ESPN leaving out Caitlin Clark in college basketball GOAT list has fans fuming: “Getting the Lebron James treatment…”

ESPN left Caitlin Clark out of their Top 5 college basketball players list despite leading Iowa to two national championship games.

ESPN leaving out Caitlin Clark in college basketball GOAT list has fans fuming: “Getting the Lebron James treatment…”

ESPN snubs Caitlin Clark from Top 5 college basketball players list

Well before Caitlin Clark made a name for herself in the WNBA, she was also widely considered to have transformed college basketball. She single-handedly led Iowa to back-to-back national championship games while setting records left right and center.

Those records include most importantly the all-time record for most points in all of college basketball. She also finished top 3 all-time in assists, further giving the idea that she was helping her team to put points on the board.

YouTube video

Usually, such a resume should be considered legendary as she seemingly dragged her alma mater into the best programs in college basketball conversation. ESPN panelists stood around a video screen to debate who they felt should be the top 5 women’s college basketball players in history.

FS Video

The only strike against Caitlin Clark, is that not won a national championship. How can you be a top 5 player if you have not won a title.

Ari Chambers said

Their eventual top 5 featured Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Cheryl Miller. They went with championship winners who have performed at a level that has not been matched since. This is after they named the video, Is Caitlin Clark The Greatest Of All Time In College Basketball?

Fans fume after ESPN shuns Caitlin Clark after using her as clickbait

The problem fans had this video started with the name of that video. They believe that ESPN intentionally used Caitlin Clark‘s name and thumbnail in the video description to draw audiences. The panelists were already prepared with their picks but used the Iowa star’s name as clickbait.

Fans also found it weird to omit Clark from that list after what she did at Iowa. She was the lone 5-star recruit on that team and dragged them to the finals on her own. At the same time, Stewart, Taurasi and Moore were part of stacked UConn teams. Fans believe due to that, the argument does not hold water.

Fans of the game understand championships are important when talking about greatness. But they feel it should be the defining statistic that takes out what the Indiana Fever superstar has done for women’s basketball. Especially when ESPN used that nomenclature to talk about some of the greats on their Top 5 list.

Iowa ranked No. 6 in NCAA March Madness bracket

Caitlin Clark and Iowa were ranked No. 2 in the 2023 NCAA March Madness bracket. The following season, they were ranked No. 1. In both those seasons, they reached the championship game. The first time, they fell to Angel Reese and LSU.

Last season, they lost to the undefeated South Carolina helmed by Reese’s Chicago Sky teammate Kamilla Cardoso. This season, the Hawkeyes receive the No. 6 rank. But along with that rank comes the possibility of facing other top teams.

They find themselves in the Spokane 4 group where JuJu Watkins led USC rank No. 1. Along with them are powerhouse UConn who are ranked No. 2. Paige Bueckers and her team are favorites considering they turn it up in March Madness.

Even though Iowa defeated USC on Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement night, there is a chance Watkins and her teammates will not let that happen again. The current Iowa squad do not have anyone who can torment opposition players like their program’s greatest player used to do.

The likes of Lucy Olsen and others can turn it up, but chances of them going past the round of Sweet 16 is slim. There they will face Bueckers and UConn. For one, they will remember what Iowa did to them last season in the Final Four.

They will be seething with revenge and considering this is Bueckers’ last season, she would like to go out as a champion. The NCAA March Madness women’s basketball tournament kicks off on March 21st. Iowa will take on Murray State at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.