Is Caitlin Clark injured? Looking at Iowa star’s availability against Illinois

Geoff
Iowa v Indiana
No. 22 Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes walks down the court after missing a shot in the second half of the 86-69 loss to the Indiana Hoosiers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on February 22, 2024 in Bloomington, Indiana.

Caitlin Clark and her No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes host the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday afternoon, with tipoff at 2 p.m. ET at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

Clark is 57 points away from breaking Lynette Woodard's major women's college scoring record and 75 from passing Pete Maravich's NCAA all-time scoring mark.

The Hawkeyes (23-4, 12-3 Big Ten) are coming off Thursday's 86-69 loss to No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers. Clark was limited to 24 points on 8 of 26 shooting from the field.

The setback relegated Iowa to third place in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes are two games behind leaders Ohio State and half a game away from second-running Indiana.

Iowa will stake its 11-game home winning streak against Illinois today, who stunned the Hoosiers, 86-66, on Feb. 19.

Read More: Will Caitlin Clark play in the 2024 Olympics? Exploring Iowa Guard's chances of making Team USA

Is Caitlin Clark playing today?

Yes, Clark, who played 39 minutes in Iowa's last game against Indiana, is expected to suit up in this important matchup against the Fighting Illini (13-12, 7-8). A win could keep the Hawkeyes in contention for the Big Ten title with two games remaining in the regular season.

Is Caitlin Clark injured?

Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes is defended by Chloe Moore-McNeil of the Indiana Hoosiers.
Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes is defended by Chloe Moore-McNeil of the Indiana Hoosiers.

No. There were no reports of Clark suffering an injury in her last game. She is listed as healthy and will play for the Hawkeyes in their pivotal clash against Illinois.

Who was the Ohio State fan who knocked down Caitlin Clark?

Caitlin Clark was shaken up after the game against Ohio State on Jan. 21. She collided with a fan who stormed the court after the Buckeyes defeated the Hawkeyes 100-92.

According to a report from The Lantern, the phone-holding fan, whose name remains undisclosed, was seen running toward the crowd while Clark was rushing toward her team's locker room. Both hit each other and fell on the hardwood.

The fan looked back and got up while the Iowa Hawkeyes superstar was on the floor, as Clark's teammates rushed to her aid.

An Ohio State redshirt senior spotted the incident. She went over to check on Clark's condition, but an usher pushed her away. Further video footage saw the Iowa superstar slouching in pain.

Minutes after the incident, Clark said she was "fine."

Ohio State team officials, led by athletic director Gene Smith, approached Clark and Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder to apologize for the incident.

The event involving Clark and the Ohio State fan was raised anew following another court-storming fiasco that occurred after the Duke-Wake Forest game on Saturday night. Blue Devils' Kyle Filipowski suffered a knee injury after the incident.

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