Caitlin Clark has had a great four-year career with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Her strong play led to her breaking the NCAA’s all-time scoring record this season.

The senior guard has averaged 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field, 37.8% from three-point range and 85.8% from the free-throw line.

Big Ten Women

While her resume is filled with individual awards, Clark has been unable to lead the Hawkeyes to their first national championship in program history. Take a look at five reasons why her career could end without a title.

5 reasons why Caitlin Clark might not lead the Iowa Hawkeyes to a national championship

#1: The Iowa Hawkeys struggle defensively

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been the best offensive team in the nation this season, ranking first out of 360 women’s college basketball teams in scoring offense and offensive rating. The same cannot be said about their performance on the less flashy side of the ball as they rank just 326th in scoring defense and 223rd in defensive rating. As the old saying goes, defense wins championships.

#2: Caitlin Clark can’t afford to have an off night

The Iowa Hawkeyes defensive struggles put a ton of pressure on Caitlin Clark’s shoulders as they have just two players averaging double figures in points. Furthermore, they don’t have a single player who averages even half as many points as Clark. If the senior guard has an off night, the Hawkeyes simply lack the offensive firepower to compete with the top teams.

#3: The South Carolina Gamecocks

Speaking of the top teams, the South Carolina Gamecocks are 32-0 and have been elite on both sides of the ball this season. Furthermore, the Gamecocks will be looking for revenge after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four last season. Iowa needed a nearly perfect game from Caitlin Clark to beat South Carolina last season. They are unlikely to fall in a second consecutive year.

#4: The LSU Tigers

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While the Iowa Hawkeyes were able to squeak past the South Carolina Gamecocks to reach last year’s national championship, they were blown out by the LSU Tigers. While LSU has not looked as formidable this season, they are still a great team with plenty of talent and experience.

#5: The field

There are several other great programs with hopes of winning a national title this season. That list includes, but is not limited to, the USC Trojans, Stanford Cardinal, Texas Longhorns, UCLA Bruins, Ohio State Buckeyes and UConn Huskies. The attention that the Iowa Hawkeyes have gotten this season will, however, make other teams play with a stronger mindset against them.