On Sunday, the two most recent WNBA No. 1 overall draft picks will finally face off. It will be the first time Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers meet in their professional careers. The Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings played each other once this season late last month, but Clark was unavailable due to injury.
Through their respective teams' struggles, Bueckers and Clark are having incredible years. Both have dealt with injuries, but seem healthy now. Clark, in her second year, is averaging 17.4 points and 8.6 assists per game. Bueckers, in her rookie season, is averaging 18.1 points and 5.4 assists per game.
Clark has been back for only one game since her aforementioned injury, she struggled a bit — going 4 of 12 and scoring just 10 points. But Clark will surely get back into the swing of things as her comeback continues, and should be in MVP form before the season ends.
This meeting between Bueckers and Clark has been highly anticipated. Both players have taken the women's basketball world by storm in the past few years, and comparisons have been frequent. Each was a superstar at their respective college and each was the top pick in their respective drafts. The pair has consistently broken records in their college and W careers and that won't stop any time soon. Clark won Rookie of the Year and Bueckers is on track to do the same in 2025.
Whether the comparisons actually make sense is a conversation worth having; but for now, fans are just excited to see two of the league's stars square off.
History of Paige Bueckers vs. Caitlin Clark
During their college stints, Bueckers and Clark only faced off two times, due to Bueckers being injured during the 2022-23 NCAAW season. They split the series 1-1.
Their first matchup came during the 2020-21 NCAA Women's Tournament when both players were just freshmen. UConn and Iowa met during the Sweet Sixteen, where Bueckers and UConn were able to pull out the 92-72 win, ending Clark and Iowa's season.
In this contest, Bueckers scored 18 points with 9 rebounds. She also had 8 assists, which was her tournament high. Clark, although Iowa lost, recorded 21 points — her tournament high — and 5 assists. Clark was the leading scorer in that game.
Two years later, during the 2023-24 season, Caitlin Clark and the Hawks were able to get back at Bueckers and the Huskies. During the Final Four of the NCAA tournament, Iowa beat UConn 69-71 in a close battle that came down to the wire - one of the best games in the entire tournament. Both players played all 40 minutes. Clark put up 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Bueckers had a season low 17 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists. This Iowa win led Clark to play in her second NCAA Championship during her last year of college.
Although Clark got the last laugh in their head-to-head college matchups, Bueckers came back the next year and won the 2024-25 National Championship — something Clark was unfortunately never able to accomplish.
There isn't a "rivalry" between the two, but that won't stop fans from trying to stir one up. Sunday's matchup should be entertaining as both players have brought new energy to the WNBA, along with a lot of new fans who are expected to show out in Indiana for the game. The Dallas Wings have already anticipated an overabundance of fans when they host the Fever in early August — so much so that they moved the match up to the Dallas Mavericks' arena.
And if this matchup is not enough, Bueckers and Clark are both starters in this year's WNBA All-Star Game — and are on opposing teams, setting us up for a good battle. The Fever and Wings will also face off twice next month. The first meeting is on August 1 at 7.30 PM ET, and the second is on August 12 at 7:30 PM ET.