Excitement builds with Caitlin Clark, Iowa set to take on Northwestern
EVANSTON, Ill. (CBS) -- Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are paying the Northwestern Wildcats a visit.
Clark is the highest-scoring player in the nation in women's college basketball – averaging 31.7 points again. If she stays on that pace – she will become the highest-scoring player in all of college basketball history this season – whether men's or women's.
The Wildcats are the only teams in Clark's 121 games at Iowa to hold her to the single digits.
Still, the attention is on Clark for Wednesday. She has played in sold-out arenas all season, and Wednesday was no different – with an intense search for tickets a day before.
"I've gotten a lot, and I've gotten some people to offer to buy them from me, and I'm like, 'Ooh, no NCAA violations,'" said Northwestern guard Jasmine McWilliams. "But a lot of people are excited."
McWilliams also said Clark's success is an uplift for the entire sport of women's college basketball.
"On the floor, all that last year was first of all great for the Big Ten, and showing how great our teams are here – but also just showing how great women's basketball is," said McWilliams, "and the fact that she's selling out all these stadiums everywhere she goes is amazing, and I just think that even when she goes her fifth year or goes to league, whatever, like, it's going to put more eyes on the sport going forward. And there's so many people that play now – so many great players, and it will just bring; just set a precedent for better players coming forward."
Northwestern takes on Iowa at 7 p.m. Wednesday.