No Clark, no history? That’s what the women’s Final Four ratings suggest. This is a year where women’s basketball would have to try to thrive without the Caitlin Clark effect, and to a certain extent, they managed to do it. As compared to 2023, every other round of the 2025 tournament surpassed previous viewership significantly, but that comes with a caveat that all Clark fans were simply waiting for!

You see, the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas Longhorns (4.1 million viewers) ended with the former team walking away with a 74-57 win. Then, there was the UConn Huskies battling it out with the UCLA Bruins (3.6 million viewers), and UConn got the last laugh with an 85-51 blowout win. But these victories didn’t have the kind of attention that Clark brought in. As per reports, the Final Four this year was 14% less in comparison to the 4.54 million average from 2023.

These numbers aren’t bad by any measure (this Final Four happened to be the third-most watched semifinals in the last 30 years), but simply weren’t where former Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark bumped them up to. In fact, ‘Sports Media Watch’ reported, “Viewership fell 65 percent from last year’s record-high of 11.0 million and a more modest 13% from 4.5 million in 2023,” but that’s not where the viewership comparison ends. South Carolina versus UConn going into the championship game was seen as the best matchup in order to grab more viewers this year, but did it stand up to the expectations?

Well, there was a time when championship wins were the norm for UConn, but unfortunately, the tides had changed in the past nine years as UConn experienced its longest title drought. But Bueckers and her team ended that on Sunday while head coach Geno Auriemma couldn’t help but pray. “I don’t think the basketball gods would take us all the way to the end—they’ve been really cruel with some of the kids on this team. They’ve suffered a lot of the things that could go wrong in their college careers as an athlete. So they don’t need any more heartbreak,” he stated after their win. But the game was unable to match the 18.9 million Iowa–South Carolina matchup last year, and viewership fell by 44%.

Regardless, it is a big win for UConn’s Paige Bueckers as she entered their gates with the dream of winning a championship. It was a storybook ending for her after she was the last one to get on the ladder and cut a piece of the net as her teammates and coaching staff looked on—A tradition the program follows for a national championship win.

But while this is a big time for them to celebrate, Caitlin Clark comparisons have cropped up once again. What did basketball fans say?

Basketball fans shun Paige Bueckers’ viewership feat in favor of Caitlin Clark…

Caitlin Clark brought a new life to NCAA basketball during her four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists she averaged throughout 139 games made her a popular figure in women’s basketball. She drew attention when, as a junior for Iowa during the 2023 NCAA tournament, she set tournament records in points and three-pointers while the Hawkeyes secured a runner-up finish. This ultimately led to a rise in viewership of games featuring her, along with an increase in ticket sales and merchandise. This phenomenon, which was dubbed the ‘Caitlin Clark effect’, continues to be seen even in the WNBA now.

One social media user wrote, “Caitlyn Clark Effect”. It is what everybody would have been thinking after reading the new reports.

Another individual wrote, “Paige Bueckers doesn’t have that same aura as Caitlin Clark in the end”. Well, both players are different people with different personalities. Throughout four college seasons, and 122 games with the UConn Huskies, Bueckers averaged 19.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. Bueckers has been the AP Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American, along with being the holder of both the Wooden and Naismith trophies. But now Bueckers has something that Clark doesn’t have: An NCAA championship trophy

One social media user saw the Final Four viewership numbers for this year, and the previous year, and commented, “Gee, wonder why,” while another wrote, “The face of women’s basketball is no longer in college !!” They also attached a video of Caitlin Clark in her Iowa Hawkeyes jersey. Clark’s college team certainly benefited from having the star on the team. Sure, they could not win any NCAA championship with her. However, the ‘Caitlin Clark effect’ began to do good things for the Hawkeyes quite early on.

Back in August 2023, reports indicated that Clark drove increases in home and away attendance for her games. This was to the point that, when entering her senior season, the Iowa Hawkeyes sold out all of their home games for the first time. The team had previously sold out only three regular-season games in program history.

One social media user attempted to defend Paige Bueckers by writing, “Very simple. Paige doesn’t have an “Angel Reese” 🤷🏾‍♀️”. Well, that is true. Every good sports storyline needs a competitor to make things interesting. For a while, Michael Jordan had that in the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons. The LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers had that in the Golden State Warriors. Even before they entered the WNBA, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark faced off against each other.

One could say that the competition between Paige Bueckers and Lauren Betts would have made things interesting, but it wasn’t the same as Clark and Reese. But do you think the Paige Bueckers and Clark comparisons are helping women’s basketball? Let us know in the comments below.