Are NCAA Sensations Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers Oversold? Analyzing Unexpected Start To 2023-24 NCAA Season

The NCAA season is getting wild and wacky. While some teams are cohesively producing unforeseen stars, others have seen major upsets by low-ranked or unranked teams with the downfall of their most dependable talents.

The biggies like Iowa Hawkeyes, UConn Huskies and the LSU have been defeated, while star players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have failed to uphold their spirits. These players were a force to reckon with at one point, but today they stand downhearted and dejected in their pursuit of the silverware.

A String of Upsets

The Iowa Hawkeyes contested against the Kansas State Wildcats in their fourth match on Friday. The Wildcats upset the Hawkeyes by comfortably edging past them by a narrow margin of 65-58. The Wildcats extended their win run to 3-0 with this unlikely victory. All eyes were set on the Hawkeyes star Clark to do her magic and pull off a win for her team.

But Clark could only pot 24 points in the game with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. She was blamed for her shot selection as she could just shoot 9-for-32 and 2-for-16 from deep. The 21-year-old missed four shots out of her team’s final three-ball acquisitions. The No. 2 seeded team thus lost a contest that was considered to be a cakewalk for them.

The University of Connecticut Huskies campaign was mired in complications when they received a huge blow from the NC State Wolfpack in their second match. Huskies’ point guard Bueckers tried her best to stage a comeback for her team. But she failed miserably and could only basket 27 points with 3 rebounds and the same number of assists.

The highly regarded point guard compared to the WNBA star Diana Taurasi couldn’t do much since she was eclipsed by NC State’s guard Saniya Rivers who besotted a match high of 33 points with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Bueckers had an ordinary field goals with 11-for-18. The UConn were also no. 2 seeded when they forfeited the game.

Similarly, the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers were trumped in their season opener by the Colorado Buffaloes with a respectable margin of 92-78. The Lady Tigers’ stretch four Reese only pocketed 15 points with 12 rebounds and a solitary assist. Though she reached the double double, Reese’s performance was less than satisfactory.

While she is one of the most popular players and a face of the women’s college league, the Bayou Barbie could only shoot 6-of-15 from the field and had only two turnovers. Notably, the Maryland-born has smashed 15 points or less in only four of her 36 games last season. This also led to many considering her an overhyped player.

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Clark and Bueckers’ display is disparaging taking into account that they both have won the Wooden award previously. While the start of the season has seen some unexpected losses, it has also given the fans newer players who have stepped up on the occasion to help their teams sail past their opponents.

The Sun Rises Again

One such breakout star has been the University of South Carolina Gamecocks’ freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley. FuLwiley thrashed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in her first match by smoking her team’s second-highest (17) points in the contest. She also provided the impetus to her team for winning the match with her six assists.

During her next game against the Maryland Terrapins, Fulwiley was again provided the opportunity to prove her mettle. She smoked 12 points in the 15 minutes she was allowed on the court, establishing herself as major scorer as the Gamecocks comprehensively won the match once again smashing more than a cent points.

Fulwiley grooved a game-high of 18 points in her third match against the Clemson Tigers. While the Gamecocks wrecked 109 points, they restricted the Tigers to just 40 points. Fulwiley also nabbed 9 rebounds and 3 assists in that contest.

Another buzzworthy talent in this NCAA season has been the University of Southern California Trojans point guard JuJu Watkins. Watkins has stunned all with her exemplary performances. She basketed a game high of 32 points in her maiden match setting the USC record for the highest points by a debutant.

She again had a team-high of 18 points in her next match with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, tying with the USC forward Rayah Marshall. The 18-year-old seized 7 rebounds in the process.

Watkins replicated her heroics from the first game against the Le Moyne, pounding a career high of 35 points with 9 rebounds and 2 assists. The Trojans have majorly rested on Watkins who has played a crucial role in all their victories.

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Players like Reese, Bueckers, and Clark have fallen flat on the audience’s expectations whereas Watkins and Fulwiley have proved to be emerging stars. There have been some major upsets this season, but it is this unpredictability that makes the game all the more exciting.