Despite Being Only 17 Points Away, Caitlin Clark Still Remains in Pete Maravich’s Shadow in Other NCAA Stat

The day is finally arriving for Caitlin Clark to be at the top of the mountain. The Iowa Hawkeyes superstar will soon end the 5 decades wait and become the all-time top scorer in college basketball history, leaving LSU legend Pete Maravich in the dust. While some are excited that she will soon etch her name in the history books, some don’t seem pleased when a comparison is made between these two collegiate icons. Recently, popular talk show host Mike North expressed his dissatisfaction with many weighing Caitlin on the same scale as Pete Maravich.

He recently went on his official X account and expressed his unfiltered views, along with some facts about Caitlin’s upcoming feat. He tweeted, “CaitlinClark isn’t pistol Pete Maravich ..want to do some cleanup here. She’s played 129 games and Pete played 83 she’s played 46 more games. She averages 28 points for career and Pistol 44 points. he did it without a shot clock. Clark has 502 threes had pistol 0.”

While it took almost 4 seasons for Clark to get close to his numbers, Pistol Pete was able to accomplish it in just three. So, the 46-game difference is due to the fact that the freshman eligibility criteria was introduced after his NCAA career. Moreover, variabilities like the 3-point shot and the shot clock, like Mike said, weren’t introduced at that time. Their college PPG tells a clear story.

While Maravich (44.2 PPG) is the PPG leader in overall NCAA history, Clark (28.3 PPG) is second only to Patricia Hoskins in the women’s division, who averaged 28.4. On Sunday, she might also be looking to overtake the Mississippi legend as she aims for the top. She will need to score at least 40 points to go past Hoskins in career points average.

Read More- When and Where Is Iowa’s Next Game in Which Caitlin Clark Can Surpass Pete Maravich’s NCAA Record?

Meanwhile, a former NCAA star and a college basketball legend during Pete’s time also contributed to the debate.

Pete Maravich’s former opponent weighs in

Talking recently to ESPN, the man who took UCLA to great heights, Bill Walton had slightly contrasting views. While he agreed with North that statistical comparisons are problematic, he also talked about the similarities between these stellar athletes.

Walton said, “One of the great things about the best of the best players like Pete and Caitlin is that they play the game on the run. They’re not using a physical advantage to move their opponents out of the way. They’re not that big. But nobody can stop them. When you think of great scientists or musicians or stage performers, whatever it was they did, they just captivated everyone else’s attention. That’s what Pete Maravich did quite a few years ago. That’s what Caitlin Clark is doing right now.”

Whether or not Caitlin matches the standards set by Pistol Pete is a debate that will continue in the future. Anyhow, fans will be glad to see her climb the stairs to immortality. As we inch closer to this historical moment, there is no denying that both these players deserve every piece of appreciation for their contributions to college basketball.

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