Is there a way to slow Caitlin Clark in women’s NCAA March Madness?
Many have tried to slow down Caitlin Clark. Few have succeeded. The numbers bear that out.
Opposing coaches will try again in the NCAA Tournament to come up with schemes to defend Division I’s all-time leading scorer but know it’s hopeless to completely shut down the Iowa guard. The only question is how many points she will add to her record total of 3,771 as she winds up her career before heading to the WNBA.
“You can do everything right and not stop her. That’s the problem,” said Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie, whose team has faced Clark and the Hawkeyes three times over two seasons in nonconference games and could meet them again in the Sweet 16 next week.
Clark has scored at least 20 points in 118 of her 133 career games and at least 30 in 56. She is the only player in NCAA women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists four consecutive seasons. Her 173 3-pointers this season are an NCAA record.
The goal for opponents, then, is to mitigate the damage the national leader in scoring and assists can do. Easier said than done.
“Anything you do,” Robyn Fralick of Big Ten rival Michigan State said, “she counters.”
Either Holy Cross or UT-Martin will face Iowa later this week. Though there’s no how-to manual for defending Clark, coaches offered thoughts on the subject in interviews with The Associated Press.
All pointed out what Clark observers have long known: she prefers to go to her left when she shoots her signature step-back 3-pointer and to her right when she drives to the basket. When she can’t get a shot or her path to the basket is blocked, she uses her superior court vision to find her teammates with precision passes. And she loves to make long passes in transition that can be converted into easy baskets. She leads the nation with 294 assists this year, as she does in triple-doubles (six).
Kansas State was effective against Clark in its 65-58 win in Iowa City on Nov. 16, though Clark scored 24 points. She was 9 of 32 overall and 2 of 16 on 3s and had just three assists.
Jaelyn Glenn and Zyanna Walker took turns defending her. Mittie emphasized picking her up early to discourage those long outlet passes. Another defender would take over if Clark got a head of steam or had an advantage against the player assigned to her.