đ¨ Caitlin Clark DROPS 34pts/12ast, Named MOP, Win Big Ten Tournament Title. Iowa Hawkeyes Highlights
Clark scored 30 second-half points in Iowaâs 94-89 overtime win over Nebraska.
Caitlin Clark leads Iowa to comeback win for Big Ten tourney title 3-peat.
Caitlin Clark overcame a cold start to score 30 of her 34 points after halftime and help third-ranked Iowa rally past Nebraska 94-89 in overtime to win a third straight Big Ten Tournament on Sunday.
Hannah Stuelke had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Hawkeyes (29-4), who trailed by 13 points late in the first half while their superstar Clark missed all nine of her 3-point attempts.
The all-time NCAA leading scorer finished 5 for 17 from deep, had 12 assists and hit the dagger 3-pointer with 51 seconds left in OT for an 89-97 lead just 16 seconds after Logan Nissleyâs 3-pointer had put the Cornhuskers in front.
Alexis Markowski had 23 points and 13 rebounds to lead Nebraska (22-11) in a valiant performance that fell short of a second victory over Iowa this season. The Huskers beat the Hawkeyes 82-79 on Feb. 11.
Breaking down Iowa star Caitlin Clarkâs scoring record using corn on the cob for context Iowaâs Caitlin Clark broke âPistolâ Pete Maravichâs record of 3,667 points to become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer among all players, male or female. Since the state of Iowa is the biggest corn producer in the U.S., we decided to put Clarkâs point total in context by comparing it to corn on the cob. Natalie Potts had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Huskers, who led 75-67 with 2 1/2 minutes to go in regulation, before Clark drained one of her signature step-back 3-pointers. Her layup in traffic tied the game with 29 seconds left.
Nebraska played for the final shot, and Nissleyâs baseline jumper was short at the regulation buzzer. Clark waved her arms at the Iowa-dominated sellout crowd, yelling âCome on! Five more minutes!â
The Huskers played their fourth game in four days, beating Purdue, Michigan State and Maryland to reach the conference final for the first time in 10 years. Despite the 11 a.m. Central tipoff and the lost hour for the daylight saving time change, they sure didnât lack for energy.
These regional rivals â one fan clutched a clever sign that read, âIowa has better corn!â â from the conferenceâs soon-to-be-stretched-way-out western edge played a rugged and fierce game befitting their grind-it-out matchups on the football field. Bodies banged hard against the floor often, and the pushing for position around the basket was intense.
Markowski and Potts, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winner, played fearlessly inside after Iowa commanded a 54-16 points-in-the-paint advantage on Michigan the day before. Clark mostly found her usual playable looks at the hoop, but the long ball just wasnât her friend. The Hawkeyes matched every bit of the Huskersâ fire, though, and made sure they stayed within striking range by getting the ball to the basket as much as they could and locking down on defense.
Clark immediately bit into Nebraskaâs 46-35 halftime lead by hitting a step-back jumper from the foul line. Her first deep shot finally fell when she drifted right off the break and swished a pullup from the wing to bring Iowa within 48-42, and she pumped her fist with a slight smile on the way back.
Curling off high screens was a recipe for success. Clark gave the Hawkeyes their first lead since 5-4 when she did just that off a pass from Kate Martin and smoothly drove in for a layup that made it 53-52.
Hot news: Caitlin Clark signs new sponsorship deal with Indiana Feverâs sponsor ahead of 2024 WNBA Draft Caitlin Clark has become a household name and has sponsorships with companies like State Farm and Nike, to name a few.
She is now adding another as she heads towards the conclusion of her Iowa Hawkeyes career.
Clark has signed a multi-year deal with Gainbridge, a financial service company.
Gainbridge is based in Indiana and has the naming rights to the arena where the Indiana Fever play.
Clark, who has an NIL valuation of $3.1 million via On3, is expected to be the first overall pick, which is held by the Fever, in the 2024 WNBA draft.
The company is no stranger to signing with women in the sports world.
Former tennis superstar Billie Jean King and LGPA Tour golfer Annika Sorenstam also have deals with Gainbridge.
Also Read: âThis was never a long shotâ: Nike has special tribute to Caitlin Clark for breaking Pete Maravichâs long-standing NCAA record
Can Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes win the 2024 March Madness?
The Iowa Hawkeyes ended the regular season as the second-ranked program in the nation and have shown that they could go toe-to-toe with any program.
The Hawkeyes are tied with the reigning national champion LSU Tigers for the second-best odds to cut the nets this season, at +800.
The team ahead of them is also the only one ahead in the AP Poll, the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks.
They are loaded, sitting at -115 to win the NCAA Womenâs Tournament. However, with the explosive offense the Iowa Hawkeyes possess, they could create an intriguing matchup.
