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Caitlin Clark haters just learned what fans knew all along in March Madness

Caitlin Clark should get more credit for getting Iowa to the national title game in back-to-back seasons. Without her, they couldn't make it past the first weekend of March Madness.
ByAlicia de Artola|
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) waves to her former teammates Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in a round one game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) waves to her former teammates Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in a round one game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Did you know Caitlin Clark never won a national championship? That fact gets held over her head whenever someone wants to argue she's not one of the best women's college basketball players of all time.

For the record, it's a bad argument. And Iowa's performance in the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament only backs that up.

The Hawkeyes were a No. 6 seed in the Spokane 4 regional. They got by Murray State in the first round but ran headlong into No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the second round. The Sooners decimated them, 96-62.

Instead of lessening Clark's legacy for never lifting the trophy, we should be giving her even more credit for getting that Iowa team as close to a championship as she did.

Iowa's Women's March Madness exit only bolsters Caitlin Clark's college résumé

It was obvious Iowa would take a step back without Clark. Still, failing to even put up a fight in the second round of March Madness shows how much Clark elevated the squad.

Clark averaged over 30 points per game in the last two NCAA Tournaments. She scored 30 in the loss to South Carolina. Not having a ring isn't a personal failing. One player can only drag a team so far.

That's why people beating Clark over the head with the "no ring" thing is so tedious. Iowa wouldn't have sniffed a title game berth without her. And put her on South Carolina or LSU and she would have lifted a trophy.

Without Kamilla Cardoso, the Gamecocks snagged a No. 1 seed. Tennessee advanced to the Sweet 16 sans Rickea Jackson. UConn earned a No. 2 seed without Aaliyah Edwards. Angel Reese's absence didn't stop LSU from getting a No. 3 seed.

Oklahoma opened as a 3.5-point favorite, so it's not like they were expected to thrash the Hawkeyes as thoroughly as they did. Six Sooners finished with double-digit points, led by Skyler Vann with 17 points. She was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and added four assists. Raegan Beers ended up with a 13-pack of rebounds.

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