It’s nearing the end of March, and that means that both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball tournaments are winding down. Commonly known as March Madness, these tournaments are renowned for their craziness, and this year is no exception. 

The Men’s Final Four teams consist of 9-seed Florida Atlantic University, who had never had a March Madness win before this run; 5-seed San Diego State University, who have never been to a Final Four before; 5-seed Miami Florida University, who came from behind against powerhouse Texas for their first ever Final Four berth; and 4-seed University of Connecticut, fresh off a routing of fan-favorite Gonzaga in the Elite Eight. 

This Men’s March Madness is also unprecedented in the fact that zero 1-seeds made it to the Elite Eight, the final group of eight teams remaining in the tournament. This is the first time this has ever happened. 

However, the madness has not just been constrained to the Men’s tournament. Two 1-seeds didn’t even make the Sweet Sixteen in the Women’s tourney, a similarly unprecedented occurrence. 

But the most interesting part of this all is that despite all of this year’s college basketball insanity, one incident stands above the rest. That is Iowa Women’s basketball guard Caitlin Clark’s historic performance last night against Louisville.

Caitlin Clark recorded the first ever 40+ point triple-double in NCAA tournament history. She scored 41 points and recorded ten rebounds and 12 assists on 58% shooting. She also shot 8/14 from three. 

Clark, known for her goofiness on and off the court, seemed to channel something different this game. She played with a purpose that has solidified her as the most electric NCAA women’s basketball player ever and immortalized her in sports history. 

After the game, that purpose was revealed. Iowa assistant coach Jan Jensen, recently named NCAA Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year, informed the team before the game that her father had passed mere hours before the game. Clark, a close friend of her mentor Jensen, said she dedicated the win to Jensen’s father.

Caitlin Clark looks to build on her immense momentum in Iowa’s upcoming Final Four matchup against the winner of South Carolina versus Maryland. It will be on Friday the 31st, and either team will pose an extremely difficult challenge for the Hawkeyes. 

If Clark adds a championship to her already impressive resumé, with still one more year to go before she’s eligible to enter the WNBA, there is a good chance she will leave Iowa University as the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time. Many already believe she is. 

Regardless of how Iowa’s March Madness run shakes out, there is no taking away from Clark’s accomplishments. She has gotten every award there is to get. She has broken almost every record there is. She has now achieved what many thought no one thought she could, and that is the single greatest March Madness performance ever. All that’s left is the championship, and that’s only two wins away.