Never forget your roots! It is a belief that Caitlin Clark holds close to her heart. As she said when her jersey was retired by the Iowa Hawkeyes, “It’s been fun looking back on this whole past year and everything that’s been able to happen, just the journey we went on. It’s kind of a weird feeling coming back here and not being able to play, but it’s just a really exciting time still for this program. I’m very fortunate to be a part of it.” Therefore, with March Madness set to commence soon, the WNBA star’s eyes are on her former team, as the Hawkeyes look to clinch the NCAA title this time around after being runners-up for the last two years. Fortunately, the team has kicked off its journey with the first piece of good news that is sure to leave Clark ecstatic.
Selection Sunday revealed that the University of Iowa women’s basketball team will be No. 6 in the Spokane Regional 4! This selection marks the Hawkeyes’s 7th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. On top of that, it is now listed as the 6th Seed or better in 9 straight NCAA Tournament Appearances. Caitlin Clark herself has yet to acknowledge the selection. However, wherever she is, we know that she would be pleased to see her former team setting the foundation for another NCAA run.
St. John’s will be in the West region, with Florida as the No. 1 seed. #sjubb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) March 16, 2025
Unfortunately, while Selection Sunday brought good news for Clark, the same can’t be said about her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery. The former player was previously with the Indiana Pacers as a basketball development coordinator. The same came after his 6-year long playing career at Iowa. After that, McCaffery was hired as an assistant coach for the Butler Bulldogs back in September 2024.
His stint in itself went quite well, with Clark herself making several appearances to cheer her beau’s team on. Unfortunately, the team only recorded a 14-19 overall record. This placed them as the 8th seed on the Big East chart. The same was not deemed enough to give the Butler Bulldogs a spot on the March Madness bracket! Therefore, the basketball couple would be dealing with divided emotions over the recent announcement.
McCaffery cannot even support his roots like Clark. After all, the men’s Iowa Hawkeyes roster was also not selected. Well, that may be for the better. After all, the former player is currently not holding his former team in high regard. McCaffery’s father, Fran McCaffery, was recently fired after 15 years as coach of the Iowa Men’s team! The decision came after the Hawkeyes won their fewest games and had their lowest Big Ten regular-season finish in seven years. Connor did not take the news well. He himself went to social media and responded with three clown emojis.
Connor McCaffery will have to wait till next year to receive a positive update regarding March Madness. For Caitlin Clark, however, the Hawkeyes’ selection was highly anticipated. An update that might have lifted the WNBA star’s spirits. The same was needed, especially given how she had to endure a snub.
Caitlin Clark was snubbed in ESPN’s recent NCAA Women’s GOAT Ranking
There is no denying that Caitlin Clark had an effect in increasing the attention people pay to women’s basketball. Her journey of doing so began right from her college days. The Indiana Fever star had created history by setting the NCAA record for most points scored in a career after a four season long college career. Unfortunately, for some analysts, that is not a good enough criterion to put Clark on top.
Before Selection Sunday, ESPN covered a segment titled, “Is Caitlin Clark The Greatest Of All Time In College Basketball?” It featured a debate between analysts Sam Ravech, Ari Chambers, and Alexa Philippou. During the segment, Chambers got the attention of his other co-hosts by stating, “Love Caitlin, love how she has transcended the game, I’m not going away from that. What makes a top 5 player? Winning. The only strike against Caitlin Clark is that she has not won a national championship.” As a result, Clark’s name was removed from the ‘Top 5 WCBB PLAYERS ALL TIME’ list! By the end, the final 5 players on the list were Stewie, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Cheryl Miller. Aka, players who won multiple championships during their college careers.
espn puts out a 10 min video ranking all time college players. they say caitlin can’t be ranked in the top 5. yet the title is “Is Caitlin Clark The Greatest Of All Time In College Basketball?” to farm engagement and hate lmfaooo pic.twitter.com/X26K6wm6pX
— correlation (@nosyone4) March 16, 2025
For the analysts, being the 3x NCAA scoring and assist leader is not enough. Neither is being a two-time Naismith Player of the Year, and the all-time leading scorer. Well, one certainly hopes that a championship trophy comes the WNBA star’s way soon. Just so that the same does not happen to her in the main women’s basketball league. For now, Clark can keep that ranking aside and cheer on the Iowa Hawkeyes as they participate in March Madness without her after 4 years.
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