By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Given where she is now, some might find it hard to believe that Caitlin Clark wasn’t the top-ranked player in her high school senior class.

That distinction was bestowed on Minnesota native Paige Bueckers, who now plays for Connecticut, which faces Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in an NCAA Final Four semifinal on Friday in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Clark versus Bueckers matchup will be the storyline within the storyline, two generational talents trying to lead their team to a national championship.

Clark came close last season as Iowa fell to Louisiana State in the national title game.

Clark’s performance during last year’s March Madness is when her brand and her legend started soaring to a level never seen before in college sports, and rarely in professional sports.

She is now a sports phenomenon and a cultural icon, while Bueckers is back to doing what she does so well on the court as she impacts the game in so many ways on both ends.

As for the rankings coming out of high school, it wasn’t as if Clark was disrespected or overlooked.

The former West Des Moines Dowling star was ranked fourth in the 2020 class by ESPN, behind Bueckers, Angel Reese and Cameron Brink.

Bueckers would go on to become the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year in 2021.

She led the Huskies in points, assists, steals and three-point field goal percentage as a freshman for a team that played in the Final Four and finished 28-2 overall.

Clark also had a spectacular freshman season in which she averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game for a team that finished 20-10 overall.

Both players had lived up to their enormous hype as 6-foot freshmen phenoms, but Bueckers still had a slight edge from an individual ranking and from an accolade standpoint.

The circumstances would change dramatically over the next two years, however, as injuries derailed Bueckers’ ascent to legendary status.

She only played in 17 games as a sophomore because of an injury and she missed her entire junior season in 2022-23 after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in August 2022.

Clark, on the other hand, has avoided any serious injury and is now the NCAA’s all-time leading in scoring for both men and women. She is also the only player in NCAA DI men’s or women’s basketball history to lead her conference in scoring and assists in four consecutive seasons, and she is the sixth player to ever amass 1,000-plus career assists.

Off the court, Clark has become a marketing and branding force with endorsements from a growing list of businesses that include State Farm Insurance, Hy-Vee and Gatorade.

Clark also recently was offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube’s BIG3 league, and she is considered a lock to be selected first in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.

Clark has become what many thought Bueckers was on the verge of becoming before injuries derailed her career.

Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder held a press conference on Tuesday in which she was asked about Clark not getting as much attention as Bueckers coming out of high school, and if that now serves as motivation.

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma also didn’t make Clark a recruiting priority even though Clark grew up as a Huskie fan.

“You know, Paige is playing really well,” Bluder said. “She’s a great player. She was the national player of the year coming out of high school. Just a tremendous, tremendous player.

“We try not to make it be situations where it’s this person versus this person or this team versus this team. We just really try to focus on Iowa.

“That’s what we want to focus on. We don’t want to focus on rivalries or paybacks or anything like that. That’s just not us.”

Auriemma was asked about facing Clark shortly after both teams had advanced to the Final Four.

“I hope that Caitlin Clark had a personal agenda against LSU,” Auriemma said, referencing the rematch of last season’s national title game between the Hawkeyes and the Tigers. “And I know there’s nothing personal between me and her, so I don’t need to be seeing her drop 50 on us next weekend. I love her. I think she’s the best player…forget I ever said Paige [Bueckers] is the best player in the country. I think [Clark]’s the best player of all time.”

Auriemma’s opinion apparently has changed, considering he didn’t offer Clark a scholarship in high school.

Or perhaps he was just doing damage control in preparation for Friday’s much-anticipated showdown.

Clark and Bueckers are similar in height, and they share the same competitive spirit.

But their playing styles are different.

Bueckers is more efficient and probably a better defender, while Clark is more dynamic as a scorer and as a passer.

Bueckers can certainly make 3-point shots, but Clark is in a class by herself as a 3-point shooter. Clark’s range stretches almost to mid-court, while her ability to create space as a shooter is incredible.

Clark set an NCAA Tournament record with nine threes in the 94-87 win over LSU on Monday. She finished with 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.

When her 3-point shots are falling, Clark is close to unstoppable, and because of that, so is her team.

Bueckers has a better supporting cast if you factor in high school rankings, but Iowa has Caitlin Clark and a veteran supporting that it is playing extremely well.

Iowa’s role players know exactly what is expected from them and they gladly accept their roles because they know that Clark’s presence makes them better.

Clark and Bueckers both make their teammates better.

Clark is a terrific shooter, but she is arguably a better passer.

Her immense talent combined with her flamboyant playing style and her moxie has fans captivated.

It’s hard to think of another college player, man or woman, that causes fans from visiting teams to wait in line for hours just to see her play.

Clark has that effect.

Bueckers is more steady than spectacular.

She doesn’t play with same flash as Clark, but she is more efficient and has no weaknesses on either end of the court.

Friday’s game in the Final Four will be the second time that Clark and Bueckers have faced each other in the NCAA Tournament.

UConn won the first matchup 92-72 in the Sweet 16 when they were freshmen in 2021. Bueckers finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and just turnovers, while Clark finished with 21 points, three rebounds, five assists and five turnovers.

Bueckers already was considered the best player in the country after coming in as the most highly touted freshman.

The fact that she played for one of the true super powers in women’s college basketball also helped her reputation to grow.

Who knows where Bueckers would be right now from a popularity and from a branding standpoint if she had avoided injuries.

She and Clark also played their freshmen seasons during a global pandemic, so while Bueckers took center stage, few actually saw her play in person.

And while fans from both schools will argue about who is better between the two superstars, it makes more sense to appreciate them both for their greatness.

Bueckers deserves praise for her resiliency and for her determination to overcome obstacles.

Injuries are the worst part of the game, and Bueckers has dealt with more than her share, but she hasn’t let it break her.

Clark, meanwhile, has soared to unprecedented heights individually and from a team standpoint.

Nobody could have predicted that Clark, even as a five-star recruit, would be this good.

It was obvious that she would be good in college.

But this good?

Clark is the talk of the nation, arguably the greatest offensive player the college game has ever seen.

She is what many probably envisioned Bueckers would be.

And now they get to square off on the biggest stage.

We’re just fortunate to be able to witness it.