Caitlin Clark nearly had a triple-double as she led No. 1-seeded Iowa over No. 16-seeded Holy Cross in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Clark, who had 27 points in front of her home crowd in Iowa City, made a bold statement following the 91-65 win. She felt that fans are more excited for the women’s tournament than the men’s.
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, speaks during the press conference after the Hawkeyes beat the Holy Cross Crusaders during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rebecca Gratz/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
“There’s been like a lot of little moments, I think just the crowds at our games, but also just like the people screaming and like wanting our autographs,” she said. “Like people just scream my name constantly, and I think that’s something that really never gets old or something you never take for granted.”
“I think also just in general like the excitement around this tournament like it’s super cool like people are more excited about the women’s side than men’s side, and I think that’s obviously something that’s really never been the case before, and it’s cool to see how it’s evolved.”
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, left, shakes hands with Kaitlyn Flanagan, #5 of the Holy Cross Crusaders, prior to tipoff during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rebecca Gratz/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Clark underscored her remarks by saying that when she started her freshman season, the women’s tournament wasn’t even allowed to call it March Madness – that was only reserved for men.
Clark has helped lead a revolution in popularity in women’s basketball. Players like her, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese and JuJu Watkins are among the players to watch.
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, dribbles the ball against the Holy Cross Crusaders during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 23, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rebecca Gratz/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The ratings at the end of each tournament will eventually signal fans’ attitudes toward the tournaments this season.
