Caitlin Clark Closing In On NCAA History

Caitlin Clark is on the precipice of history. The Iowa Hawkeyes senior is now just 66 points away from setting a new women's NCAA record for career points. After dropping 38 against Maryland, Clark moved her tally to 3462 points. The current women's NCAA record is held by former Washington Husky Kelsey Plum and sits at 3527. Earlier this week, Plum told reporters that she was "excited" to see Clark break the record that she set in 2017.

However, there are two more scoring records firmly within Clark's reach. First is the women's record for major college basketball. That mark stands at 3649 and dates back to the pre-NCAA days of the AIAW. Then there is the all-time NCAA record, held by LSU legend Pete Maravich. Pistol Pete's mark sits at 3667. Clark is currently averaging 32.4 points per game. If Clark matches her average across Iowa's final seven regular-season games, she will close out conference play with 3739 points. Once all postseason games are accounted for, Clark could set the record at close to 4000 points.

Clark Still Coy About Draft Declaration

However, despite her historic season, no one is quite sure if Clark will be headed to the WNBA Draft this year. Clark is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the draft and would join former South Carolina standout Aliyah Boston in Indiana if chosen. However, before the season, Clark revealed that her mind wasn't fully made up yet. "I'm going to know when I need to know. I think it's very similar to my college decision. It's like I'm in the recruiting process again. It's really not something I think about every day or let weigh on me. I'm focused on helping this team be the best they can be. The biggest thing is I'm just going to trust my gut. I'm not going to do a lot of research on what's better. I'm going to trust my gut and go with that," Clark said.

Clark, who turns 22 in February 2024, is part of the final class of players who can declare for a fifth year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been one of the best, if not the best, players in women's college basketball during her time at Iowa. She won National Player of the Year last year and was second in scoring average as well as first in assists and made threes. Players have until 48 hours after their final game of the season to declare for the draft.

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