Nearing scoring record, Caitlin Clark is face of all of college basketball

At some point tonight, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark will score her eighth point of the game against Michigan, setting off massive celebrations extending far beyond the confines of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

If all goes according to plan, Clark will break the NCAA Division I women’s scoring record when No. 4 Iowa hosts the Wolverines. It will be the latest opportunity to step back and appreciate what we are watching, a phenomenon and a college basketball season unlike any in recent memory. 

As college basketball approaches its defining month, absorb this reality: Clark is the face of all of college basketball, the most captivating, can’t-miss talent in the men’s or women’s game.

As fans look to see Clark break Kelsey Plum’s scoring title on the NBC streaming platform Peacock, the network is doubling down on Caitlin mania, offering fans the chance to watch a special alternate feed called “Caitlin Cast presented by State Farm.”

The cast will capture “Clark’s every move as she looks to break the scoring record.”

The reigning National Player of the Year is already an ambassador for the State Farm insurance company, becoming the brand’s first college athlete this fall when she inked an NIL deal. She’s also the first female athlete to sign with the company, joining a list of ambassadors headlined by Patrick Mahomes and Chris Paul. As part of the agreement, she appeared in commercials, social media advertisements and events repping State Farm.

“Caitlin’s brand is one of the most impactful in all of college sports,” Chris Aumueller, a former Nebraska tennis player and CEO of FanWord, an NIL storytelling and brand development solution. “Her brand, combined with today’s women’s sports climate, is just the perfect mix. What she has done for not just college basketball but women’s sports, in general, is hard to put into words.”

The Caitlin Clark Effect is real

That Clark is the face of all of college basketball is a testament to a confluence of factors, including the surging interest in women’s college basketball, Clark’s offensive brilliance and her individual widespread appeal.

Also of note: the men’s game is suffering from a dearth of recognizable prominent players this season – except for Purdue’s national player of the year Zach Edey – as more prospects take alternative routes to the NBA, including via playing with the NBA’s G League Ignite.

But that doesn’t detract in any way from the magnitude of the Caitlin Clark Effect.

“I want to talk to them [the team] about the significance of it [breaking the record] and that we want to celebrate this,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said Wednesday. “This is really exciting for our university, our basketball program, that one of our players is going to do this.”

Gameday in CHA 😤#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/PLLvyyyR9C

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 15, 2024

Clark is a transcendent star

With 3,520 career points, Clark is closing in on Plum’s scoring title of 3,527 points. Pete Maravich holds the men’s Division I scoring record with 3,667 points. Clark is currently averaging 32.1 points and 8.3 assists per game, leading the nation in both categories.

“It was never something I’m chasing,” Clark said Wednesday of the record. “It’s never why I’m scoring the ball at the rate I am, or shooting the ball as many times as I am. I think it’s just kind of what the team needs. My main goal is always to go out there and help us win, and obviously, at 22-3 we’ve done that quite a bit this year.”

Clark is a transcendent star.

A total of 1.772 million viewers watched Nebraska’s upset over Iowa on Sunday, making it FOX Sports‘ most-watched women’s basketball game ever on the network.

Scroll through Iowa’s upcoming games on the secondary ticket market. Good luck finding tickets to watch Clark in person that aren’t listed for more than $100. Fans often drive 100 miles or more to see her play.

Clark is repped by Excel Sports Management and has emerged as an NIL star, inking brand deals with Nike, State Farm, Topps, Gatorade and Hy-Vee. With more than 1.1 million social media followers, she holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $818,000. The valuation is No. 4 in women’s basketball and No. 39 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

“We’ve seen individual players dominate the conversation in their respective sports, but it’s very rare for a college player to be so popular amongst both men’s and women’s basketball,” Aumueller said. “It just speaks to her brand and will doubtlessly inspire other athletes, too.”