NCAA National Championship runner-up Iowa is unranked in the latest AP Poll which highlights the incredible impact of WNBA stud Caitlin Clark.

Back in 2023, Clark enjoyed a record-breaking spell at Iowa, leading the Hawkeyes to back-to-back National Championship appearances while departing college as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. She took the sports world by storm recently, headlining a talented class of 2024 that attracted record audiences and attention to the WNBA.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark dominated on the court, finishing as the WNBA Rookie of the Year after posting 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game. However, with the Indiana Fever eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Clark is now in her first professional offseason.

While she is enjoying her time off, her alma mater has tipped off the 2024-25 college basketball season. On Monday, Iowa followed a win over NIU by triumphing 71-52 over Virginia Tech. Among the supporters were Iowa alum Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin, who snapped a photo with Hawkeyes forward Jada Gyamfi after the victory.

While Iowa are 2-0 to start the season, they were left out of the AP Top 25 Poll. The Hawkeyes were National Championship finalists in back-to-back years and won three Big 10 titles with Clark – whose No. 22 jersey was retired by the program – on the court. However, they are now just outside the top 25, which may not come as a surprise to LSU head coach Kim Mulkey.

Back in April in a rematch of the 2023 title game in the Elite Eight, Clark scored 41 points and 12 assists to take down LSU. As a result, Mulkey raved about the guard.

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Kim Mulkey heaped praise on Caitlin Clark after her LSU came up short versus Iowa in the NCAA tournament

Kim Mulkey heaped praise on Caitlin Clark after her LSU came up short versus Iowa in the NCAA tournament ( 

Image:

AP)

“She’s just a generational player and she just makes everybody around her better,” Mulkey said. “That’s what the great ones do. I think they had a kid that scored 21 and 18, (Clark) had 12 assists. Caitlin Clark is not going to beat you by herself. It’s what she does to make those other teammates better that helps her score points and them score points to beat you.”

The LSU coach is certainly not wrong. Clark stormed to the Rookie of the Year award while leading the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and Mulkey will be pleased to see the back of the generational talent even with her Tigers losing Angel Reese to the same draft.

Clark-less Iowa, who are also without Kate Martin after she was selected in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces, are next in action against 1-0 Toledo on Wednesday, Nov. 13.