People Are Interested in Caitlin Clark, Not Women’s College Basketball

THE ODD COUPLE – Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes advance in the women’s tournament. The guys discuss the impact of Caitlin Clark and if people are watching women’s college basketball because of the overall game or because of Clark.

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Time for the Express Pros Pro of the week the pro of the week goes to Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark Rob she had 27 points 10 assists eight rebounds in Iowa’s first round win over Holy Cross so again congratulations to Caitlyn Clark for being our Express Pros Pro of the week

And Rob Caitlyn Clark said something uh after their victory over Holy Cross about the women’s game kind of surpass passing the men’s game at least for a season or for a while uh or during this time let’s put it that way here she is I think also just in general

Like the excitement around this tournament like it’s super cool like people are more excited about the women’s side than men’s side and I think that’s obviously something that’s really never been the case before and it’s cool to see how it’s evolved like when I first started this when I was a freshman

Like we couldn’t even use the March Madness branding and now to see this now I I get if she’s excited I mean women’s basketball uh you can argue whether or not it’s at least this year being more popular than the men’s tournament um we we talked last week

About the ticket prices for the finals uh championship game in the women’s is more than double that of the men’s ticket it’s it’s over $400 the men’s is under 200 um I said I’ve said myself several times that I’m more interested in the women’s tournament than the men’s

Tournament now I’ll be honest Rob this weekend it didn’t really play out that way you know I had I had all the games on as I’m doing things around the house doing things in my in my office your 20 TV sets down in your man it’s like four big ones so yeah it’s

20 I’ve seen pictures all over the place and I I will be honest um I’ve been more interested in the men now I have watched some of Caitlyn Clark I’ve watched some of Paige Beckers Beckers is on right now yon and Paige Beckers for though I don’t

Know if what people know about her Rob she’s excellent herself she’s darn near as good as Caitlyn Clark she looks just as good she got injured a few years ago and people have kind of Forgotten for about her but she is a fantastic player for Yukon which is the third seed let’s

See in this game right now she’s got they’re up 67 64 on Syracuse with 50 seconds left in the game Rob she’s got 32 points 10 boards and five assists so she’s great in her own right LSU with Angel Reese ju guu Watkins USC I had all

These games on South Carolina and I’ve you know watched some of them but I have gotten more into the men even though I don’t really know many of the men’s players just like I don’t know a ton of the women’s players um the men’s games to this point have been better I would

Say because in women’s basketball there’s still I think more of a gap between the halves and the half Nots there’s no one and done you know they’re not leaving early for the WNBA um so their really talented teams are still Head and Shoulders above the Lesser teams that’s not the case

Obviously in the men so the men their games were closer I know this has been a lot of chalk for the men in this tournament with all top eight seeds advancing Rob to the Sweet 16 but there were a handful of upsets and even when there weren’t upsets there were close

Games you know with top seeds so I was getting more into those games over the last eight minutes of the game or something like that but look it’s a great time for women’s basketball Rob I mean I would say and and I want your opinion women’s basketball has never

Been more popular like this is I don’t I don’t want to disrespect it but almost things feels like a coming out party on the national scene because more I think more eyeballs are on it and more people are paying attention to it than ever rob Chris I’m going to say

This the Peak Interest you talk about when it comes to women’s basketball college basketball is a mirage it is a Flatout Mirage people are interested in Caitlyn Clark Chris and her incredible shooting it’s worth it’s must see TV if you’re around TV and you love to see

Somebody put up a three-pointer AA Steph Curry kind of thing that made that a phenomenon it ain’t about women’s college basketball I hate to break it to people it just isn’t and I’m not saying that people aren’t going Chris you talk to about the ticket prices and some

Other things but uh when Caitlyn Clark and is gone we’ll we’ll see how much it affects uh where people are on women’s college basketball they’ve had historic programs you said it Chris there are more halves and Have Nots it’s been a little bit better of late where different schools have won but

Connecticut do you remember Tennessee with Pat Summit yeah it was first they won all the time Pat Summit Gan orama right uh at Conneticut on Baylor LSU with Mony yes I I mean like like it you know for the most part who’s going to be in the mix and who’s winning and it’s

And it sounds good and I’m not saying you know it used kind of was like that in men’s college basketball or a little bit better and now it’s wide open cuz you know Stars don’t stick around but this is about Caitlyn Clark I’m I’m sorry Chris and it’s not even about the

Other you mentioned three or four other ju guu Watkins at USC there are some a couple of other really good players but this bump uptick whatever you want to call it Peak Interest of women’s college basketball is singular it’s about her musty I’m what she’s shooting from the three4 court

Half court the logo oh my god did you see that that’s what this is about I I I agree there’s no doubt and great individuals do raise leagues and I’m not comparing her to these guys we’ve talked about that before we’ll see what she does in the WNBA or you I’m sure she

Goes to Indiana right but yeah will she lift the league but Rob to your point the NBA when Dr Jay went in from the ab in 1976 that lifted the league then magic and bird came then Jordan like one thing and I think what transformed the NBA was when David

