"Caitlin Clark is turning into flop king": College hoops' fans slam Iowa guard for overreacting to soft kick from Indiana rival
On Thursday night, No. 14 Indiana took on No. 2 Iowa and handed the latter their third loss on the conference level and 4th overall. It was a frustrating loss that saw the Hawkeyes' offensive powerhouse crumble against the Hoosiers' defense.
The physical defense from Indiana contained Caitlin Clark to a mere 24 points with 10 assists and nine rebounds. However, she struggled on the field, going 8 of 26 overall and 3 of 16 on 3-pointers.
Indiana's coach Teri Moren said:
“I thought defensively, we were just terrific. I think we made everything very difficult for Caitlin Clark tonight and that’s hard to do."
However, there were some moments in the game where Iowa fans felt like things got a little too physical. Like this play, for example:
Fans argued that the kick to Clark was not necessary. However, most college basketball fans countered the argument by pointing out that this is how basketball is played and that Caitlin Clark was overreacting.
Some fans pointed out that even Cailin Clakr does this sometimes and asking for a foul to be called is hypocritical.
Caitlin Clark catches spotlight again
Flopping is when a player exaggerates their reaction to any physical contact in order to get the referee's call for a foul. In this case, there was no foul, as the 'kick' was a consequential action to keeping the ball in possession. In any case, no calls were made by the officials during the game.
At a time when fans have been calling basketball as going too soft, instances like this depict exactly what they mean. Basketball is a physical sport and unless there was intentional contact, calling fouls seems ridiculous. Clark was involved in another flopping incident, but this time it was with a fan.
In January, Caitlin Clark sparked debate online after an incident in the game against Ohio State. A fan was seen rushing into the court. Distracted by the recording on her phone, the fan came into contact with Clark. This led the Iowa guard to take a bad fall.
While many raised concerns for Clark, some pointed out that this was a case of her exaggerating. She explained after the game:
"Yeah, I'm OK, I think. Knocked the wind out of me, but luckily my teammates picked me up and got me off the court."
Following the incident, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith and coach Kevin McGuff issued apologies to Clark. The Big Ten conference also issued a statement asking hosting institutions to provide adequate security to the visiting teams.
What did you think of Caitlin Clark's action? Let us know in the comment section below.
Also Read: “It ain’t for Clark. Do better”: College hoops fans debunk $818k Caitlin Clark getting full credit for jam-packed Iowa vs. Indiana game