Caitlin Clark of Iowa won the Naismith National Player of the Year award on Wednesday, defeating Aliyah Boston of the winning team in 2022 as well as fellow finalists Maddy Siegrist (Villanova) and Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech).

Two days before her Hawkeyes were scheduled to face Boston’s South Carolina Gamecocks in the Final Four, Clark received the trophy.

Junior guard Clark shot 47.4% from the field and 39.2% from 3-point range for 27.3 points, 8.6 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. She is the third-leading scorer in the country, and she leads the country in assists. On March 15, she was selected unanimously for the AP All-America team, making it her second time receiving first-team recognition.

Clark has the most triple-doubles in the country with five. Her 41-point, 12-assist, and 10-rebound performance against Louisville on Sunday in the Final Eight was her 11th triple-double overall, which places her second all-time behind former Oregon standout Sabrina Ionescu (27). She consistently makes up a disproportionately large percentage of Iowa’s offense; in Sunday’s victory over Louisville, she scored and assisted on 70 of Iowa’s 97 points.

The announcement of Caitlin Clark being awarded the Naismith National Player of the Year Award

As the No. 2 seed who guided Iowa to the Final Four, Clark has increased her prominence with to her long-range shooting ability and propensity for pulling up from the logo.

The best player on the top team in the country, Boston, who was Boston’s opponent in the Final Four, lost to Clark. Boston, a senior centre and defensive powerhouse for a South Carolina team that started the season rated No. 1, enters the Final Four with a 36-0 record, averaging 13.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and two blocks while shooting 56.8% from the floor.

Boston led the Gamecocks to a national title in 2022 and was named the consensus National Player of the Year. She remained a top performer and was selected unanimously for All-America, although her output decreased from her NPOY season in 2021–22 this year as South Carolina relied more on other players and defenses concentrated on Boston. She averaged 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game the previous season.

The most eagerly awaited game of the season will take place on Friday in the Final Four between Iowa and South Carolina. The victor advances to face the winner of No. 1 seed Virginia Tech and No. 3 seed LSU in the national championship game.

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