Is Caitlin Clark’s ring on? How a 2024 March Madness star from Iowa can emerge victorious

One item is absent from Clark’s résumé.

Caitlin Clark of Iowa defeated “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s record of 3,667 points to become the all-time highest scorer in NCAA Division I for all players, male or female. We chose to compare Clark’s point total to corn on the cob in order to put it in perspective, as Iowa is the nation’s largest grower of corn.

In terms of collegiate basketball accomplishments, Caitlin Clark has essentially done it all.

The 22-year-old’s résumé lists numerous achievements, including being the all-time leading scorer in the NCAA, the AP Player of the Year, the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith College Player of the Year, two unanimous first-team selections to the All-American team, the leader in assists and scoring both times in the NCAA, the MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup, the Big Ten Player of the Year, and many more.

However, a national championship is one important thing that the Iowa Hawkeyes star has left out.

As the No. 2 seed, Clark and the Hawkeyes nearly made it to the national championship in 2023, but they were defeated 102-85 by No. 3 LSU. But Clark played her part. In 35 minutes, she scored 30 points on 9 of 22 shots, had 8 assists, and pulled down 2 rebounds. Nobody else on the team scored.

Is it possible for Clark and the Hawkeyes to win their first women’s basketball championship in program history in 2024 with Iowa as the top seed and looking like title favorites? If they can avoid a Cinderella upset, let’s have a look at their probable opponents in the final round by round:

Iowa’s official first-round opponent won’t be known for a little while longer. In the First Four, Holy Cross and UT Martin will square off, with the victor getting to play Clark and Co. Given that UT Martin is 16-16 and Holy Martin is 20-12, Iowa should win whichever team advances.

In the second round, the quality increases, but Iowa should still pass this exam. Overall, West Virginia’s record was 24-7, but their 14-2 home record carried the weight. Princeton’s 25-4 record is somewhat padded by a 13-1 conference record in an otherwise unimpressive Ivy League.

In the Sweet 16, Iowa might face four teams, but once more, Iowa should defeat any team. With 14 straight victories, No. 12 Drake might emerge as the Cinderella team if the Bulldogs advance. Iowa can’t afford to lose this round because of the potentially exciting Elite Eight game.

The Albany 2 Region’s upper echelon is quite packed. Only one of the three teams—No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 UCLA, and No. 3 LSU—will move on to the next round of the national championship. Even though LSU had a ton of talent, the team lost more games than it would have liked, and UCLA was seeded as high as it has ever been in program history.

Naturally, the most significant consequence is the possibility of a 2023 championship game rematch. This year, Iowa might be better suited to unseat LSU, but nothing is certain in March Madness. The final few games may have a different vibe if the Hawkeyes win.

Potential opponents in the Elite Eight would face a similar challenge from the Portland 3 Region. No. 3 UConn has won nine straight games after sweeping the Big East, while No. 1 USC is in great condition after winning five straight. No. 2 Given that Ohio State finished above Iowa in the Big Ten, Ohio State will be challenging; nonetheless, the two teams have a 1-1 record in head-to-head play, with Iowa winning the most recent meeting. In what would make for an exciting third encounter, the Hawkeyes might try to repeat their success.

Naturally, there are a lot of options that could come from the other side of the bracket. However, if these teams handle their business, they might try to challenge Iowa if the Hawkeyes follow suit.

With a 32-0 victory, No. 1 South Carolina is the best team in the tournament by record. Despite finishing 30-4, No. 1 Texas placed second in the Big 12 because of their conference record. No. 2 Stanford, who won the Pac-12, had a chance to be a No. 1 seed but was not selected. Despite going 24-5, No. 4 Indiana had the same conference record (15-3) as Iowa. The Hoosiers are a potentially elite middle seed that generates a lot of noise.

In summary, Iowa have an abundance of quality to make a deep run and following the heartbreak of the previous year, they also acquired crucial experience. If that’s the path taken, the toughest opponents on paper would be No. 2 Ohio State in the Final Four, No. 3 LSU/No. 2 UCLA in the Elite Eight, and No. 1 South Carolina in the championship game.

However, Iowa defeated Ohio State this year and defeated a strong South Carolina team in the Final Four of the previous season. Before Clark sails off to the WNBA, let’s see if she can lead Iowa to glory and add one more feather to her cap.