Can Colorado End the Caitlin Clark Effect? Know Everything About Iowa’s Sweet 16 Opponents

Published 03/26/2024, 9:00 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

While this is the last time that Iowa sees their unstoppable senior guard playing in their jersey, can the Caitlin Clark effect end early? A question that many basketball fans ponder upon has not really received an answer yet. However, looks like a team is ready to catch up with Iowa’s performance so far. And possibly end their winning streak.

Colorado is turning all of its opponents into ashes. Reaching Albany after breaking the hearts of the Kansas State fans, the Buffaloes are in good shape and have a great spirit. Colorado cannot yet boast about being as elite as Iowa, but what it can do is to be a wild card that no one would expect to come their way. This team is highly balanced this year on the offensive front with most players averaging a minimum of 5.5 ppg. Further, they currently rank second in their Pac-12 with 18.6 assists and 10 steals.

Talking about their game against the Kansas State Wildcats, they displayed an impeccable defensive performance. For a team that averages 72.2 ppg, the Wildcats only went as far as 50 points against the Buffs. In fact, the last 20 minutes of the game saw the worst of Kansas State, as they could only record 15 points. Hence, as a team that had the ingredients to advance over the Buffs, Kansas was taken aback by their inconsistency in games.

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This is the very thing that Iowa will have to take care of, especially since this is a single-knockout tournament. Slipping in even one game could cost the Hawkeyes their championship dreams. Let us see what Caitlin Clark and Iowa will have to be on their toes for against the Buffs.

Will Caitlin Clark continue her magic against Colorado?

There is no hiding the fact that basketball enthusiasts have not seen the Hawkeyes play to their full potential yet in this March Madness. To succeed in a win-or-go-home competition, you must come with all the weapons that you can. Sadly, Iowa is not following suit. So far throughout the season, the teams that could make Caitlin Clark and co. sweat were the ones with a physical and aggressive defense.

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So what can Iowa do? Attack offensively more than they usually do. Maybe bring out their best for these last games. One thing about the Buffs is that they have won over the best of the best like LSU (1), USC (6), Kansas (15), and even Stanford (8.) However, at the same time, they have lost the seven matchups consecutively against the ranked teams. Putting it in simple words, Colorado is not as consistent as we would think it is.

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Their junior center Aaronette Vonleh is averaging 14 ppg. However, she plays her game almost completely inside the arc, with only 8 total threes made this year. Their next best is Jaylyn Sherrod averaging 12.9 ppg and delivering 4.9 assists per game. Being the primary playmaker for the Buffs, Iowa will need to keep these two in check. Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes have Caitlin Clark. On off days for the NCAA scoring champion, Hannah Stuelke and Kate Martin also take care with their 14.1 and 13 ppg.

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While we wouldn’t know which face they bring against Iowa in Albany, we know that the Hawkeyes defeated them last year in Sweet Sixteen. And that is all they need to do again. Do you think Iowa can continue on their March Madness road?

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Written by:

Srashti Sharma

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Srashti Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, known for her in-depth researching skills. From the very first time that she heard about Kobe Bryant, she herself cultivated a Mamba Mentality. She loves the competitive nature of the sport which fuels her inner sportswoman.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth