After Iowa fell to South Carolina in the NCAA championship game Sunday, Caitlin Clark said it was good to know the WNBA was ahead as something to look forward to. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever in the April 15 draft in Brooklyn.

“She’s going to have great people around her,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said of Clark. “And if you put great people around her, that helps her succeed so much. If she’s with the Fever, playing with somebody like Aliyah Boston, I think they could really have fun together.”

But Bluder also expressed some concern at the Final Four about how tough it might be for Clark and soon-to-be WNBA rookies to go from the college season to the league so quickly.

“She’s going to be really tired after this season. That’s what concerns me the most,” Bluder said Saturday at the Final Four in Cleveland. “Rookies go into the WNBA, which is such a challenging time, at their most exhausted time.

“I just know that Caitlin has stepped up to every challenge that we’ve posed to her. And I expect the same thing at the next level. Although I know … she’s going to have to pay her rookie dues.”

Who might hear their names called in the first round of the draft? Here is our updated projection. The WNBA season tips off May 14.

First round

1. Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark

Iowa | PG | 6-foot-0 | senior

Clark finished her Iowa career with 3,951 points, 1,144 assists and 990 rebounds, leading Iowa to two NCAA championship games. Now comes the next step. Clark will have to go through rough treatment from WNBA veterans, but as Bluder said, she will have some talented teammates around her. Her passing skills might be one of her best attributes in her rookie season.

2. Los Angeles Sparks: Cameron Brink

Stanford | PF | 6-foot-4 | senior

We’ve kept Brink in the No. 2 spot, as her ability on both ends of the court could make her a foundational piece for a Sparks team that’s establishing a new identity now without longtime star Nneka Ogwumike. But center Kamilla Cardoso played well in the NCAA tournament. We’ll see if the Sparks stick with Brink, who has more offensive versatility than Cardoso.

3. Chicago Sky: Kamilla Cardoso

South Carolina | C | 6-foot-7 | senior

We’ve moved Cardoso up a spot. We saw how effective she can be when she gets the ball in scoring position and how much she can control the boards. This is going to be a challenging season of change and new faces in Chicago, so the Sky would need patience with Cardoso, just like with the rest of the team.

4. Los Angeles Sparks: Rickea Jackson

Tennessee | SF | 6-foot-2 | senior

Jackson was Tennessee’s star the past two seasons and could be a boost to the Sparks with her scoring ability. She made a career-high 22 3-pointers this season, which is a good sign for her continued progress as she enters the WNBA. She also should be a top-notch defensive player for Los Angeles coach Curt Miller.

5. Dallas Wings: Aaliyah Edwards

UConn | PF | 6-foot-3 | senior

If Edwards is still available, the Wings don’t seem likely to bypass her. Some of the strengths of Edwards’ game were on display in the Final Four semifinal loss to Iowa, as were things she needs to work on. But she has the look of a pro post player.

6. Washington Mystics: Jacy Sheldon

Ohio State | SG | 5-foot-10 | senior

If the Mystics go with a guard, Sheldon could be the one to help with the franchise’s rebuilding period. She has a ton of energy and a hard-nosed commitment to defense. Plus, she averaged 17.8 PPG this season.

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7. Minnesota Lynx: Isobel Borlase

Australia | PG | 5-foot-11

The 19-year-old appears to have a bright future ahead and already has played professionally with the Adelaide Lightning in the WNBL this season in Australia. Even if the Lynx don’t know for sure if she will play in the WNBA this season, Minnesota might want to add Borlase for 2025 and beyond.

8. Chicago Sky: Angel Reese

LSU | PF | 6-foot-3 | senior

Reese had 17 points, 20 rebounds and 4 assists in her final college game, the Tigers’ Elite Eight loss to Iowa. Rebounding is her top strength, and it’s a big one. How Reese’s offensive game translates to the next level is the question. Even though she and Cardoso were rivals — not friendly ones — in the SEC, might they be rookie teammates for the rebuilding Sky?

9. Dallas Wings: Alissa Pili

Utah | SF | 6-foot-2 | senior

Dallas appears to have a solid core, so could Pili add a little more scoring punch? She averaged 21.4 PPG this season and shot 40.4% from 3-point range. There are questions about her defense, but she’s far from the only rookie who will face that.

