Is a National Player of the Year honor loading for Caitlin Clark?
Clark's Elite Eight performance against Louisville surely must've boosted her credentials in doing so, while also further solidifying her legacy as an Iowa Hawkeye.
The junior guard posted a 41-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double on Sunday as the No. 2-seeded Hawkeyes advanced to the Final Four of the 2023 women's NCAA Tournament against the No. 5-seeded Cardinals.
Clark's numbers marked the first ever 30- or 40-point triple-double in men's or women's NCAA Tournament history.
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The 6-foot guard shot 11-for-19 overall (8-for-14 from deep) and 11-for-13 from the free throw line as she helped the Hawkeyes to a 97-83 win, simultaneously ending the program's 30-year Final Four drought. She had 22 points, eight assists and five 3-pointers by halftime.
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With the palatial numbers, she became the first men's or women's Division 1 player to eclipse 900 points and 300 assists in a single season. Through 35 games this year, Clark is averaging 26.9 points, 8.5 assists and 7.2 rebounds.
Iowa will await the winner of No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Maryland. If the 35-0 Gamecocks advance past the Terrapins, it could pit Clark against two other candidates for the best player in women's college basketball in 2022-23: Aliyah Boston (2021-22 winner) and Zia Cooke.
