Some call it St. Patrick’s Day, others lead with Selection Sunday. No matter how you first identify it, March 17 is creeping up on college basketball.
Much of the season has been dominated by headlines about Caitlin Clark, who has captivated the nation with her record-breaking play. The 6-foot Iowa guard’s play seeps into virtually every other women’s basketball storyline (this story being Exhibit A). Just this week, The Athletic named her its player of the year.
But 67 other teams will join Iowa in the NCAA Tournament — and even more are competing for those spots in conference tournament games this week and next. With conference tournaments underway, here are five storylines not about Clark that you should know about as we head toward Selection Sunday.
JuJu Watkins’ phenomenal debut
Clark declared for the WNBA Draft ahead of Iowa’s final regular-season game on March 3. The future of women’s college basketball looks to be in capable hands.
The baton is being passed from a senior in Iowa City to a freshman in Los Angeles. USC’s JuJu Watkins has averaged the second-most points per game in the nation behind only — you guessed it — Clark. Watkins, a 6-foot-2 guard playing for her hometown Trojans, led them to their 23 regular-season wins — their most since…