10. Connecticut Sun: Dyaisha Fair

Syracuse | PG | 5-foot-5 | senior

Fair averaged 22.2 PPG in her five-season career, first at Buffalo and then Syracuse. She held her own in the ACC, despite her small stature. That said, it’s a matter of if the Sun see her all-around skills as good enough, along with her ability to shoot.

11. New York Liberty: Charisma Osborne

UCLA | SG | 5-foot-9 | senior

Osborne, like Fair, played five seasons in college — in her case all at UCLA. The Liberty might be looking for a guard who can score at a decent level, but more importantly really defend well. That would help the guards that New York already has.

12. Atlanta Dream: Jessika Carter

Mississippi State | C | 6-foot-5 | senior

The Dream might have some room for depth at center, and Carter finished her Bulldog career as a second-team All-SEC player. She had her best overall season with averages of 14.9 PPG and 9.9 rebounds.

Second round

13. Chicago Sky: Nyadiew Puoch, Australia, PF, 6-3

14. Seattle Storm: Nika Muhl, UConn, PG, 5-10

15. Indiana Fever: Javyn Nicholson, Georgia, PF, 6-2

16. Las Vegas Aces: Celeste Taylor, Ohio State, PG, 5-11

17. New York Liberty: Jaz Shelley, Nebraska, SG, 5-9

18. Las Vegas Aces: Jakia Brown-Turner, Maryland, SF, 6-0

19. Connecticut Sun: Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana, PF, 6-3

20. Atlanta Dream: Leila Lacan, France, PG, 5-11

21. Washington Mystics: Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, C, 6-6

22. Connecticut Sun: Taiyanna Jackson, Kansas, C, 6-6

23. New York Liberty: Quay Miller, Colorado, PF, 6-3

24. Las Vegas Aces: Desi-Rae Young, UNLV, PF, 6-1

Third round

25. Phoenix Mercury: Carla Leite, France, SG, 5-9

26. Seattle Storm: Abbey Hsu, Columbia, SG, 5-11

27. Indiana Fever: McKenzie Forbes, USC, SF, 6-0

28. Los Angeles Sparks: Marquesha Davis, Ole Miss, SF, 6-0

29. Phoenix Mercury: Aijha Blackwell, Baylor, SF, 5-11

30. Washington Mystics: Brynna Maxwell, Gonzaga, SG, 6-0

31. Minnesota Lynx: Hannah Jump, Stanford, SG, 6-0

32. Atlanta Dream: Honesty Scott-Grayson, Auburn, SG, 5-9

33. Dallas Wings: Kiki Jefferson, Louisville, SG, 6-1

34. Connecticut Sun: Sara Scalia, Indiana, SG, 5-10

35. New York Liberty: Rebeka Mikulášiková, Ohio State, PF, 6-4

36. Las Vegas Aces: Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado, PG, 5-7

Caitlin Clark WNBA predictions: Strengths, hurdles to expect

Caitlin Clark sits down with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” and looks ahead to playing in the WNBA. (1:05)

Caitlin Clark enters her final Big Ten tournament hoping to lead Iowa to its third consecutive title. In 2022, the Hawkeyes won the tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Last year, Iowa won the championship at Target Center in Minneapolis, site of this season’s tournament.

The senior guard’s focus is fully on Iowa. But in a little more than five weeks, Gainbridge will become Clark’s home arena if she is picked No. 1 as expected by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft. The Fever will visit Target Center — where Clark, who was born in West Des Moines, Iowa, attended WNBA games as a child — for the first of three regular-season contests on July 14.

So while Clark keeps her mind on the business at hand in making the most of her final college postseason, we’re looking ahead to what is coming soon in her professional career. Like all WNBA rookies, Clark will experience a whirlwind of transition over the next few months.

How will she deal with the move to the WNBA? What aspects of the professional game might take the most time for her to adjust to? And with the Paris Olympics four months away, how does that factor in for Clark? ESPN talked to WNBA experts — coaches, general managers and analysts — for their insight.

How will Clark’s offensive skills translate to the WNBA?

No NCAA Division I player has scored more points than Clark, and she’s the only player since assists have been officially recorded in the college game to have at least 3,000 points and 1,000 assists. Her legacy is cemented as one of the greatest offensive players in college basketball history.

