She wasn’t just visiting. She was home. And Iowa sure knows how to throw a welcome party. “At the end of the day, say I scored zero points, I’m sure they would still be screaming my name and wanting my autograph,” Caitlin Clark said about the fandom. Yes, that is CC for Iowa City. Her people showed up for her like always, sporting splashes of red like it was always part of the school colors. And they didn’t blink at shelling out $60 to $200 for tickets that vanished in fifteen minutes flat. 

She had no shortage of fans screaming her name and hoping to get her autograph. Honestly, it’s kind of become tradition now. Fans—especially the little ones—dressed in a pretty even mix of Fever red and Hawkeye gold lined up just to get a piece of Caitlin. “Seeing the amount of people and young girls and young boys that stand there and scream for me to sign their stuff——I don’t take that for granted,” Clark said. “I’m glad I can be a role model for them. They have a great impact on me too. There’s a lot more bigger things in life than basketball.” 

True that, beyond basketball, she’s an inspiration to those young ones. A game-changer for women’s basketball, through and through. And the love…she has always given it right back. Even in this game, she made sure to stop for as many as she could. Clark spent plenty of time signing shirts, jerseys, towels, posters, and everything else her young fans brought her way.

But this time, it wasn’t just her home crowd fangirling. The Brazil national team, who flew in to face the Fever, ended up being some of the biggest Clark stans in the building. After the final buzzer, the buzz wasn’t just about Clark’s threes or assists, but the adorable exchange between her and Brazil’s players.

“You’re wild for that shot, man,” one of them said as they got their jerseys signed by her. Caitlin, casual as ever, replied, “I know, I saw your TikTok.” Then they made a special request. “After you’re done, can we do a TikTok on your logo?” she was asked. And she said, “Ok yeah.”

The shot they were talking about?

Yes, her signature logo 3. The very one at Carver-Hawkeye Arena where Clark hit the historic three to become the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. And she did it again from the same spot…actually, better. Fever star pulled up from 36 feet out, just a couple of feet behind her iconic No. 22 logo, and let it fly. 

It was pure Curry-mode. A defender chased her nearly to half court, and she still drained it effortlessly. She smiled, pointed toward the broadcast desk, and jogged back. The crowd erupted like it was March Madness all over again. While we still don’t know if Clark actually did a TikTok with Brazil’s players, they made their own version anyway, trying to recreate her range. Spoiler alert: They failed miserably. But can you blame them? No one’s doing it like CC.

But truly, it was ‘the’ moment for Brazilian players as it was the largest crowd they had played in front of. How do we know, you ask? During the second quarter, Clark, who was mic’d up by ESPN, shared a sweet moment with Brazil’s head coach, Leo Figueiró.  “You’re an amazing player, congratulations,” he told her. “You’ve changed the history in basketball.” Caitlin smiled and said, “I appreciate it. Thanks for coming here and playing us.” Then, casually asking, “Most people you’ve played in front of?” Coach: “Yes.” Wholesome, right?

They soaked in every second, hearts full and smiles wide — but once the game tipped off, there was something that stung.

Caitlin Clark & Co. crush it in sold-out Iowa return

Clark told her teammates pregame, “It’s going to be the loudest arena you’ve ever played in.” She wasn’t lying. Because one of the cool things about this day was how the fans in attendance roared for all the Fever players, not just No. 22. When Kelsey Mitchell drilled a three early in the game, the crowd hit 116 decibels. That’s just one tick below the 117 mark that Clark’s first three earned. 

Then DeWanna Bonner swished one from the wing, and the place went wild again. Clark checked out midway through the first, but fans did not check out. The energy stayed on full blast. Sydney Colson threw a behind-the-back pass to Natasha Howard with 2:18 left in the first quarter, and Carver exploded. 

And all this built up to a blowout: Fever 108, Brazil 44. CC was locked in for her first preseason action after sitting out the opener due to a minor leg issue. In just 18 minutes and 42 seconds, she put up 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, dished five assists, and grabbed six rebounds. 

Kelsey Mitchell led the squad with 17 points and three steals. Aliyah Boston added 11 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals. DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard, and Sophie Cunningham also made strong contributions in the dominant win. As a team, Indiana hit 15-of-33 from deep. That’s a clean 45.5%. They also forced Brazil into 26 turnovers, flexing their early-season defense. 

Sure, it was a preseason game and doesn’t count in the W column. But in the hearts of Iowa fans, Brazilian players, and anyone lucky enough to be in Carver that day…it meant everything.