Shelley Till let the thought slip through while watching Iowa star Caitlin Clark pour in 41 points in the Elite Eight matchup against No. 5 Louisville on Sunday.
"I was thinking, 'I wonder if she is going to break that record,'" Till told Sporting News.
Till is an Iowa basketball lifer. The Dubuque native played at Drake, coached in college and high school in the state, was a color commentator for Iowa and served as a Big Ten analyst. Till, now the Vice President for Hall of Fame Health, watched Clark's triple-double unfold like millions of other fans — 2.5 million, to be exact – in the 97-83 victory against the Cardinals in the NCAA Women's Tournament.
The record in question belongs to Texas Tech legend Sheryl Swoopes, who scored 177 points in five games in the 1993 NCAA Tournament. Swoopes scored 47 points for the Red Raiders against Ohio State in an 80-73 victory in the championship game. The Women's Tournament expanded to 64 teams the following year, and the WNBA had its inaugural season in 1997.
That 1993 season was a seismic year for the sport, and it doubled as the last time Iowa reached the Final Four. Fast forward 30 years, and Clark is achieving the unthinkable on an every-night basis. She scored 120 points in the Hawkeyes' four tournament games.
MORE: Clark brings home the Naismith Award
No. 2 Iowa (30-6) meets No. 1 South Carolina (36-0) in the most anticipated Women's Final Four semifinal at 9:30 p.m. Friday at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. To put Clark in the same sentence as Swoopes is the ultimate praise, but Till is willing to expand on that thought.
"There's Sheryl Swoopes, then the next section was all of UConn and all of their dominance, and now you have Caitlin Clark," Till said. "She has the same if not a bigger impact on the game as those players and teams did."
15 years after Steph Curry, Caitlin Clark has revolutionized college basketball in the same way 😤
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 31, 2023
Iowa continues its chase for a national title tonight against South Carolina 🔥 pic.twitter.com/PEIdXsfSlt
Big Ten Network analyst Meghan McKeown's flight landed in Dallas on Wednesday, and she engaged in conversation with a group of girls who were in town for a hockey tournament. When McKeown told the girls she was covering the Women's Final Four, they responded almost in unison: "Caitlin Clark!"
"I don't think there has been a player in recent memory that has taken on all ages, all genders nationally the way Caitlin Clark has over the course of the last three years," McKeown told SN. "That's the impact she has had, not only her game because she is talented. The triple-doubles, five on the year so far, she's just been unreal from that standpoint. On top of that, she has a personality that's very likable. She's so personal with the fans."
McKeown saw the phenomenon start during the 2020-21 season. She was on the broadcast for Clark's first televised game against Northwestern on Jan. 28, 2021. Clark had 27 points and eight assists. Now, Clark's postgame entails sometimes hour-long autograph sessions after games with an increased audience.
MORE: John Cena reacts to Clark's 'You can't see me' taunt
"You're now seeing young boys coming to games and cheering for Caitlin Clark and wanting her autograph," Till said. "Grown men coming to games just to see Caitlin Clark. She has put a lot more eye-balls on the game because of who she is and how she plays the game. She's just so fun to watch."
Clark even became the main attraction on the road. According to The Athletic's Scott Dochterman, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State drew an average of 6,000 more in attendance for their home games against the Hawkeyes.
Yet Clark would take the time to engage those fans, too. That cross-over appeal leads to even more popularity.
Thank you @CaitlinClark22 @MCzinano @GabbieMarshall @IowaWBB great role models. pic.twitter.com/dWYL5twJim
— George Sorge (@GeorgeSorge) January 25, 2023
"That's why the product has been so good for myself and this team because I'm just going out there and having fun and enjoying what I do," Clark said at Iowa's press conference Thursday. "It's not to win an award. It's not for our team to hoist trophies. I think that has all come because we've played with the same love of the game we've had since we were young girls."
*****
Clark has averaged 27 points per game in three seasons at Iowa, and her long-range 3-point shooting has drawn comparisons to Golden State star Steph Curry, whose career took off when he led Davidson to the Elite Eight in the 2008 Men's Tournament.
