March Madness is entering its second week of action and has not disappointed. The NCAA Women’s Division has some amazing young talent who have made a name for themselves with their performances this season. Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are two such players who were in action last night and led their team to the ‘Sweet 16’. Their respective performances had ESPN’s ‘First Take’ Analyst – Shannon Sharpe, debating between the two players.
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Caitlin Clark is having a record-breaking season and is now the NCAA’s leading scorer. The Iowa Hawkeyes player was in action last night against the West Virginia Mountaineers and scored 32 points to help the team move ahead in the tournament. Bueckers, on the other hand, led her UConn Huskies team to a victory against the Syracuse Orange and had 32 points to herself.
The performances by the young women led to Shannon Sharpe comparing the two. Mentioning that Bueckers had a better game last night compared to Clark, who is having a better season, the analysts said,
“Although Caitlin Clark is not terribly efficient. Sometimes you look at the stats and she is 12 of 30 and we look at the 35 points or 40 points she scored when it took her 35 shots to get there. But Caitlin Clark was the better player this year. She has been the better player this year. Although Paige Bueckers had the better game last night.”
There is no doubt about Clark having the better season. She surpassed Kelsey Plum to become the NCAA Women’s leading scorer and then broke Pete Maravich’s record for the NCAA’s All-Time scoring title. Her ability to score from long range is unparalleled in women’s basketball. Bueckers has All-American honors and won major Player of the Year awards in 2021. Coming back from an injury, the player is leading her team in the NCAA tournament.
Sharpe acknowledges the fact that their colleges are as good as their superstar players. It’s their respective performances that will dictate how far they go forward in the tournament. However, Sharpe was adamant that Clark has been the better player in the last two years irrespective of what the analytics would say.
Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes
The NCAA Women’s Tournament just concluded its second round and the stage for ‘Sweet 16′ is set. The Iowa Hawkeyes’ first-round matchup against Holy Cross Crusaders was an easy affair, with the team winning 91-65. Clark led all scorers with 27 to secure the victory for her team. In the second round, the Hawkeyes played the West Virginia Mountaineers and the game came down to the final minutes. Clark led the team to victory with 32 points for the night and made some clutch free throws down the stretch to secure a place in the ‘Sweet 16′.
The Iowa Hawkeyes’ road to the championship will get more difficult as teams get eliminated from the tournament. They face Colorado Buffaloes in the next round which is scheduled for the 30th of March. The fifth-seeded Buffaloes are coming off an incredible upset against the fourth-seeded Kansas State and will be looking to advance their run against the Hawkeyes.
