$3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark & USC guard JuJu Watkins find place in ESPN's All-American team ahead of 2024 March Madness
Caitlin Clark of Iowa and JuJu Watkins of USC are the brightest stars of the 2023-24 college basketball season. Their record-breaking and outstanding performances this season have earned a spot in ESPN's All-American team ahead of March Madness 2024.
Clark, whose NIL value is $3.1 million, per On3, became the all-time NCAA Division I top scorer. She surpassed Pete Maravich's 54-year-old record of 3667 points. She averages 31.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists per game.
Meanwhile, Watkins became the Pac-12 Freshmen of the Year. She is the sixth USC women's basketball player to win this honor. Averaging 27 ppg, 7.2 rpg and 3.2 apg, Watkins led her team to the No.5 spot in the AP poll.
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ESPN's All-American team: Other players who were selected
Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins' selection in ESPN's All-American team isn't surprising. They were all over the news for their performance. Clark's collegiate season should end as she has declared for the WNBA draft, where she is expected to be a first-round pick.
Other players who were selected in the ESPN's All-American team are as follows:
- Cameron Brink
- Hannah Hidalgo
- Paige Bueckers
Clark and Watkins played an important role in their respective teams' success this season. Thanks to Clark's contribution Iowa is second in the Big Ten, with a conference record of 15-3 (overall 29-4). Watkin helped USC become second in Pac-12 with a conference record of 13-5 (overall 26-5).
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Iowa Hawkeyes and USC Trojans March Madness odds
Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins contributed toward improving the odds of their respective teams.
Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes have been shortening their odds for a while with back-to-back amazing performances. They recently defeated Nebraska in overtime to shorten their odds from +850 to +600. Whereas, USC's odds of winning the national championship are +5000.
Iowa is a better team than USC regarding odds, but Clark and Watkins have done equally well throughout the tournament. Watkins, being a freshman, could challenge Clark's record in the upcoming seasons because of her amazing scoring abilities.