Caitlin Clark’s final NCAA Tournament to begin at home. Can she be as prolific as she was last year?
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark and Iowa will begin their bid to return to the NCAA women’s national championship game at home Saturday against Holy Cross or UT Martin.
Clark, the NCAA Division I career scoring leader, was prolific in last year’s NCAA Tournament. She posted the first 40-point triple-double in men’s or women’s tournament history and broke the single-tournament records for 3-pointers (24) and points (191).
The Hawkeyes (29-4) are the No. 1 seed in the Albany 2 Region, which also includes No. 4 Kansas State, No. 5 Colorado, No. 3 LSU and No. 2 UCLA.
Iowa split two games with K-State this season, losing 65-58 in Iowa City and winning 77-70 in a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida. The Hawkeyes beat Colorado 87-77 in the Sweet 16 last year and lost to LSU 102-85 in the title game. Iowa hasn’t played UCLA since 1991.
Louisville also is in Albany 2. Iowa beat the Cardinals 97-83 in a regional final last year, with Clark going for 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.
Clark begins the tournament with 3,771 points, which ranks eighth among men’s and women’s college players on any level. Clark could crack the top five with a long run in the tournament.
Clark has announced she will skip her final season of eligibility and enter the WNBA draft in April. She is the presumptive No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever.
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives as Northwestern guard Maggie Pina guards during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)