Lisa Bluder admits there is a relief in Caitlin Clark scoring record chase being over

Few people were happier for Caitlin Clark to become the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer than Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder. However, joy wasn’t the only emotion Bluder felt when Clark’s record-shattering shot fell through the net. There was also a wave of relief.

“It’s been a little bit of a distraction, but a good distraction, right?” Bluder said. “You want these kinds of distractions for your team. But at the same time, it’s time now for us to really focus on making our team better and getting ready for Indiana next week, the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”

Iowa has been swarmed with even more attention than normal lately. When Clark was eight points away from breaking the record against Nebraska, 1.77 million people tuned into witness history; the most-watched women’s college basketball game in FOX history.

The game had the second-highest viewership of any women’s basketball game this season. Iowa’s loss to Ohio State still holds the top spot with 1.86 million viewers. Iowa’s win over Michigan on Thursday, which included Clark’s record-breaking moment, likely would have drawn even more eyes if it was on a national broadcast.

Bluder wasn’t the only who felt a weight lifted with the record in the rearview. After the game, a reporter asked Clark if she was ready for the attention to shift back toward the team instead of just her.

“Absolutely, I would love that,” Clark said. “Obviously, getting this record is tremendous and has to be celebrated and there’s been so many people that come before me and, you know, laid such a great foundation for women’s basketball and that has to be celebrated too.

“I’m just very thankful for that. But like you said, like, we’re getting into the best part of basketball season like these are the times where your team really shows who they are and I always believe coach Bluder has us playing our best basketball into February and the beginning of March.”

Iowa played its best ball in March last season, making a historic run to the national championship game. In their march through the tournament, Caitlin Clark and Co. knocked off No. 1 overall seed South Carolina. Iowa ultimately came up short in the championship against LSU. Nonetheless, the Hawkeyes are ready to make another run at the title.

“Obviously, you lose a game here and there but that’s what makes you learn and that’s what makes you get better,” Clark said. “I think Iowa basketball is at such a high level right now and it’s so fun to watch and people love supporting it.”