Caitlin Clark on UConn game: 'It's not Paige versus Caitlin'

Two of the biggest stars in college basketball are squaring off on Friday with a spot in the national championship on the line. Iowa‘s Caitlin Clark is going up against UConn‘s Paige Bueckers, a matchup you circle once the brackets are released. We saw the Hawkeyes face off against some brand names in the Elite Eight against LSU and now, we get an encore in Cleveland.

However, Clark does not like how the game is being drummed up. As usual, she wants to get her teammates involved and make sure they get some credit as well. Clark understands four other players on the court will be helping her, trying to get a victory.

“It’s not Paige versus Caitlin, and it takes the entire team to win a basketball game,” Clark said. “Both of us are going to do everything we can.”

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Bluder had similar thoughts when speaking on the subject. While those two stars are going to gain most of the headlines, Iowa and UConn are the ones on the court, not just Clark and Bueckers.

“I do not want this to be a game that’s promoted as Caitlin versus Paige,” Bluder said. “And I know it already has been. But I don’t want that. I want it to be Iowa versus UConn and let these two women do what they do best.”

Clark went on to talk about the respect she has for Bueckers and the journey she has been through in college. Getting back to a Final Four is admirable in Clark’s eyes. But the two are going to compete against one another for 40 minutes and with the same goal in mind.

“I really honestly couldn’t be happier for her for the year she’s had and the way she’s led this team back to the Final Four when they’ve dealt a tough hand as a program,” Clark said. “And they never made excuses. To me, I think that’s something, you know, you just really admire as a competitor more than anything. So I think it’s really cool.”

Iowa and UConn will be the latter of the two matchups, tentatively scheduled to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET in Cleveland. In what should be a really good game, two of the biggest names are lined up across one another but it’s going to take a team effort to advance to Sunday.