Clark averages 32.3 points this season and 28.3 for her career. For perspective, Diana Taurasi’s 25.3 points per game in 2006 (her third year in the league) is the highest average in WNBA history. Cynthia Cooper, who played the first four seasons in the WNBA after a lengthy overseas career, has the highest WNBA career scoring average at 20.98. Breanna Stewart has the highest scoring average among active players at 20.82.

That said, experts told us that while her averages won’t be as high as her college stats, Clark will remain an effective scorer in the WNBA and her assists numbers should be similar to the ones at Iowa. Clark will also have stronger talent around her, with young post players such as Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith, who have great hands and finish strong at the rim. Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Erica Wheeler should help relieve Clark on some of the pressure of scoring and ballhandling.

“Everyone talks about things getting harder for her in the WNBA, but it’s also true that some aspects of the pro game will make it easier for her,” a WNBA general manager said. “She will be playing alongside the best players she’s ever played with. You’re not going to be able to just key in on her.”

Still, experts point out that WNBA defenses will be better equipped to guard her full court, get in her passing lanes, cut off her drives and push her toward post players who will make it tough to get to the rim.

“She has played against some good defenses,” a WNBA coach said, “but no college teams have a defense like, say, [the New York Liberty’s] Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, or [the Las Vegas Aces’] A’ja Wilson and Kiah Stokes in the paint.”

“I don’t think Caitlin’s offensive game has to change one bit at the next level. … Those bombs, and the threat of pulling up for one every time down the floor, is a key ingredient to Clark’s greatness and popularity.”

Another expert said Clark could struggle when a big, quick wing player switches to guard her on dribble-handoffs, or when she’s aggressively trapped.

“She plays at a great pace, but you still may see teams try to speed her up with the ball and try to push her toward your rim protector,” a WNBA coach said.

Should Clark keep shooting her famed logo 3-pointers, those long-distance shots that have made her so hard to guard?

“I don’t think Caitlin’s offensive game has to change one bit at the next level,” a WNBA analyst said. “I want her to take the same shots and make the same passes, with the hopes that her turnover numbers drop over the course of her career.

“Those bombs, and the threat of pulling up for one every time down the floor, is a key ingredient to Clark’s greatness and popularity. It would be silly to limit that at the next level. Her shot range and ballhandling are keys to manipulating defenses to get teammates open looks. I think that translates, too. It wouldn’t shock me if she averaged around eight assists per game her rookie year.”

What will be Clark’s biggest challenges on defense?

The assumption is this will be Clark’s most difficult transition because it’s generally that way for rookies. Even guards who come into the WNBA with a strong reputation for defense tend to need time to adjust to all the actions they must defend against and the speed, strength and skill of opponents.

Iowa isn’t a bad defensive team, but it’s not the Hawkeye’s best aspect — or Clark’s. There’s no sugar-coating it: Teams will look to pick on Clark defensively and expose any weaknesses. Whether in the half court or in transition, WNBA teams can take advantage of younger defenders in a variety of ways.

“You’re guarding a great player every night, but also different kinds of great players,” a WNBA GM said. “And it’s the amount of times you get hit or bumped, like by multiple screens on the same play. You have to fight through so many different screening situations at our level.

“You don’t play zone very often. So if you play 30 minutes a game, you might have to defend, say, 60 different screens in the game. That’s a physical and mental adjustment. You have to know how you defend different screening, listen to your post players — it’s a lot of communication.”

Clark is 6 feet tall and stronger than she might look. But she’s still growing into her body, and opponents will try to outmuscle her.

“She’s extremely smart and driven,” a WNBA analyst said. “The biggest challenge is just the physical play.”

A WNBA coach said, “She will be put in a pick-and-roll situations where teams look to attack her off the bounce. On transition, she will have to work hard to stay in front of quicker, more experienced guards.”

There is also the different style of the pro game vs. college.

“There’s a learning curve with terminology and actions,” a WNBA coach said. “But she’s ready and has the right mindset.”

Caitlin Clark relives record-breaking shot on GMA

Caitlin Clark sits down with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” to relive her record-breaking shot vs. Michigan.

How will Clark be accepted in the league?

In any professional sports league, rookies tend to have some “Welcome to the big leagues, kid” moments. Clark will come in as the most hyped rookie in the WNBA. That’s because of the records she has set, the attention she has generated and the fact that NIL changes have allowed college athletes to have even more exposure through endorsements.

