Fifty-three years after Peter "Pistol Pete" Maravich graduated from Louisiana State University with 3,667 points, the greatest record in college basketball was finally bested. On Sunday, Caitlin Clark hit two free throws to first equal and then surpass Maravich's record for Division I career points.
As she did, the home crowd of Iowa City, Iowa, exploded into a standing ovation. That noise would only grow, as the sixth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to overtake them in the rankings. The Hawkeyes will hope to ride this momentum into a second consecutive Final Four appearance in the upcoming March Madness tournament.
Clark will be the unanimous first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft regardless of tournament outcome. The 6'0 senior is leading college women's basketball in points (32.3) and assists (8.7) per game. She's also providing an impressive 7.3 rebounds per game, a testament to her well-rounded skillset.
Clark's ascension to the top of college basketball's scoring leaderboard came less than a month after she surpassed Kelsey Plum's record for NCAA Division I women's scoring. On Feb. 15, Clark hit a three-pointer from the midcourt logo to surpass Plum's tally of 3,527 points. That game, a home win over Michigan, also saw Clark score a career-high 49 points.
Clark's dominance has garnered a unanimous level of respect rarely seen in women's sports. Social media, too often a place for cruel jokes free of consequence, has generally treated Clark with the respect she so clearly deserves.
Clark's incredible rise to fame is just the tip of a larger iceberg rising in the world of women's college basketball. Her record-setting performance on Sunday gathered more than four million viewers, the most in a college women's basketball game since 1999. Thanks to female stars like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink, women's college basketball is enjoying increased popularity and viewership beyond Iowa City.
This rise in popularity is being mirrored in the WNBA. Shooting ace Sabrina Ionescu made headlines by crossing the gender line and taking legendary shooter Steph Curry to the limit in a co-ed three-point contest at the NBA's 2024 All-Star Weekend.
Clark's imminent arrival is only increasing WNBA attention. Fans of the Indiana Fever, who have the first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, have already seen ticket prices for next season double. Ticket prices and media coverage will only increase if Clark indeed arrives in Indianapolis following April 15's draft.
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