With 3,569 career points, Caitlin Clark is now the Division I women’s basketball all-time leading scorer, so what’s next for the Iowa superstar?
After breaking Kelsey Plum’s record (3,527 points) on Feb. 16, Clark is closing in on the Division I men’s record of 3,667 points, which is held by Pete Maravich.
Though she won’t technically break these records, Clark also has the opportunity to surpass AIAW large-college record-holder Lynette Woodard (3,649 points) and AIAW small-college leader Pearl Moore (4,061).
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark breaks the NCAA Divison I women’s scoring record with a WILD 3-pointer vs. Michigan
Clark has averaged 32.4 points per game this season, and 34.2 points per game against Big Ten opponents. With four regular-season games remaining, as well as the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments, Clark is on pace to become the most-accomplished scorer in college basketball history.
It’s also worth noting that Clark does have an extra year of eligibility left due to the 2020 pandemic-shortened season.
Let’s take a look at how many points Clark would need to average per game in order to break Maravich’s mark and how quickly she can get there (assuming she plays every game).
How many points per game does Clark need to score in order to surpass Maravich’s mark by the end of the regular season?
If Clark hopes to break Maravich’s record and get it behind her by the time the 2024 Big Ten Tournament starts, she must average 24.8 points per game the rest of the way.
How many points per game does Clark need to score in order to surpass Maravich’s mark prior to the NCAA Tournament?
It depends on conference tournament seeding.
Iowa currently sits one game behind Ohio State in the Big Ten standings. If the Hawkeyes earn one of the top-four seeds going into the conference tournament — almost a lock — and make it to the finals, Clark would need to average 14.1 points per game to break Maravich’s mark.
If Iowa were a top-four seed and got knocked out in the semifinals, Clark would need to average 16.5 points per game in order to break Maravich’s mark prior to the NCAA Tournament. If Iowa lost in the quarterfinals, Clark would need to average 19.8 points per game in order to break Maravich’s mark.
Beyond the Big Ten Tournament, it’s unclear how long Iowa’s season will last. The Hawkeyes made the national championship game last season, losing to LSU. If Iowa made it to the Big Ten Tournament title game (as a top-four seed) and the NCAA title game, Clark would only need to average 7.6 PPG points per game to break Maravich’s career mark.
When will Clark break Maravich’s record?
Clark appears to be on track to break Maravich’s record in the coming weeks.
If she keeps at her current pace of 32.8 PPG this season, Clark would break Maravich’s record at some point during Iowa’s last regular-season game against Ohio State at home on March 3rd (watch on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
If she scores at her career pace of 28.1 PPG for the rest of the season, Clark would still break Maravich’s mark in Iowa’s regular-seaon finale against Ohio State.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark drops a school-record and career-high 49 points in win vs. Michigan
The Hawkeyes alternate playing on the road and at home in each of their final four games of the season.
Charting Clark’s path and Iowa’s schedule for the rest of the regular season
Clark has averaged 28.7 PPG in conference play over her career and has averaged 26.8 PPG against Big Ten opponents so far this season.
Here’s a look at Iowa’s remaining schedule, plus how many points per game Clark averages against each team.
Feb. 22: at Indiana — 28.3 points per game vs. Indiana in her career
Feb. 25: Illinois — 23.7 points per game vs. Illinois in her career (1 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).
Feb. 28: at Minnesota — 32.2 PPG vs. Minnesota in her career
March 3: Ohio State — 31.6 PPG vs. Ohio State in her career (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
Isn’t Clark one of the nation’s top passers as well?
Indeed, she is! Clark’s 8.5 assists per game this season is the best mark in women’s college basketball. She has averaged at least eight assists per game in each of the last two years.
Entering the home stretch of conference play, Clark’s 1,018 career assists rank sixth all-time among Division I women’s players. Suzie McConnell’s record of 1,307 assists is likely out of reach for Clark, but if she continues her season pace of 8.5 assists per game or puts up her career pace (8.1) for the rest of the regular season, she’ll have totaled 1,052 assists for her career by the start of the Big Ten Tournament.
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Women’s College Basketball
Iowa Hawkeyes
Caitlin Clark
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