"National Player of the year": Caitlin Clark hailed online in wake of superlative Big Ten performance
Caitlin Clark of Iowa put on a fantastic show, recording a triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists, in a 105-72 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the Big Ten women's basketball tournament on Sunday.
Clark's performance earned the Iowa Hawkeyes (26-6) their second straight Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes took a 26-9 lead after the first quarter and didn't look back.
The 6-foot guard was praised for her epic performance, with many fans calling her the National Player of the Year. Winning a Big Ten tournament is special, but winning it with a 30-point triple-double is beyond impressive.
Basketball fans praise Caitlin Clark, call her the National Player of the Year
National Player of the Year is an award given to the best basketball player in NCAA Division I. Clark is, without a doubt, a candidate for the award. She's the Big Ten Player of the Year for the second straight season and was an All-American the previous two seasons, when she led the nation in scoring both times.
Many WNBA superstars have earned the award, including Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson.
Caitlin Clark is the National Player of the Year.
Some fans believe that the award is not even up for debate. They think Caitlin Clark is the best player at the moment and should be named the National Player of the Year.
If Caitlin Clark isn’t NPOY, then it’s time to retire the award, because it’s an absolute joke…
The Iowa Hawkeyes guard had an astonishing performance in the Big Ten final, doing everything on the floor. Besides her triple-double, Clark was very efficient, converting 9 of 17 field goal attempts.
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The Hawkeyes junior also knocked down five 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 from the charity striple. In 33 minutes, Caitlin Clark had only two turnovers, yet 17 assists.
Caitlin Clark is must-see TV. She’s a transcendent basketball talent. https://t.co/tv801hJYZR
The 6-foot guard was very creative in finding ways to get her teammates involved. One Twitter user even compared her passing skills to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shyhook.
Sure, you know Kareem’s skyhook, but have you ever seen Caitlin Clark’s skylob? https://t.co/q9XZySNwrS
Others compared her to Michael Jordan, who is well known for his competitiveness.
Caitlin Clark has that MJ aura. You want to chirp at her, you want to challenge her, you want to get aggressive on her, she'll take that right back at you. And you will lose.
Jordan excelled at that - Clark does too.
The 21-year-old basketball star nearly outscored Ohio State at halftime. She had 23 points at the break, just one point shy of the Buckeyes' scoring total.
At the half —
Caitlin Clark: 23 points, 9 assists
Ohio State: 24 points, 7 assists
Clark recorded her 10th career triple-double, setting the record for the most triple-doubles in conference history.
Caitlin Clark's stats in the 2022-23 season
Clark's performance against the Buckeyes was one of the many fantastic games she's had in the 2022-23 season. The basketball star has appeared in 32 games, posting impressive numbers.
She's averaging 27.0 points per game on 46.9% shooting. Clark is also efficient from long range, converting 37.9% of shots from beyond the arc.
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Besides her scoring, Caitlin Clark has also been a great all-around player, averaging 7.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.