Winter storm, Big Ten, primetime attention…nothing stops Caitlin Clark's show

IOWA CITY, Iowa – In a sold-out Big Ten showdown before a national prime-time audience, No. 3 Iowa once again reminded No. 13 Indiana and everyone else watching that Caitlin Clark was there – and that's not the case.

The Hawkeyes buried the Hoosiers with a three-point barrage, downing 15 of them in an 84-57 blowout Saturday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Of her 30 points, Iowa's Clark drilled a pair of logo 3-pointers and dished out 11 assists. The victory was as dominant as it was complete. Consider it a highly visible statement from the defending NCAA runners-up over the rest of women's basketball.

“I think the sky's the limit,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said.

It's not unusual for a game between the Hawkeyes and Hoosiers to generate a lot of attention and interest. In the land of yesteryear that seems closer to yesterday than it did four decades ago, the Iowa and Indiana games were sold out at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and iconic men's basketball coaches Bob Knight and Tom Davis seemed larger than life.

In 2024 it still happens. This time it's about the women's basketball teams. Bluder, the winningest coach in Big Ten women's basketball history, stood on one side, while IU's Teri Moren, who guided the Hoosiers to the Big Ten regular-season crown last year, stood on the other side of the line was running. Clark, the reigning national player of the year, faced fellow Naismith finalist in center Mackenzie Holmes.

The Hawkeyes (17-1, 6-0 Big Ten) and Hoosiers (14-2, 5-1) entered the match undefeated and tied atop the Big Ten standings. After Iowa's Gabbie Marshall drilled a three-pointer to put the Hawkeyes up 15 points, the noise inside reached 115 decibels. The Hawkeyes won decisively – and Clark stole the show again – but the scene and format were as remarkable as the result.

Fans in black and gold filled the arena bowl even as 2 feet of snow fell in the Iowa City area and a snowstorm brought the wind chill to 80 degrees below zero. Gus Johnson and Sarah Kustok called the game in prime time for Fox, and that this showdown was broadcast on a major network against which there was an NFL playoff game showed that it is not a novelty.

“This televised game was a big deal,” Bluder said. “I think part of it is the atmosphere we have here in Iowa. You had two great teams competing against each other. You have the best player in America. I mean, that's must-see TV. So why wouldn't you want this game?

It's been a while since I've felt this kind of energy from Carver. Probably not since the last time these two teams played.

Indiana and Iowa entered the Big Ten on the same day: December 1, 1899. They were the first two expansion teams in the history of college sports.

— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) January 14, 2024

Johnson had never seen Clark in person and was giddy when he arrived two hours before tip. He started in the business as a student broadcasting Howard Lady Bison games with coach Sanya Tyler and called New York Liberty games in the WNBA for a decade. Of all the great athletes he has defeated, he sees something different in Clark, whom he called a “virtuoso.”

“I had never seen a player like Diana (Taurasi), especially when she came to the WNBA,” Johnson said. “But this young lady (Clark) is on a whole different level. She's playing in another dimension, another realm.

“She is a perfect example of the evolution of the game of basketball. I've never seen a woman with such range and such flexibility. She can go anywhere she wants on the court, and she has incredible insight into this game. She sees things that people don't see.”

When asked about the Clark phenom, Johnson compared the Iowa senior to the pinnacle of athletic success.

“Michael Jordan,” Johnson said. 'He was Mick Jagger. He was a one-man rock show, and that's Caitlin. She's a rock star. People are simply drawn to her because of her spectacular playing. She doesn't just play well; she plays with grit, swagger, cockiness, ornery, but with a big smile, a bit like Larry Bird used to do. Pardon my French, but she will talk to you more than a little on the floor.

With 32 seconds left in the third quarter, Clark nailed a three-pointer from the Tigerhawk beak of the logo to give the Hawkeyes a commanding 63-48 lead. Clark waved her arms and the crowd responded enthusiastically. On Iowa's first possession of the fourth quarter, Clark passed to guard Molly Davis for a layup and twisted her ankle. A minute later, Clark re-entered the game to applause. It was her 46th career 30-point game.

But what also makes Iowa so dangerous are the players surrounding Clark. Davis scored 18 points and choked up during a postgame press conference after describing her growing role with the Hawkeyes. Kate Martin continued to be the Hawkeyes' glue artist with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Marshall has drained four 3-pointers, and no one has spaced the floor — which helps Clark — better when knocking down perimeter shots.

At the end of the game, perhaps a thousand young people lined up at the tunnel to the Iowa locker room, hoping for a photo or an autograph from Clark. With security surrounding him, Clark signed a few autographs and then left for the locker room. She is the superstar, home and away, and every match she has played at a neutral venue has been sold out this year. It has produced intense love in most situations – or modest vitriol in others.

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“That's what comes with stardom,” she said. “I think something I try to live by is that the level you feel the praise is the level you feel the hate. So you have to stay in the middle of it.”

Regardless, Clark and the Hawkeyes continue to elevate the sport with every game, whether it's an exhibition on a football field or a sold-out home game with the cheapest pre-Blizzard tickets costing nearly $270 each. Their traveling rock show will fill many arenas and generate high-quality ratings.

“Everyone loves a winner,” Johnson said. “They want to see her play because she is a winner. And she will keep winning. And continue to be great, I think, America and the world.”

(Photo: Matthew Holst/Getty Images)