CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Spectrum Center is nearly 1,000 miles away from Iowa City, Iowa, yet there was an abundance of black and gold No. 22 jerseys among the crowd of 15,196 on hand to see a No. 3 Iowa take on No. 8 Virginia Tech on Thursday night.
Yes, the contingent of Hokies fans made their presence felt, but in its totality, the atmosphere was a result of the Caitlin Clark effect.
In a game where there was plenty of star power, it was Clark's star that shone brightest. The reigning consensus National Player of the Year finished with 44 points, eight rebounds and six assists to lead the Hawkeyes to a four-point win.
The Caitlin Clark show. Filling up arenas across the country 🔥 pic.twitter.com/d9256bElK4
— WSLAM (@wslam) November 10, 2023
As crazy as it may sound, the stats weren't the most impressive part of Clark's showing.
Let me be clear: it's no small feat to score 40 points in any game, let alone a college one that features four 10-minute quarters. And while playing in all 40 minutes of a game against a top-10 opponent, Clark managed to score 44 points despite having what many would consider to be an off night for her.
MORE: Where Caitlin Clark ranks among top 10 women's college basketball players in 2023-24
Beyond the scoring, however, was Clark's poise and presence. The sense of calm she displayed throughout the game kept her team at ease. Each time that it felt like Virginia Tech was rallying, Iowa always had a response.
At the forefront of each Iowa response was Clark, who was never too high or too low regardless of what was going on; it was almost as if she was playing a different game. Virginia Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said the same.
"Sometimes you're playing checkers and she's playing chess," Brooks said of Clark postgame. "She's that good."
Brooks and Virginia Tech point guard Georgia Amoore weren't shy about using the word "generational" to describe Clark's talent. Amoore, who showed out with 31 points of her own, described Clark in a way that shows just how special she actually is.
"She's got the length, she's got the speed — she's literally been gifted by every single god you can imagine," Amoore said of her counterpart, drawing laughter from everyone in the media room.
As amusing as Amoore's answer might have been, she's on to something.
At 6 feet, Clark often holds a height advantage over the point guards she's matched up with. Depending on who you ask, you might get a different answer on what Clark's best skill is, be it her passing, shooting or, as she showed against Virginia Tech, her ability to get downhill and draw fouls.
To witness Clark's early-season showing against Virginia Tech in person is to realize that, like most other generational talents, her success isn't by accident.
While Clark was seemingly born to be an incredible player, her physical attributes don't account for the extra work she puts in, like the small detail of being the first Hawkeye on the floor pregame, even if only a few minutes before the rest of her teammates.
Captivating the fans who came early to follow her every move, Clark quickly moved from spot to spot, knocking down shots from all distances with very few misses. It's common practice for players to have such a shooting routine, but it's this sharpening of the tools that contribute to Clark's 3-point prowess.
And in a game where Clark shot 5 of 16 from deep, she still found a way to be a force offensively thanks to drawing 16 fouls and going 13 of 17 from the free throw line.
After the game, Clark confirmed what her basketball IQ showed throughout the game.
"We knew that they decided to call the game really close on both ends of the floor, so why not drive and make the ref call a foul?" Clark said. "I thought we drove to the basket really well."
With an understanding that officials were calling the game tightly, she made an effort to get downhill, an approach that brought her within two points of a career-high.
Because of her star standing, Clark and Iowa will be in the spotlight throughout the 2023-24 college basketball season. But as we've learned from talents of her caliber in the past, the spotlight is what makes the biggest stars shine the brightest.
The Caitlin Clark experience is as advertised and then some. Truth be told, it will only get better as she continues to.
