College basketball sensation Caitlin Clark nearing NCAA scoring record as Iowa hosts Michigan

Caitlin Clark entered the national scene last season as she dragged her Iowa Hawkeyes to the women’s college basketball national championship game against LSU. 

And while Clark and the Hawkeyes fell to Kim Mulkey’s squad, Clark’s impact was felt far beyond the final result. 

The women’s Final Four was in the spotlight with the men’s Final Four solely due to Clark. 

Clark returned for her senior season and has Iowa ranked No. 4 with a record of 22-3. Her games are must-see television, none more than Iowa’s matchup Thursday against Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

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Clark will be considered one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of all time when her collegiate career ends, and she has the opportunity to etch her name in college basketball lore against the Wolverines Thursday night. 

Clark is eight points away from breaking Kelsey Plum’s mark for the most career points in Division I women’s college basketball history. 

“I think I’m excited,” Clark said Wednesday. “You know, it’s going to be a very special night. I’ve got a lot of family coming, and that’ll be a lot of fun, but I think my main focus is just honestly going out there and having a blast with my teammates and enjoying it.”

Plum, who played for the Washington Huskies, scored 3,527 points in her four-year career. Clark enters the matchup against Michigan with 3,520 points. 

Clark has averaged 28.2 points per game throughout her career and is averaging 32.1 points per game during the 2023-24 season. 

The Hawkeyes are coming off a stunning loss to Nebraska in which they blew a 14-point lead and Clark went scoreless in the fourth quarter while scoring 31 points for the game.

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Ticket prices for Thursday’s game have skyrocketed, with The Associated Press reporting that the average ticket price is at $394 on TickPick. 

Iowa head coach Lisa Blunder said before the Nebraska game the program does have something planned for when Clark breaks the record, though halting the game does not seem to be part of the celebration. 

“There are things, and I can’t remember what they are right now,” Bluder said, per On3. “But we do have some things. Again, that’s just so far back in my mind, but I know our marketing department has been preparing.”

“We’ve kind of been advised that we shouldn’t stop the game, we’ve been advised that by the officials. We’ll live with that and maybe I’ll call a timeout, who knows,” Bluder said.

While breaking the record will put a number next to Clark’s impact on the women’s game, her true influence was felt during last year’s March Madness run. 

After snapping South Carolina’s 42-game winning streak in the semifinals, Iowa’s matchup with LSU was the most-viewed women’s college basketball game on record, with 9.9 million viewers tuning in, according to ESPN. 

Before her senior season, Iowa was forced to pause the selling of season tickets for the 2023-24 season with demand through the roof, according to The Des Moines Register. 

The attention around Clark and the Hawkeyes has only increased throughout this season, with fans flocking from all over to see her play. 

“It’s honestly hard for me to wrap my head around. It’s crazy, it’s crazy the way people scream my name and really support us, and I try to make time for as many as them as I can,” Clark said. 

“Like, whenever I walk off the court, it’s so special just the way people scream our names and are so excited for our team. And that’s something that never gets old. I was that kid a few years back, so it’s crazy how time flies, and I just try to soak it all in, every single moment.”

Iowa and Michigan tip-off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Peacock. 

Fox News’ Chantz Martin and The Associated Press contributed to this report