Stern marketed individuals over the teams and you began you wanted to watch certain individuals and that’s really what catapulted the league obviously mostly Jordan uh into being what it’s become and I I agree with you that this is definitely all about Caitlyn Clark and the other players are you you know

I’ve followed him a little bit so I know more about him I don’t know if the Casual fan knows about all these players but it is definitely driven by Caitlyn Clark but Rob what it’ll do is put eyeballs on some of these other players and they’re going to is Becker’s what

She a junior right Rob G so she’ll have to kind of carry it next year Juju Watkins will be a sophomore next year she’ll have to continue to play well like Clark marus brought the eyeballs and and brought you know more attention to it and now it’s going to be up when

She’s done to the players after her to you know seize that momentum and keep carrying it because I I agree with you but we all love stories you and I Rob made a living writing stories people love stories storylines when it comes to the NBA Playoffs we want to see the big

Storyline same with the NFL um I mean you love the sport for what it is but storylines always make it more interesting to watch and Clark is a story now what’s the next story that’s what women’s basketball because I agree if she loses T night Rob the tournament’s gonna take a hit big

Time Chris about to start playing in a few don’t tell me people gonna be like oh well she got me to watch and I got into it and now I’m going to keep watching those ratings going to fall off the clip would take aets in the final four and and those

Tickets that people bought for $400 they’ll put them on their windshield put two of them and come back outside there’ll be four of them sitting there Rob here’s how popular Caitlyn claria is this season her team you know Iowa obviously has played in two of the five most watched collegate

Games men or women Rob men or women think about that and I’mma say this because we talked last it was last week I think early last week you know there was the article in USA to day saying that they need you know the women the face of women’s basketball

College basketball needs to be black women and we were like look Let It Be Who it’s going to be just give everybody the opportunity the the black girls the white girls the any whatever other ethnicity uh girls are that are playing college basketball give all of them the

Opportunity to play and to become the face of the league and whoever it becomes that great I will say this though Rob I do think the fact that she’s white it does make it more like I think it’s captivated some of America just because she’s white because we aren’t

Let’s face it we aren’t used to seeing white players dominate basketball now in the NBA we’re used to seeing white Europeans players dominate but even in women there have been more white players in women’s basketball than men’s but we when’s the last time you like there we

Just don’t see it very often so I do think you know I’ve talked for years about man it’d be great to have a white American Superstar like somebody who’s just awesome we haven’t had a Larry Chris in a long time sorry I mean the last Superstar and he wasn’t a celebrity

It was probably John Stockton right and he wasn’t you know he just wasn’t that and he didn’t have the person to be that and and I remember when white chocolate played Chris everybody thought but he wasn’t a superstar right he was a player he was a very good player but he

Wasn’t a superar Jeremy ly Rob he he captivated yeah weeks and as but but you know what I’m saying like but and granted he was in New York that helped but we you know we haven’t aren’t used to seeing Asian players dominate the NBA for even for two weeks you know so that

Was he was on the cover of Sports illustrator twice Chris that’s crazy right and so I do think that that plays a role in that regard I think the some degree Robb that’s human nature I mean when Tiger Woods took over golf the fact that he was black you know that that was

A big role in it for people of all Races like man this this black guy I mean I know he’s cobbling Asian and all that but whatever whatever that means Chris whatever that is I don’t even know what that means dominate G you know what I

Mean do you agree be me on yes Chris I was on my honeymoon watching Tiger Woods win the master I think you should have you know not been watching Tiger Woods on your honey but that’s how historic it was I’m not even li I’m not even lying like me

And my ex-wife at the was our honeymoon were sitting on the edge of the bed in Tokyo Japan Chris watching him win The Masters and I’m floor because you remember he destroyed the field oh right he was just I mean what he was doing was

Crazy right and so I do think these are all you agree on Clark with that like that that’s that’s a factor in her popularity yes I I do believe that because uh the country is is mostly white and we don’t get to see uh White players perform at that I’m

Talking about from the United States and there’s a difference you could say kid yourself all you want like you could it’s the same thing the National Hockey League struggles Chris because a lot of players are from Europe Europe or Canada it’s just it just it wasn’t always like

That there were players from Chicago and buffalo y but but a lot of the players are foreign um yeah look women’s college basketball it is all about Caitlyn Clark you’re right and it’s up to the the other players now who are goingon to following her footsteps to kind of see

If they can continue what she started good luck with that yeah Beckers is and Rob she is a junior right Watkins is a tremendous player absolutely and so this is their time right they got to seize this moment and I know they’re just thinking about winning but all the the

Nation’s eyes are on them so if they if Watkins you know has a coming out party in this tournament Rob and we know how great she’s been this season then that that could be a good thing for them leading into next year and um so yeah but good for women’s college basketball

And Rob men we talked about it not many people know these players but the ex the tournament I I thought Rob this weekend as I’m watching it it it it the format is just incredible that’s all there is to it I mean you got games going on all over the

Country at the same time you look up and oh my gosh the two seed is is you know up three with with four minutes left against the 15 I mean it’s just exciting for for a moment and uh so I think that’s why they have been done so well this opening weekend