You break it, you own it

The GIST: Folks, she’s done it. As mentioned, No. 4 Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark is now the all-time NCAA women’s basketball leading scorer with a whopping 3,569 points, sealing the deal with a signature logo three while dropping a career-high 49 points in last night’s 106–89 win over Michigan. The best part? She’s nowhere near done yet.

How it happened: After coming up short in a Super Bowl Sunday upset loss to Nebraska, Clark wasted no time breaking the record last night, getting the job done in the first three minutes — then continuing her stellar showing by racking up a double-double with 13 assists.

The impact: The Caitlin Clark Effect warrants revisiting. Tickets for last night’s historic showdown reached astronomical prices, her games have become appointment viewing, and her knack for adding to her highlight reels with jaw-dropping shots and smooth passes creates a never-ending stream of viral moments. The world just can’t stop watching.

What’s next: Along with the non-NCAA records, Clark will now chase down former LSU and NBA star Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old all-time NCAA scoring record of 3,667 points as her Hawkeyes look ahead to next month’s March Madness, where Iowa is a projected No. 2 seed.

• Not to get ahead of ourselves, but the 2024 WNBA Draft is also on everyone’s mind. Clark still has another year of NCAA eligibility and could return to Iowa for a fifth season — but she’s been tight-lipped about whether or not she’ll go pro.

• If she does stay in school, she’ll join the Hawkeyes in the just-announced inaugural Women’s Championship Classic next December, featuring the best that NCAA women’s hoops has to offer — including, perhaps, the sport’s newly minted GOAT.

The GIST: Stock up on gummy worms and settle in for some romance — it’s NCAA baseball’s opening day. A whopping 305 Division I teams will take today’s field in pursuit of the sport’s Holy Grail: a ticket to June’s Men’s College World Series (MCWS) in Omaha.

Teams to know: Reigning champ No. 4 LSU could nab another natty this year, but after they lost college baseball’s top two players to July’s MLB Draft, No. 1 Wake Forest is the team to beat. LSU ousted the Demon Deacons from last year’s MCWS in an 11-inning instant classic, but Wake’s veteran talent gives them this season’s edge.

• LSU must also contend with the cutthroat SEC, which has six preseason Top-10 teams. Leading that list? MCWS runners-up No. 2 Florida, who boast one of the game’s most exciting players, junior pitcher and reigning home run leader Jac Caglianone.

What to watch: Unlike their female counterparts, baseball’s opening weekend doesn’t feature many blockbusters. There are just two Top-25 matchups on deck: No. 9 Tennessee vs. No. 21 Texas Tech tonight at 8 p.m. ET, and No. 12 Duke vs. No. 18 Coastal Carolina Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. But that means the weekend’s ripe for upsets, so grab your peanuts and Cracker Jack, and let’s play ball!

🎾 Men’s tennis: ITA Indoor Championship — Today through Monday at various times — Various streaming sites

• Is a three-peat brewing? No. 2–seed TCU are chasing their third straight indoor title, but they’ll have to go through the country’s 15 other best teams, including No. 1 Ohio State, to get it. Serve’s up!

🏀 Women’s basketball: No. 9 UCLA Bruins (19-4) vs. No. 11 Oregon State Beavers (20-3) — Today at 10 p.m. ET — Pac-12 Network

• Oregon State beat No. 8 Colorado and No. 22 Utah twice en route to a five-game win streak. Can that momentum carry them through their toughest challenge yet as they host the Bruins tonight before No. 10 USC on Sunday?

🥍 Women’s lacrosse: No. 5 Syracuse Orange (1-1) vs. No. 9 Maryland Terrapins (1-0) — Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET — ACCNX

• This spicy Top-10 matchup is the first in a double-header — Syracuse’s No. 5 men host No. 4 Maryland just six hours later. A lax rat’s dream.

🏀 Men’s basketball: No. 1 UConn Huskies (23-2) vs. No. 4 Marquette Golden Eagles (19-5) — Tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET — FOX

• UConn’s one of the most upset-proof teams in this chaotic season, but they haven’t faced a Top-10 team since December 15th. Plus, Marquette needs a big win entering a tough stretch of schedule, so expect a classic Big East dogfight from this pair.