The NCAA post that sparked attention around Clark’s omission
A recent NCAA March Madness post celebrating WNBA stars quickly caught fans’ attention, but not necessarily for the reason you might expect. The video highlighted several standout players and their impressive professional milestones, while one familiar name was noticeably missing.
With the 2026 WNBA season producing new records and memorable performances, the omission has sparked plenty of discussion. Here’s a closer look at the post, the players featured, and the record-setting moments surrounding the conversation.
Four WNBA stars were featured
The NCAA video highlighted four players and connected each one to a professional achievement. Wilson reached 100 career games with at least 25 points, while Bueckers became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,400 points and 400 assists.
Miles moved into second place for assists by a rookie in WNBA history, while Reese was featured for her rebounding records. Those accomplishments came during the 2026 WNBA season, connecting the players’ college careers with their current professional results.
Wilson joined an elite scoring group
A’ja Wilson became the second player in WNBA history to record 100 career games with at least 25 points, joining Diana Taurasi in reaching that milestone.
Wilson entered the WNBA after a decorated college career at South Carolina, where she won an NCAA championship and earned national player of the year honors. In 2026, she was selected as a WNBA All-Star starter.
Bueckers reached two major totals
Paige Bueckers became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,400 points and 400 assists. The Dallas Wings guard entered the league as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after completing her college career at Connecticut.
Bueckers was selected to her second WNBA All-Star team in 2026. By August, she averaged more than 20 points per game while shooting at least 50% from the field and 39% from 3-point range.
Miles moved into second among rookies
Olivia Miles moved into second place for assists by a rookie in WNBA history. On August 24, she recorded her 225th career assist, passing Ticha Penicheiro and leaving only Caitlin Clark ahead.
Miles was selected No. 2 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft by Minnesota after playing at TCU. She became a 2026 All-Star starter and entered late August with the Lynx holding a strong record.
Reese set two rebounding records
Angel Reese’s inclusion centered on rebounding records that changed during the same week as the NCAA post. On August 24, she grabbed 26 rebounds against the Los Angeles Sparks, breaking the WNBA single-game record and pushing her season total to 458.
Reese’s 458 rebounds surpassed A’ja Wilson’s previous single-season record of 451. The Atlanta Dream forward added 11 points in the 78-71 victory, giving her a WNBA-leading 27th double-double.
Clark owns the rookie assist record
Caitlin Clark was absent even though the record highlighted for Olivia Miles follows Clark’s rookie achievement. Clark finished her 2024 debut season with 337 assists, the most ever by a WNBA rookie at the time.
That rookie campaign earned Clark the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. She became the first rookie to record a triple-double, while leading all rookies in scoring and assists.
Interesting fact: The 2026 NCAA women’s tournament averaged 1.3 million viewers across ESPN networks, up 5% from 2025 and making it ESPN’s second-most-watched women’s NCAA Tournament.
Clark added another WNBA record
On August 23, 2026, Caitlin Clark scored 37 points and recorded 10 assists in the Indiana Fever’s 113-90 win over the Chicago Sky. She made a career-high 8 three-pointers during the game.
The performance marked her fifth career WNBA game with at least 30 points and 10 assists, extending her record for the most such games in league history
Interesting fact: The NCAA women’s tournament began with just 32 teams in 1982 before expanding to 68 teams, the format used today.
Clark remains NCAA basketball’s scoring leader
Clark finished her Iowa career with 3,951 points, becoming the NCAA Division I women’s all-time scoring leader during the 2023-24 season. She later passed Pete Maravich for the overall Division I scoring record.
She also finished as the NCAA Division I women’s career 3-point leader. Clark won the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 2023 and 2024, while Iowa reached the national championship game in both seasons.
Clark was a March Madness centerpiece
Clark reached two straight national championship games with Iowa. In 2023, she recorded a 40-point triple-double against Louisville, and in 2024 she led the Hawkeyes back to the championship game.
During the 2024 season and NCAA tournament, Clark broke the NCAA Division I women’s single-season scoring record and passed Diana Taurasi for the most career 3-pointers in NCAA tournament history. Iowa lost the 2024 championship game to South Carolina.
Clark was also a 2026 All-Star starter
Clark was selected as a starter for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. She ranked third among guards in weighted voting, behind Paige Bueckers and Olivia Miles, and received the second-highest fan ranking among guards.
The 2026 All-Star roster included Clark, Bueckers, Wilson, Miles and Reese. Clark’s selection marked her third WNBA All-Star appearance, while Bueckers and Miles made their second and first appearances, respectively.
The post drew immediate attention
The NCAA post became a discussion point across sports media because Clark was not among the four players shown. Reports noted that fans questioned why the video highlighted Miles’ rookie-assist standing while Clark remained the WNBA’s all-time rookie assist leader.
Former ESPN anchor Linda Cohn publicly criticized the omission. The NCAA post did not state that Clark was intentionally excluded, and the organization did not publicly provide a reason.
The internet is also talking about WNBA fans pointing to Caitlin Clark as the league’s leading star based on key numbers.
The records continued to change
The 2026 WNBA season continued to feature historic performances from several former college stars. Angel Reese, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers, A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark all recorded notable achievements during the season.
Clark also continued adding to her WNBA milestones, including multiple games with 30 points and 10 assists. The 2026 regular season continued toward the postseason, with teams competing for playoff positions as the schedule approached its conclusion.
In other news, South Korea under fire as unusual LLWS tactic sparks backlash.
What do you think about Caitlin Clark being left out of the NCAA March Madness post? Do you think her recent WNBA accomplishments deserved a mention? Like this post and comment your thoughts.
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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