"National Player of the year": Caitlin Clark hailed online in wake of superlative Big Ten performance 

Ohio State v Iowa
Caitlin Clark has received a lot of praise since her last game (Image via Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark of Iowa put on a fantastic show, recording a triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists, in a 105-72 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the Big Ten women's basketball tournament on Sunday.

Clark's performance earned the Iowa Hawkeyes (26-6) their second straight Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes took a 26-9 lead after the first quarter and didn't look back.

The 6-foot guard was praised for her epic performance, with many fans calling her the National Player of the Year. Winning a Big Ten tournament is special, but winning it with a 30-point triple-double is beyond impressive.


Basketball fans praise Caitlin Clark, call her the National Player of the Year

National Player of the Year is an award given to the best basketball player in NCAA Division I. Clark is, without a doubt, a candidate for the award. She's the Big Ten Player of the Year for the second straight season and was an All-American the previous two seasons, when she led the nation in scoring both times.

Many WNBA superstars have earned the award, including Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson.

Some fans believe that the award is not even up for debate. They think Caitlin Clark is the best player at the moment and should be named the National Player of the Year.

The Iowa Hawkeyes guard had an astonishing performance in the Big Ten final, doing everything on the floor. Besides her triple-double, Clark was very efficient, converting 9 of 17 field goal attempts.

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The Hawkeyes junior also knocked down five 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 from the charity striple. In 33 minutes, Caitlin Clark had only two turnovers, yet 17 assists.

The 6-foot guard was very creative in finding ways to get her teammates involved. One Twitter user even compared her passing skills to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shyhook.

Others compared her to Michael Jordan, who is well known for his competitiveness.

The 21-year-old basketball star nearly outscored Ohio State at halftime. She had 23 points at the break, just one point shy of the Buckeyes' scoring total.

Clark recorded her 10th career triple-double, setting the record for the most triple-doubles in conference history.


Caitlin Clark's stats in the 2022-23 season

Clark's performance against the Buckeyes was one of the many fantastic games she's had in the 2022-23 season. The basketball star has appeared in 32 games, posting impressive numbers.

She's averaging 27.0 points per game on 46.9% shooting. Clark is also efficient from long range, converting 37.9% of shots from beyond the arc.

Clark is a fantastic player who is known for triple-doubles. (Image via Getty Images)
Clark is a fantastic player who is known for triple-doubles. (Image via Getty Images)

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Besides her scoring, Caitlin Clark has also been a great all-around player, averaging 7.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

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