Clark crafted that shooting in a small high school gym at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa. When Iowa coach Lisa Bluder recruited Clark, the chants from the opposing bleachers were audible.
"In high school she had to do it all on her own," Bluder said. "I remember going to her high school games and kids yelling 'overrated'' to her from the stands. I just would love to see them today."
McKeown is most impressed that Clark is shooting 47.4% from the field while taking nine three-pointers per game. That efficiency, combined with 7.4 rebounds per game, is a huge reason why Iowa leads the nation with 87.6 points per game.
"I really think she's one of a kind," McKeown said. "Yes, she has some of that Steph Curry from that 3-point shooting ability where she's got unlimited range. I read a tweet that said, 'If you're playing Caitlin Clark on Sunday you have to start guarding her on Saturday.'"
McKeown said when talking to WNBA scouts, Clark's IQ as a 6-foot guard is the most-talked about attribute, and the rare combination of being both a "slasher" and a "shooter.” For Till, the separator is Clark's incredible court vision. Clark averages 8.6 assists this season.
"Obviously everyone talks about the logo 3's, but what doesn't show up on the stat sheet is that she makes everyone around her better," Till said. "She's absolutely the best passer I've seen in the game – men or women – in a long time.
"She's jaw-dropping," Till said. “She'll make a pass, and you'll be like, 'How in the hell did she see her?' It's like she sees it before it develops. You can tell she is anticipating where players are going because on the rare occasion when the player doesn't go where her pass goes, she'll let them know it."
*****
NCAA women's basketball in the 21st century has been dominated by UConn. The Huskies have had seven different players win 11 Naismith Player of the Year Trophy winners since 1993, a run that includes legends such as Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers.
McKeown identifies Taurasi and Bird as the legends she remembers most. Clark said Moore was her favorite player growing up, and the Elite Eight matchup produced a viral moment where Clark met Bird before the triple-double.
MORE: Caitlin Clark has perfect reaction to meeting WNBA legend Sue Bird
In terms of what a player means to a program, Clark is the closest example to Swoopes at Texas Tech. Swoopes was a Brownfield, Texas, native who put the Red Raiders on the map. Clark has done the same for her home state. McKeown said in the NIL and transfer portal era – the fact Clark stayed at Iowa – adds to the growing legend.
"She loves Iowa," McKeown said. "She's from the state of Iowa. She's loyal to Iowa. She's loyal to Coach Bluder. You just don't see very many players that have that type of loyalty to something bigger than themselves. That's where she is special. Iowa is not necessarily a blueblood like UConn or Tennessee in women's basketball."
Iowa faces No. 1 South Carolina on Friday – an undefeated juggernaut that features Aliyah Boston, the 2022 Naismith Player of the Year. That combined dynamic of powerhouse team vs. superstar player is a reason why there are predictions the Women's Final could draw higher ratings than the Men's Final Four. On Ticketmaster, Men's Final Four semifinal tickets start at $40. Semifinal tickets for the Women's Final Four start at $242.
MORE: Iowa vs. South Carolina odds, prediction, betting trends
Is this the beginning of the next major leap for women's basketball?
"I really think sky's the limit," Clark said. "I don't know if ticket prices are as indicative because ours is in an actual basketball arena, and they're playing in a football stadium. I don't know how much that affects it. More than anything, I'm just lucky and we're just lucky to get to play on a stage in front of so many people that love the game and want to watch our game."
According to The Athletic, UConn's 70-61 victory against Tennessee in 2004 drew a record 5.6 million viewers on ESPN. The matchup between the Hawkeyes and Gamecocks could clear that with ease.
The stage is set for one of those moments that comes around once every 30 years. Swoopes answered that with a record game. How will Clark – who has yet to decide whether she will return for a senior season – respond with more people than ever watching? Will that record fall? Till did not have to let that pass through for too long.
"This is why she is here," Till said. "She wants to win a national championship and isn't going to rest until it happens. This will be their biggest test."