Hot news: Caitlin Clarkâs potential WNBA contract might come as a surprise, and not a positive one Caitlin Clark, who holds the record as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, has announced that she will be entering the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Clark has decided to forgo a fifth year at the college level, which has led to speculation about a potential pay cut compared to what she currently earns through NIL deals.
Clark, the point guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes, was awarded an additional year after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her freshman year and has built a roster of impressive endorsements.
Clarkâs estimated NIL valuation is $3.5 million, ranking fourth behind Bronny James, Shedeur Sanders, and Livvy Dunne, according to On3 NIL.
Fans were shocked to learn that Caitlin Clark, one of the best college basketball players of all time, would potentially earn less than $80,000 in a WNBA rookie contract as the top pick. Despite this, fans are quick to point out that her jersey sales alone will most likely bring in millions for the professional team she joins.
Clark has stated that her major sponsors will not drop her when she turns pro, and it is likely that her deals will continue to grow as she advances to the next level, squashing the storyline that she will lose money going to the WNBA.
Who is Caitlin Clark?
Hawkeyeâs college basketball star Caitlin Clark has set numerous records during her time in Iowa, including becoming the NCAAâs all-time leading scorer in menâs and womenâs basketball by surpassing Pete Maravichâs record at LSU.
Clark has also surpassed AIAW all-time leader scorer, Lynette Woodard and NCAAâs womenâs all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum.
Clark is the first Iowa womenâs basketball player to be named First Team All-Big Ten in four years, was named the consensus Big Ten Player of the Year by coaches and media.
Clarkâs possible WNBA salary is shocking
In general, rookie contracts in the WNBA typically last for three years, with a team option for a fourth year.
The salary for rookies is determined by their draft position, and according to Spotrac salary ranges from $64,154 to $76,535 for the first year.
The salary increases by a little over $1,000 each year thereafter.
Caitlin Clark is expected to be the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. In her first year, she would earn a base salary of approximately $76,000, with the possibility of earning additional incentives.
If she is named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, she would receive a bonus of $5,150. Additionally, if Clark is selected to participate in the All-Star game, she would earn an extra $2,575.
How much do WNBA players make?
According to Statista, there is a significant pay gap between NBA and WNBA players, with the highest paid player in the 2023 WNBA season, Erica Wheeler of the Indiana Fever, earning $242,000.
Arike Ogunbowale of the Dallas Wings comes in second with earnings of $234,000 followed by Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury also earning $234,000.
On average, NBA players make more than 10 million dollars every year compared to WNBA players who earn $116,000 a year.
Caitlin Clarkâs NIL Deals
Caitlin Clark has signed a long list of deals with companies to use her name, image, and likeness. Clark has signed with the biggest names in sports appeal, electronics and even insurance. Here is the list of companies that have added the college basketball star to their roster.
Nike
Gatorade
Bose
State Farm
Buick
Hy-Vee
H&R Block
Topps
Shoot-A-Way
Goldman Sachs
Hot news: EXCLUSIVE: NCAA responds to Lynette Woodard womenâs basketball record book controversy after Caitlin Clark feat The NCAA defended its policy of denoting the scoring accomplishments of Kansas legend Lynette Woodard separately from its main womenâs basketball record book in a statement to Mirror Sports US.
Woodard played at Kansas before the NCAA recognized womenâs basketball, competing in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) instead.
Despite calls for the NCAA to put her 3,649 points on its official leaderboard â a tally that would have her behind only Iowa guard Caitlin Clark â it doesnât plan to make any changes.
âIn an effort to maintain true comparisons for those sports that transitioned from the AIAW to the NCAA for womenâs collegiate competition, NCAA career leaders include only those student-athletes who played a minimum of at least three seasons (in a four-year career) or two (in a three-season career) in a specific division during the era of official NCAA statistics, beginning with the 1981-82 season,â wrote an NCAA official to Mirror Sports US.
The official noted that AIAW statistics are listed in a separate section on the NCAA website.
âWhen womenâs programs joined the NCAA from the AIAW, the NCAA agreed to include AIAW records in the record book, which the NCAA has done for years and continues to do,â they said.
âThose records are hosted in a separate section because they were not completed while the schools/teams in question were NCAA members. The NCAA policy for records applies across the board for other associations, with this exception made for just the AIAW.â
They added: âNCAA official statistics responsibilities include compilation, confirmation and maintenance of statistics and records established under âNCAAâ governance.
Individual statistics established while schools were/are members of the other associations (including AIAW, NAIA, etc.) are not currently included in âNCAAâ records.â
The NCAAâs reasoning is not popular with many people involved in womenâs basketball, including ex-UConn star Rebecca Lobo, who now works as a TV analyst for ESPN.
âWe arenât talking about this enough,â Lobo wrote on X. âThe NCAA should not only acknowledge the records but embrace the AIAW era. Itâs part of the history of womenâs college basketball (and the right thing to do).â
After Clark moved beyond Woodardâs unofficial record on Wednesday night, Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder issued a statement to reporters asking the NCAA to adjust its policy.
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