Caitlin Clark is one of the best 3-point shooters in college history. The Iowa Hawkeyes senior hit her signature 3-pointer to become the Division I women's all-time leading scorer in mid-February, then added six long-range bombs in a game just over two weeks later, passing Pete Maravich for the most career points in Division I history for men and women.
JuJu Watkins is the presumptive national freshman of the year and is ranked second in the Division I women's standings this season – behind Clark – and has the USC Trojans one win away from their first Final Four since 1986. She is eight points short of breaking the individual score for the newcomer of the season.
But as Clark and Watkins lead their teams to the Elite Eight on Monday – the Hawkeyes face LSU in an NCAA title game rematch in Albany (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Trojans play UConn in Portland (9 p.m ET, ESPN) – their shots are not falling with the same frequency as they have been all season.
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In six games this postseason – including the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments – Clark shot 28.9% from behind the arc. Last season, when she led Iowa to the Final Four, she hit 41.7% of her 3-point attempts in nine postseason games. She still scores virtually the same as she did last postseason, but her points average in the 2024 postseason is slightly lower (29.0) compared to her full-season average (31.7).
Watkins, on the other hand, no longer shoots as accurately as he did at the beginning of this season. With a 40% shooting percentage this season, she hit just 29% of her attempts from the field in the Sweet 16.
But both players still get the job done. Clark scored 29 points in the Sweet 16 while Watkins scored 30, the second-most points by a USC player in an NCAA Tournament game.
We look at how they adjusted their games, what works (and what doesn't) for two of the most-watched players in March Madness, and how long they can keep winning if their shots don't get hot.
How did Clark adjust to the fact that her 3-point shot missed?
With her typical 3-point shots not falling as often, Caitlin Clark has improved her 2-point shooting, posting a 62.96% shooting percentage in six postseason games. Last year, she shot 57.1% from 2-point range in nine postseason games. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Clark is six 3-pointers away from tying Oklahoma's Taylor Robertson, who made 537 3-pointers in five seasons – the most points in Division I history. She has 136 in Monday's Elite Eight game against LSU Shot 37.7% from behind the arc in Iowa games.
This postseason, Clark is 22 of 76 from behind the arc. Last season, she made 45 of 108 3-point attempts. In 30 regular season games, Clark made 162 3-pointers (5.7 per game). In six postseason games, she has 22 (3.7).
However, their 2-point percentage is better this postseason than last. This year, she shot 34 of 54 (62.96%) from 2-point range in six games. Last year, she was 57.1% (40 of 70) from 2-point range in nine postseason games.
Against Colorado on Saturday in the Sweet 16, Clark was shot 10 of 11 from 2-point range but 3 of 11 from beyond the arc. She also had 15 assists, the most of her NCAA Tournament career.
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“I think when you play in environments that you're not always used to and when you play in tournament environments where the turnaround time isn't always the best, you're a little more sore,” Clark said when asked if that was the case Case in point, everything was different when filming the 3 this offseason.
“But I think [it’s important] I'm not satisfied with 3-pointers. I think I shot 19 3s in 22 total shots in the last game against LSU. So… I don't fall in love with my 3-point shot, but with being able to get in the air, which allows my teammates to get open. I think that will be another key factor for this game, being able to score at all three levels.”
In last year's national championship game, Clark shot a total of 9 of 22 from the field and 8 of 19 from 3-point range. She was also 4 of 5 from the free throw line and finished with 30 points and 8 assists. It was a good performance in a national championship game. But Clark might need even more to beat LSU this year.
“They are such a good defensive team. They’re so long,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “[Against Colorado, Clark’s] 3 didn't fall, so she did what a smart basketball player does: “Okay, I'm going to score in a different way, I'm going to assist the ball, I'm going to get to the rim.” She didn't make it to the free throw line yesterday. That was somehow unusual.
“I have to find ways for her to get to the rim because LSU is just that good.”
Clark hasn't let the decline in 3-point percentage affect her offensive performance. In addition to increased accuracy in 2-point shooting, she also saw a slight increase in assists.
Her assists this postseason (10.3 APG) are above her season average (8.9). And Clark's postseason points and assist averages in 2023 and 2024 are virtually identical.
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How did Watkins score points without shooting accurately?
According to ESPN Stats & Information, in Saturday's come-from-behind win over Baylor, Watkins became just the third player since 2000 to score at least 20 points on 45% shooting or less in each of his team's first three NCAA Tournament games.
Previously, Kelsey Plum made it in Washington's first four games en route to the 2016 Final Four, while Chennedy Carter's 2017 and 2018 appearances with Texas A&M both ended in the Sweet 16.
These types of shots aren't necessarily unusual for Watkins, as he only managed 40% of his shots from the field while also directing much of the Trojans' offense. The 43% of USC games it has finished with a shot, a trip to the free throw line or a turnover leads the NCAA, according to HerHoopStats.com, with Clark not far behind (40%). With the defense sending multiple players in Watkins' direction, it had to supplement its shooting with a steady dose of trips to the free throw line.
“I think she has the maturity in her game where if her shot isn't falling and she finds the way to the rim,” Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb said, “that gets her into the rhythm a little bit to get to the rim Free throw to get to the line.”
JuJu Watkins scored 30 points in the Sweet 16, the second-highest score by a USC player in women's NCAA tournament history. But she was 8 of 28 from the field. Steph Chambers/Getty Images
On the season, Watkins leads the NCAA in free throws made and attempted. Although Watkins (85%) is not as accurate from distance as Clark, she has almost reached her foul shooting rate of 86% and has taken advantage of these frequent opportunities.
“I think the free throw line is key in this phase of the game,” Watkins said. “Anything I can do to make sure we get it [scores] down the stretch, maybe if it's not our turn or we're getting a little cold, I'm just trying to make sure I get to the basket and the free throw line.
Those skills took center stage Saturday as Watkins shot 8 of 28 (29%) from the field against a Baylor defense anxious to limit its early chances. Watkins' ability to get to the foul line in the fourth quarter propelled USC to the Elite Eight. Seven of the Trojans' last eight points came on free throws, including back-to-back goals in the final 30 seconds of a one-score game.
Overall, Watkins was 12 of 13 from the charity stripe, allowing her to score 30 points on a night when she wasn't on the field.
“Obviously she's at her best when all three levels are right,” Gottlieb said, “but you always know she can get to her pull-up or the free throw line, one or the other. The defense can't take everything away.”
As the competition increases, poor shots from Watkins could spell doom for the Trojans. Plum's 2016 run, in which she averaged 26.3 PPG on 38% shooting through the first four games, ended with a 5-for-18 finish in a 21-point loss to Syracuse in the Final Four.
For now, Watkins is doing whatever it takes to help USC move forward.
