Since their high school days, the two outstanding basketball players– Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers– have been at each other. The level only grew in the 2024 NCAA Final Four as Geno Auriemma’s UConn gave everyone a blueprint to slow down the Hawkeye point guard. While the duty didn’t fall on Bueckers, with the Husky Nika Muhl catching the most brunt of still not being able to stop the generational talent out of Iowa– it was always Clark vs Bueckers. Fast forward to the WNBA and both are finally set to face each other. But adding to the twist of their backstory is the Dallas Wings vs Indiana Fever electricity.

Last season, just a couple of days ahead of the WNBA All-Star, despite the close defeat to the Wings, Clark made history with 19 assists in the game against Arike Ogunbowale, who the reigning league ROTY praised as “the best one-on-one player” in the WNBA. Since then, fire, electricity, thunder, everything is present in the series between the two franchises. While Clark was sidelined in their first game this season, she has returned, albeit not in full form yet. But this time, the Fever No. 22 will have to face not just Ogunbowale but her partnership with the rookie. However, this season, the Wings storyline has more connections to Clark.

Yep, presence of former Connecticut Sun guard, DiJonai Carrington and the infamous eye-poke from last season’s playoffs. 90 seconds into the first round matchup, Clark was making a pass to teammate Aliyah Boston. However, in an attempt to deflect the pass, Carrington poked the then-rookie in the eye. Carrington made her case right after the 93-69 Sun win, saying, “I don’t even know why I would intend to hit anybody in the eye.” Seemingly, the fans haven’t forgotten the aftermath of that blue eye as the latest Wings injury report bring back the flashbacks.

Ahead of the highly anticipated Bueckers-Clark matchup, Underdog WNBA tweeted, “DiJonai Carrington (rib) ruled out for Sunday.” The guard got hurt on June 20 after taking a hard hit to chest in a game against the Sun.

She didn’t travel to Phoenix and didn’t suit up against the Sky. With the new report, seemingly, she won’t be playing against Clark and the Fever either. On the brighter side though, Indiana will have its entire roster present, and the Wings will also have Ogunbowale to aid in their offense.

But that storyline? Seems like that it is also going to be a part of this matchup with the roles flipped. With Carrington out again and Clark back in action, Wings fans are having a field day online, mocking CC.

Caitlin Clark catches strays from Wings fans

Fans wasted no time jumping with some not-so-subtle jabs at Clark. One said, “Thank you Lord for protecting the best PG in the league,” a comment that, on the surface, may sound like a compliment, but everyone knew the sarcasm was aimed squarely at CC. The joke was that she’s now “safe” with Carrington not in the game. But does this mean that the whole eye-poke drama is resurfacing for the first time? Well… not exactly.

Just a few days ago, that exact September incident got dug back up, thanks to the rising buzz around the book by Christine Brennan, ‘On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports.’ In it, Brennan recounted how she asked Carrington whether the poke was intentional and whether Marina Mabrey, Carrington’s then-teammate, had laughed about it, something fans on social media have speculated since day one. Carrington denied it all.  

But after CNN Sports posted an excerpt from Brennan’s book this past Sunday, Carrington didn’t hold back. She responded with some very telling emojis – a cap (meaning “lie”) and a Pinocchio nose – before following it up with a bold accusation: “defamation of character atp 🥱.” Meanwhile, fans weren’t done mocking Clark. 

Along with multiple laughing emojis and funny reactions by different users, another added, “That means Caitlin will actually act like a tough guy if Nai ain’t playing.” Now, Carrington is a physical player, and we know Clark has been allegedly targeted by her peers since her rookie season. So, fans know what they’re implying. But not to forget, Indy’s not exactly short on grit this time.

Sophie Cunningham is right there, and she has low-key become Clark’s enforcer. Remember the Jacy Sheldon foul? But whether or not Clark plays “tough guy,” what fans really want to see is her getting back to form.

Then someone else chimed in with, “Running from the smoke huh?”  But you know that eye-poke incident was never this big mystery from the players’ side. Clark made it clear at that time only, “It wasn’t intentional by any means.” Even then, Clark didn’t escalate it. It was always the internet that ran with it, and clearly, they still are.

One Wings fan took things in another direction, saying, “I think she’s lost that title with all these disgusting shooting performances,” referring to Clark’s “best PG in the league” crown. Statistically speaking, the numbers haven’t been great for Clark lately.

In her last three games leading up to the July 10 matchup, she went just 1-of-23 from three-point range – that’s 4.3%. And even including the loss to the Valkyries, she’s only slightly improved to 3-of-28, or 10.7%. Historically bad. That 10.7% over a four-game span is the worst in WNBA history for a player with at least 25 attempts. But it’s Clark. And she’s recovering from two back-to-back injuries (first left quad strain then left groin injury). S0, there’s always the chance she snaps out of it and drops 30 when no one’s expecting it. Let’s just say all eyes will be on her.

And while most of the talk was centered around Clark and Carrington, one fan went totally off-script and asked, “What about Arike? Is she back?” Thankfully for Dallas, it looks like they might be getting some help. Ogunbowale is officially listed as probable for Sunday. There was already buzz that she could return Friday after rejoining practice, but now it’s looking even more likely she’s suiting up for game action against the Fever.

All in all, this game is going to be interesting for sure. The spotlight’s back on two of the league’s brightest young stars meeting for the first time as pros. Neither team is quite where they thought they’d be. The Fever are sitting right at .500 with a 10-10 record, and the Wings are 6-15. But Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are both having standout seasons in their own right, and with all the noise building up, let’s see who takes it home.