Here we are in 2024, and the conversations are still going back to 2021—the year Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers both hit college basketball. Although Paige is being compared to the Indiana Frever rookie a lot lately, there was a time when they used to be each other’s biggest rival on the court. Since their very college years, the debate on who truly was the Freshman of the Year kept them in the spotlight. Sure, they shared the title back then, but it didn’t sit well with many fans.
Now, with Clark coming off a mind-blowing WNBA rookie season and Bueckers eyeing the draft next year, the debate has flared up. A graphic showing their stats and captioned “What exactly happened here… Why wasn’t it CC?” has taken social media by storm.
So, what exactly happened in their college debut season? Well, both players put up eye-catching numbers. Clark averaged 26.6 points per game on 40.6% shooting from three, along with 7.1 assists. Huskies star, on the other hand, averaged 20 points with an impressive 46.4% from deep while also posting 5.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds.
Their contrasting styles were clear even then: Clark has been a relentless scorer while Bueckers is a more balanced contributor. Iowa and UConn even faced off in the Sweet Sixteen, where UConn got the win, with Bueckers scoring 18 to Clark’s 21.
What exactly happened here can someone explain I’m genuinely asking. Why wasn’t it CC? https://t.co/H2YKotjgex
— Quetsiyah (@quetsi_) November 10, 2024
By the season’s end, the Huskies guard took home the prestigious Naismith Trophy, sparking questions from Clark’s fans who felt she’d been robbed. Now, with fans dissecting every stat and memory from that season, let’s see what everyone’s saying.
The “Freshman of the Year” argument resurfaces, Fans split
In the comment section of the Twitter post, some fans are pointing to specifics that the initial stat lines don’t cover. A few fans answered, “Likely because of the stats not listed,” and took to Bueckers’ defensive stats. They highlighted that she ranked #1 in defensive win shares out of 2,929 players, while Clark ranked way lower. While another fan chimed in saying, “We can argue all day about who was the best in 2021 without either side winning. The fact is CC got a lot better; Paige did not.”
For context, Bueckers may have been known as the more efficient player back then, but with years and multiple injuries, she spent most of the time on the bench. All that while, CC was shining and making an impact, going on to become the all-time leading scorer.
Another fan, however, highlighted this difference, remarking, “The problem with CC fans, they think basketball is all offense.” Well, we can’t argue that the potential No.1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft is truly a complete player. As per ESPN Stats, she had become the first player since 2000 with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in three games in the same tournament. So many more agree with the notion.
“Paige was an excellent defender, and on a winning team. Clark was a good player on a bad team, gave her the ball and let her work so more stats,” one fan commented. There comes the whole “team context” debate.
Bueckers had the advantage of playing with a powerhouse UConn team with 11 championships , whereas Clark was the main option on a more modest Iowa squad, that was unranked. While some think the star status of the Huskies was the reason CC has to share the award, others side with the UConn star.
“Caitlin’s numbers were like that because she was on a worse team,” a fan explained. “She was taking way more shots a game, so obviously she’s going to average more.” Adding numbers to it, another one added, “Paige 52% FG to CC’s 47%, 46% 3P to CC’s 41%, 5.8 assists & 2.5 TOs vs CC 7.1 & 4.8.”
Now, fans are hyped for Bueckers to make her own mark in the WNBA, saying, “If Paige can come close next year, this will be a forever argument, and that will be fun.” CC has already left such a big footprint, and Bueckers is on fire after her comeback, so it’s safe to say that the comparisons between these two won’t be ending anytime soon.
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