Caitlin Clark NCAA Scoring Record: Can Iowa superstar beat Pete Maravich's record against Minnesota?
The Iowa Hawkeyes and their superstar Caitlin Clark are in town in Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The nation's best hoops scorer, after beating the NCAA women's basketball scoring record, is now on another record hunt: that of the all-time college basketball scoring mark, set by the legendary "Pistol Pete" Maravich.
The No. 6 Hawkeyes head into the matchup as heavy favorites against the unranked Golden Gophers. So it could be safe to say that many will be mainly focusing on one thing: Whether Caitlin Clark will be able to surpass Pistol Pete's record in this game. So let's do the math:
Will Caitlin Clark beat NCAA scoring record against Minnesota?
At this point, it's 50-50. She could either come up just short of the record, or end up with one of the most spectacular displays of basketball scoring ever seen.
As of Feb. 28, the Iowa superstar has scored 3,617 points with just one more regular season game after this one. Pete Maravich's record stands at 3,667 points, thereby putting Clark 50 points shy of another college basketball all-time mark.
Fans should remember that in the game against Michigan, where Caitlin Clark previously scored 49 points. This means that scoring 51 in a game to surpass "Pistol Pete" isn't impossible for her, especially with how deadly she's been from 3-point range – her bread and butter on offense. In that Michigan game, she shot an insane 50% from rainbow country.
As an excellent 3-point shooter who heaves at least half of all her shots from deep, Clark should find no trouble scoring 50 or more against a Minnesota team that she's already torched in their most recent matchup.
One night, two records for Caitlin Clark
If Clark does score 51 to surpass Pete Maravich's record, it would be just one of at least two new college basketball records she would be setting.
A 51-point performance would also mean Clark would beat her own record for the most points scored in a single game by an Iowa Hawkeye women's player. That record was her 49-point barrage against the Wolverines.
So not only would she become the NCAA all-time leading scorer, but she would further solidify her status as the single-best bucket-getter that the University of Iowa's basketball program has ever seen (both men and women).
Either way, if she does come up short against Minnesota, she'll likely have more than enough room in her next game against No. 2 Ohio State.