Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes are now heavy favorites to win the Big Ten’s automatic bid to March Madness. The major obstacle in the team’s way was conference regular-season champions Ohio State. However, the Buckeyes were stunned in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament by eight-seeded Maryland, who had gone 9-9 in the conference regular season. Prior to the upset victory in Minneapolis, Maryland had lost both their games to the Buckeyes this season. The Buckeyes looked nothing like the two-loss team that had dominated the Big Ten all year as the lost by 22 to the Terrapins. Junior Shyanne Sellers had a game-high 25 points for Maryland.
Furthermore, a deep run by Iowa, who have won back-to-back conference tournaments, should secure the Hawkeyes a No. 1 seed for March Madness. However, they need to avoid being upset themselves. Their journey to the conference final sees them take on Penn State and the winner of Michigan/Indiana. If they reach the final, they will face Maryland, Nebraska, or Michigan State.
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Caitlin Clark Focused On Iowa, Not WNBA
DOWN GOES THE TOP SEED
Maryland knocks off the #4 ranked Buckeyes
https://t.co/1KJZSCOTXA pic.twitter.com/pKfKeksGTS
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) March 8, 2024
Meanwhile, Despite declaring for the WNBA last week, Clark is focused solely on the rest of her time at Iowa. “Obviously, my focus is here. My goal is to win a national title, that’s plain and simple. And to be honest, I’m not really looking that far ahead to the WNBA.” Clark said. Furthermore, Clark said that she announced her decision so it didn’t distract from the regular-season finale against Ohio State. “They need to be celebrated the same way that I will be. I want it to just be a celebration of what we’ve been able to give to this program and what we’ve been able to do,” Clark said of her teammates.
Furthermore, Clark said that she is simply looking forward to seeing out the rest of her college career. “And I think that’s my biggest focus going into the rest of the year: Just smile, have fun, play free. That’s really when I play my best basketball, so I’m excited,” Clark said.
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