Caitlin Clark has taken the college basketball world by storm. The sharpshooter has broken numerous records and is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I for both women and men.
Clark’s achievements have helped bring unprecedented attention to the game, and virtually everyone in the sports world has an opinion on the presumed top overall pick in the upcoming WNBA draft.
Longtime ESPN host Molly Qerim shared her thoughts on Clark on a recent edition of “First Take,” suggesting that Iowa’s odds are favorable entering the Final Four against UConn due to injuries to the Huskies.
“All I have to say is it’s fortunate that this UConn team isn’t healthy,” Qerim said. “And that is a true statement.” UConn has had its fair share of injuries this season, including Azzi Fudd and Aubrey Griffin suffering season-ending injuries.
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But UConn superstar Paige Bueckers is mostly healthy and having another impressive season. In 2021, she was a unanimous first-team All-American.
She also won almost every top college basketball award that year, including the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, and Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Award -Associated Press.
The Huskies advanced to the Final Four that season. But Bueckers also faced many injury-related setbacks throughout his remarkable career. She underwent ankle surgery following her remarkable freshman campaign.
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She then missed 19 games during her sophomore season after undergoing surgery to repair a foot injury. Aaliyah Edwards also played a key role in UConn’s success this season. Immediately after his first comment, Qerim threw what appeared to be another jab at Clark.
“If Paige Bueckers hadn’t missed two seasons, I don’t know if we would be talking about Caitlin Clark the way we do now, And that’s the truth,” Qerim said. Some fans disagreed with Qerim’s comments and took to social media to respond.
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“Damn, I’m happy for women’s basketball, but some of this happens,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The Clark-led Hawkeyes defeated the defending champion LSU Tigers in the Elite Eight.
LSU star Angel Reese re-injured her ankle during the game, but she didn’t use that loss as an excuse for the way she finished the game. “I’m a tough guy, so of course I tried to get over it, and it’s been something that’s been going on for a while,” Reese said.
“But I played until the end and I won’t use that as an excuse for the rest of the match.” Reese finished the night with 17 points. Iowa faces UConn Friday in the Final Four at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
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