“Started with 55,000 ended playing in front of 15 million…” Caitlin Clark looks back on raising ceiling for women’s basketball after stellar NCAA tournament

Caitlin Clark has said goodbye to her college career with an NCAA finals game.

“Started with 55,000 ended playing in front of 15 million…” Caitlin Clark looks back on raising ceiling for women’s basketball after stellar NCAA tournament

Caitlin Clark reflects on evolution of the women's college basketball.

Caitlin Clark has officially ended her college basketball career as the Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday. The star’s college run with Iowa will certainly be one of the most treasured college-level careers in basketball history.

After the heartbreaking loss, Caitlin Clark admitted that winning the NCAA championship is not an easy task. After coming near the finish line for two years, the loss is naturally painful for Clark and her teammates.

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However, Clark is looking at the positive side of the situation, as she acknowledged the evolution of women’s basketball due to this season.

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We start our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium, and now we’re ending it probably playing in front of 15 million or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better.
Caitlin Clark said

Clark’s influence on the viewership is certainly remarkable, as the basketball fans almost missed the NBA games as they were busy focusing on women’s Final Four matchups. The semifinal game between the Hawkeyes and UConn Huskies was the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history.

According to Clark, this is just the beginning of the rise of fan following for women’s games. The player looks forward to the betterment of women’s sports in the country, as she will now head to the professional level and join the WNBA.

Caitlin Clark keeps breaking NCAA’s overall records

Caitlin Clark has been breaking barriers between men’s and women’s college basketball. Last month, the star became the leading scorer for Division L by breaking Pete Maravich‘s record. A few days after that, the 22-year-old broke Stephen Curry‘s record for most three-pointers in a single NCAA season.

Now, in her final game, Clark set a new single-quarter record. Despite the loss, Clark was going on a run at the beginning of the game.

The Hawkeyes guard scored 18 points in the first quarter, making it the most points ever in a quarter for an NCAA finals game. The young athlete finished the game with 30 points, but the score came up short to secure the win. 

However, regardless of losing the championship, the player has certainly raised the standard of women’s games. Through Clark, basketball fans got to witness once-in-a-lifetime collegiate careers. Witnessing her extraordinary talent and influence on the game, it is safe to say that the athlete will leave her mark on a professional level as well. 

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