Caitlin Clark is poised to celebrate Iowa senior day by breaking Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring record
The stage is set for the coronation of Caitlin Clark as the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader when sixth-ranked Iowa closes the regular season against No. 2 Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday.Four days after she broke Lynette Woodard’s major college women’s record, Clark would pass Pete Maravich’s total of 3,617 points if she scores 18 against the Buckeyes.Woodard was among the attendees at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to help Clark celebrate senior day. Also on hand were basketball great Maya Moore, who was Clark’s favorite player, and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. On Thursday, Clark announced she would enter the 2024 WNBA draft and skip the fifth year of eligibility available to athletes who competed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, and the WNBA already is seeing a rise in ticket sales. Logitix, which researches prices on ticket resale platforms, reported an average sale price of $598 for a ticket to this game purchased since Feb. 1. “Listen, this is the greatest ticket on the planet right now,” Woodard said in an interview with ESPN before the game. “Hey, I’m going to enjoy this right now.”Clark is all but assured of one or two more appearances at the arena in Iowa City after Sunday. Iowa is projected to be a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament, meaning it would be at home for the first two rounds.Pearl Moore of Francis Marion owns the overall women’s record with 4,061 points from 1975-79 at the small-college level in the AIAW. Moore had 177 points at Anderson Junior College before enrolling at Francis Marion. Clark is 411 behind Moore, and she has only three to 10 more games left in an Iowa uniform depending on how far the Hawkeyes advance in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.If Clark passes Maravich, the accomplishment will be subject to scrutiny.Maravich’s all-time scoring mark is one of the more remarkable in sports history: It was set in just 83 games across three seasons from 1967 to 1970. There was no shot clock or 3-point line in those days. The 3-point line was adopted in 1986.Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game. He scored more than 60 in a game four times, topping out at 69 against Alabama on Feb. 7, 1970.Clark averages 28.3 points for her career and will be playing in her 130th game Sunday. Her career-best output was 49 points against Michigan on Feb. 15, when she passed Kelsey Plum as the NCAA women’s Division I career scoring leader. Clark has 54 games with at least 30 points, the most of any player in men’s or women’s college basketball over the last 25 years. She has six triple-doubles this season and 17 in her career.With Clark the headliner, Iowa has helped sell out or break an attendance record in 30 of 32 games this season. The only two games that didn’t happen were at a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida.“She is just a phenomenal, phenomenal player who has helped change the women’s game,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She has helped bring an enormous amount of light and respect and viewers to the women’s game. She is awesome. She is a competitor.“You either love her or you hate her, but you normally hate her because of how hard she competes. I have a tremendous amount of respect for somebody who is that competitive and has never met a shot she didn’t like.” ___AP freelance writer John Bohnenkamp in Iowa City, Iowa, and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Michigan, contributed to this report.___Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
The stage is set for the coronation of Caitlin Clark as the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader when sixth-ranked Iowa closes the regular season against No. 2 Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday.
Four days after she broke Lynette Woodard’s major college women’s record, Clark would pass Pete Maravich’s total of 3,617 points if she scores 18 against the Buckeyes.
Woodard was among the attendees at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to help Clark celebrate senior day. Also on hand were basketball great Maya Moore, who was Clark’s favorite player, and Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.
On Thursday, Clark announced she would enter the 2024 WNBA draft and skip the fifth year of eligibility available to athletes who competed during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, and the WNBA already is seeing a rise in ticket sales.
Logitix, which researches prices on ticket resale platforms, reported an average sale price of $598 for a ticket to this game purchased since Feb. 1.
“Listen, this is the greatest ticket on the planet right now,” Woodard said in an interview with ESPN before the game. “Hey, I’m going to enjoy this right now.”
Clark is all but assured of one or two more appearances at the arena in Iowa City after Sunday. Iowa is projected to be a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament, meaning it would be at home for the first two rounds.
Pearl Moore of Francis Marion owns the overall women’s record with 4,061 points from 1975-79 at the small-college level in the AIAW. Moore had 177 points at Anderson Junior College before enrolling at Francis Marion.
Clark is 411 behind Moore, and she has only three to 10 more games left in an Iowa uniform depending on how far the Hawkeyes advance in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
If Clark passes Maravich, the accomplishment will be subject to scrutiny.
Maravich’s all-time scoring mark is one of the more remarkable in sports history: It was set in just 83 games across three seasons from 1967 to 1970. There was no shot clock or 3-point line in those days. The 3-point line was adopted in 1986.
Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game. He scored more than 60 in a game four times, topping out at 69 against Alabama on Feb. 7, 1970.
Clark averages 28.3 points for her career and will be playing in her 130th game Sunday. Her career-best output was 49 points against Michigan on Feb. 15, when she passed Kelsey Plum as the NCAA women’s Division I career scoring leader.
Clark has 54 games with at least 30 points, the most of any player in men’s or women’s college basketball over the last 25 years. She has six triple-doubles this season and 17 in her career.
With Clark the headliner, Iowa has helped sell out or break an attendance record in 30 of 32 games this season. The only two games that didn’t happen were at a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida.
“She is just a phenomenal, phenomenal player who has helped change the women’s game,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She has helped bring an enormous amount of light and respect and viewers to the women’s game. She is awesome. She is a competitor.
“You either love her or you hate her, but you normally hate her because of how hard she competes. I have a tremendous amount of respect for somebody who is that competitive and has never met a shot she didn’t like.”
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AP freelance writer John Bohnenkamp in Iowa City, Iowa, and AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Michigan, contributed to this report.
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Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
