Clark is set to take the biggest stage at the Women’s Final Four on Friday night against the UConn Huskies. She averages 28.3 points, 8.3 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game. Opponents in Cleveland feel a lot like Van Lith trying to compete with the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.

Shrug.

“We don’t plan on stopping her, I tried calling all the other coaches that have stopped her, and none of them answered the phone,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said Wednesday. “We’re going to have to find a different way to win than stopping Caitlin Clark.”

That was the approach No. 3 seed N.C. State (31-6) had last season when it played the Hawkeyes on the road. The Wolfpack allowed 45 points and four assists from Clark and 15 from McKenna Warnock, but everyone else finished in single digits.

N.C. State coach Wes Moore called Clark “amazing” and said he was surprised coaches in the NCAA Tournament last year didn’t call him for the Wolfpack’s scouting report.

That’s the consistent message in the locker rooms, too. Players from N.C. State, South Carolina and UConn all complimented Clark’s ability to make high-level shots consistently and facilitate for her teammates.

They know whoever has to face the Hawkeyes will be on the receiving end of some remarkable shots.

“She’s a generational talent,” Wolfpack guard Madison Hayes said. “I feel like nobody is doing what she’s doing right now … and she seems like a great person. I’ve never really talked to her, but I think [from] guarding her, she seems respectful. I really respect her game, for sure.”

Despite Clark’s impressive career, there’s not any fear with the idea of competing against her. More than anything, the teams try to view her as any other opponent with an elite player.

Understand the scouting report. Execute the scout. Lock down on defense. Learn from the opportunity to face one of the best college basketball players of all time.

South Carolina’s Raven Johnson is excited about the idea of potentially defending Clark and what that could mean for Johnson’s individual skills.

“The next level is gonna be like that. You’re gonna meet players just like her, probably even better than her,” Johnson said. “I think it’s really good, really elite. Her game is special.”

N.C. State’s Mimi Collins described Clark as someone who “forever gets buckets.”

More than anything, Clark’s opponents are grateful for her. On the court, they’re fierce players. Friendships briefly don’t exist. But, they appreciate what Iowa’s star is doing for women’s athletics. That’s bigger than crazy shots. She’s leaving a legacy that extends beyond Des Moines and will affect millions to come.

“I think it’s gonna be a good while until somebody comes in and steals her spot,” Collins said. “What she’s done for women’s college basketball and what she’s done for the little girls out there that just look up to her, I think it’s a great thing.”

‘Give it the credit that it deserves’

Clark dreamed of being a Division I college basketball player. She dreamed of going to the WNBA. This is different.

The senior has, for good reason, been credited with bringing more attention to women’s basketball in recent years.

In February, she broke Kelsey Plum’s Division I women’s scoring record (3,527 points) and Lynette Woodard’s Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women major college scoring record (3,649).

Clark passed LSU’s Pete Maravich in March for the Division I career scoring record (3,667) for men or women. That game, against Ohio State, averaged nearly 3.4 million viewers on Fox Sports, and peaked at 4.4 million. It outranked the North Carolina-Duke men’s game in Chapel Hill.

The women’s national championship last season averaged 9.9 million viewers. It was the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record and ESPN’s most-viewed college basketball game for men or women.

Until Monday. The rematch of Iowa and LSU in the 2024 Elite Eight shattered records with 12.3 million viewers and a peak of 14 million. The game surpassed 4 of 5 games in the 2023 NBA Finals, every 2023 World Series game, and every regular-season college football game except for the Ohio State-Michigan match-up.

Compare that to a few years ago. ESPN didn’t always show full women’s basketball games. The women’s tournament couldn’t use the March Madness branding. Resources for women paled in comparison to those of their male counterparts. There have been several players responsible for the popularity growth, and Clark is grateful to serve as one of the catalysts.

The magnitude of her success and what she’s done — not only herself, but for others — is not something a person can really imagine, the Hawkeye told the News & Observer during a media availability.

“There’s just so much to be proud of, but, at the same time, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around everything that’s going on,” Clark said. “I think once my career really ends and I’m able to look back and reflect, it’s something that I’ll appreciate even more.”

Clark will take off her Iowa jersey one last time sometime in the coming days. That’s a fact. Her legacy, however, will extend far beyond what she did at Iowa. She’s going to be remembered for, hopefully, the things her opponents mentioned: The way she made people feel, inspired kids, and helped give women’s athletics the spotlight it deserved.

It’s something her peers admire.

“Caitlin’s an incredible player, setting records. She’s doing so much for women’s basketball right now, drawing that attention, exposing the game and creating an opportunity to give it the credit that it deserves — and has for years,” Wolfpack center River Baldwin said. “She’s another player on another roster. You have to know your scout, but she is Caitlin Clark. She’s doing what she’s doing. You have to give credit where credit’s due.”