The bracket for the women's March Madness tournament was announced Sunday, March 16, and inevitably, Caitlin Clark was part of the conversation.
That Clark was mentioned by ESPN in any capacity ahead of the bracket announcement isn't too big of a surprise. She was a major part of the 2023 and 2024 tournaments, and her impact on collegiate basketball cannot be overstated. But the way that ESPN brought Clark into the conversation has been justifiably scrutinized by fans.
ESPN appeared to bait-and-switch a Caitlin Clark feature
ESPN published a 10-minute segment on YouTube that featured a lively and contentious debate between analysts Sam Ravech, Ari Chambers, and Alexa Philippou. The trio were tasked with no small feat: deciding who the greatest college player of all time might be.
While no one would argue that's an easy decision to make, the network decided to title the video "Is Caitlin Clark The Greatest Of All Time In College Basketball?" Obviously, that's a great way to get Clark's fans engaged with the content, and since engagement is the name of the game, the network's plan makes sense.
Ravech, Chambers, and Philippou compared Clark's college career to that of Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, and Cheryl Miller. Clark wasn't in the network's list of top 5 athletes (even though she racked up a massive 3,951 points throughout her four years at Iowa, more than anyone else on the list) — and was even disqualified from the conversation entirely by two of the analysts because she never won a national championship while at school.
Fans were surprised and frustrated that ESPN so easily marketed the video with Clark positioned prominently, only to shoot her down all throughout it.
The impact of a National Championship is real
To make matters all the more upsetting, Chambers, who initially placed Clark at No. 5 on the list, was the person who then revoked her status. "Love Caitlin, love how she has transcended the game... But in the open, we said 'What makes a top-five player? Winning.' The only thing, the only strike against Caitlin Clark, is that she has not won a National Championship," he explained.
That lack is "the only thing you can put against her," Chambers continued, but insisted that Clark ultimately could not be a top-5 ranking player because of it. Ravech then replaced Clark with Cheryl Miller, a two-time NCAA champion with USC.
The trio ultimately ranked Maya Moore at No. 4, Diana Taurasi at No. 3, Candace Parker at No. 2, and Breanna Stewart at no