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31 P laying basketball is supposed to be fun. In her first collegiate season, University of Iowa point guard Caitlin Clark had a lot of fun. When Iowa's season ended March 27 with a record of 20-10, Clark was tops among all Division I players in scoring (26.6) and assists (7.1) per game. Yes, Clark had a lot of fun. It was most noticeable in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Kentucky on March 23 in San Antonio. With the do-or-die nature of postseason basketball, the game at hand is always the most important. Because of that, March Madness can be a time when heroes are made or heroes are authenticated. Already a regional star aer the first 28 games of the 2020-21 season, the sensational Clark took it a step further and exceled in front of a national audience with another head-shaking performance. is time the monster output came against the Wildcats. She not only outscored the entire Kentucky roster in the first half (24 to 22), but finished with a statistics line of 35 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six made 3-point field goals. It is the most points by a Hawkeye in an NCAA game and the most scored in the 2021 tournament to date. "It came at a good time when we were trying to get to the Sweet 16, but it wouldn't have happened without my teammates," Clark said. "ey create so many things for me. ey put me in position to be successful." More importantly, the young Hawkeyes advanced in the postseason by winning their 20th game — 86-72 — and moved to the Sweet 16 for the eighth time in school history. "ey didn't have us in the (NCAA Tournament) field to start this season, but this team believed and worked hard every day," Clark said. "It is something you dream of since you're a little kid. I'm excited for this program." e face of one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, Clark burst onto the scene by scoring 30-or- more points 12 times. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year aer winning the conference honor of Freshman of the Week 13 times and overall Player of the Week five times. Clark was first-team All- Big Ten and second-team All-America. Quick, fearless, impressive. She had it all on display against Kentucky, making 13 of 21 field goals (6 of 12 from distance) and 3 of 3 from the free throw line. In pregame shoot-around, Clark called the Bill Greehey Arena a "shooter's gym." Aren't they all when the basketball leaves Clark's hands? For the season, she made 116 3-point field goals at a 41-percent clip. "I was feeling my shot early in the first half, so when it's going, you just keep shooting it," Clark said. at suits Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder, who said, "If she thinks it's a shooter's gym, let her have it." Clark evolved into Iowa's human highlight reel with a season-high 39 points at Nebraska on Feb. 11 and seven 3-pointers against Michigan two weeks later. Her 27-point performance against the Wolverines was her season bright spot…until the Kentucky game. "I would put this one up there with the Michigan game, if not above that because of the circumstances of playing in the NCAA Tournament," Clark said. "Obviously it is one of my better games personally; when the shot is feeling good and going down, you just keep shooting." For the season, Clark set a freshman record with 799 points. e most points by a Hawkeye in a season is 1,001 by Megan Gustafson in 2018-19. Gustafson also holds the career scoring record with 2,781 points from 2015-19. ose are formidable numbers for Clark to chase. In her first three (of what appears to be many) NCAA Tournament games, she averaged 26.3 points and 6.0 assists per game. She shot 48 percent from the field with 13 3-point field goals. Clark's sustained success has Hawkeye fans eager to see what this young team can accomplish in the next three seasons…and beyond. Bluder calls Iowa's fantastic freshman one of the loudest, goofiest kids on the team. "We want focus, but we also want joy and I think she plays with a lot of joy," Bluder said. During a season when the Hawkeyes won 20 games, advanced to the finals of the Big Ten Tournament and made an appearance in the Sweet 16, it's easy to see why Clark spent most of the season with an All- American-sized smile on her face. "It is a game and it's supposed to be fun," Bluder said. "Caitlin loves to have fun."