"I thought I was going to UConn": $3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark's early love for Huskies could have landed her up with Paige Bueckers

Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are two of the biggest names in college basketball. Numerous sold-out crowds in home and away games is a testament to both players' drawing power.

Due to the Iowa Hawkeyes star's popularity, Clark's past is of interest to fans. A fantasy scenario of teaming up with Paige Bueckers in UConn was a point of discussion among college basketball pundits after an Instagram post by ESPN and ESPNW highlighted Clark wearing a Huskies jersey alongside Bueckers.

"I thought I was going to UConn." - Caitlin Clark

Both Caitlin Clark's and Paige Buecker's teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes and UConn Huskies, respectively, are poised to make a big run in March Madness.

Both have some of the most valued NIL (name, image and likeness) among college players, according to On3’s rankings: Caitlin Clark with a $3.1 million value, while Paige Bueckers has a $643,000 value.

---

What Caitlin Clark said about joining UConn

Clark said during the Big Ten conference tournament that she looked up to Maya Moore.

"I loved women’s basketball was because of her and how good the Lynx were, and obviously a lot of other people as well. - Clark said.

The Iowa native elaborated about her basketball idol, Moore, and that she wanted to join UConn when she was young.

"I wanted to be just like her. I thought I was going to UConn when I was growing up, but obviously that didn’t happen," she added.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (29-4) recently clinched another Big Ten Conference championship, beating Nebraska, 94-89 in overtime. Clark scored 30 of her 34 points in the second half. Iowa has been dominant in its conference, winning its third straight Big Ten title since the 2020-21 season.

Caitlin Clark broke numerous records leading up to the big dance, including breaking Pete Maravich's NCAA Division 1 all-time career scoring record of 3,667 points, a milestone that was untouched for 54 years before the six-foot-zero senior surpassed the mark.

Clark has been putting monster numbers across the board in her fourth year with the Hawkeyes,averaging 31.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists, in 33 games leading up to the NCAA tournament.

Bueckers and UConn (29-5), meanwhile, have also put their mark in their conference, going undefeated in the Big East with an 18-0 record.

In Paige Bueckers's first full season after returning from an ACL injury in Aug. 2022, she's averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 34 games. The five-foot-11 guard from Hopkins, Minnesota is shooting an impressive 53.8% from the field and 42.4% from the 3-point line.