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It’s only a recent development that a company such as Nike could create T-shirts, hang giant murals and have advertising campaigns for a college player. Clark was part of the first generation of college athletes to benefit from NIL. But all of that also puts a target on her back.

“You’re going to have veterans who just want to prove to a new young ‘it’ player that, ‘Hey, this league is tough,'” a WNBA GM said. “I mean, Sabrina Ionescu went through it. Kelsey Plum went through it. Almost every player that’s new and hyped like this is going to go through that.

“Her teammates will do what they can to help her; it’s in their best interest to do that. But some of it she just has to get through herself.

“There’s a lot on the shoulders of a young guard with decision-making. She’s probably not going to get [foul] calls that she did in college. Opponents will try to get in her head. But she’s a quick learner, she moves well without the ball and I think people may be surprised at the things she can do off the ball.”

What other aspects of the WNBA must Clark adjust to?

As mentioned, Clark’s popularity has soared, and she now requires additional security just to get in and out of arenas. Security in general has been a hot-button issue in the WNBA in recent years as players become more recognizable and the league more popular.

Because the WNBA still flies mostly commercial, there’s the reality of getting Clark through airports without her or her teammates being swarmed, for instance.

“The Fever have to be prepared,” a WNBA analyst said. “They are going to need to have more security.”

There’s also the grind of WNBA travel — long a topic of discussion and controversy — and the schedule.

“College kids get in the rhythm of two games a week,” one WNBA GM said. “They don’t play five games in eight or nine days like we do.”

A WNBA analyst said, “The WNBA schedule can be brutal, especially road trips and back-to-back games. Only four WNBA players [Arike Ogunbowale, Alyssa Thomas, Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart] averaged as many or more minutes in their 2023 season than Caitlin has this college campaign [34.1 minutes per game]. Will the Fever want her to be on the court that much in her rookie campaign?”

Does Clark have a better chance to make the 2024 U.S. Olympic team because she’s turning pro?

It’s going to be tough for Clark or any WNBA rookie/college player to make the 12-player squad for the Paris Olympics.

USA Basketball has a history of adding a WNBA rookie to the Olympic team, such as with UConn’s Taurasi in 2004 and Stewart in 2016 and Tennessee’s Candace Parker in 2008. All three of those players came into the league after winning multiple national championships: Taurasi with three, Parker with two and Stewart with four. Clark made the NCAA final with Iowa last season, falling to LSU, and has another chance at the title this year. (ESPN currently projects Iowa as a No. 2 seed, and the Hawkeyes are still a candidate for a No. 1 seed depending on what happens in Champ Week and the Big Ten tournament.)

But there is a lot of guard talent with previous Olympic experience on the U.S. squad this year. Finding a spot for a rookie guard won’t be easy.

Lastly, the timing doesn’t work in the favor of someone still in college now to make the U.S. team. The Americans have their final training camp in Cleveland during the women’s Final Four weekend. Anyone playing in the Final Four won’t be able to participate. And the Olympic squad is expected to be named later in April or early May, likely before the WNBA season starts. Clark might not have an opportunity to make her case on the court with other USA Basketball players.

She does have USA Basketball experience and has proved a lot in her college career. Those things, plus the chance to give her Olympic exposure now to help with later in her USA Basketball career, are points in her favor. So it’s not out of the realm of possibility. But it would seem Clark’s shot at the 2028 Olympics, when she will be 26 and in her fifth WNBA season, is more likely.

Caitlin Clark drives ‘spike’ in Fever, WNBA ticket interest

Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike discuss how Caitlin Clark has changed the narrative of women’s sports for the better. (1:19)

INDIANAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark is having a significant impact on the WNBA even before her arrival.

Clark, the transcendent Iowa star and presumptive first overall pick in Monday’s WNBA draft, is driving an uptick in interest and ticket prices to see the Indiana Fever, which holds the No. 1 overall selection.

The Fever, second-to-last in WNBA home attendance last season (averaging 4,067 fans), would only confirm a “spike” in ticket interest, declining to comment on specifics. But the team is responding to the surge of interest by taking the unprecedented step of pre-selling single-game tickets to two games per day over a 15-day stretch heading into Monday.

The presale tickets have been selling briskly. By Thursday afternoon, only a handful of seats outside the balcony level remained from the batch of tickets made available earlier in the day for games against the Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings. Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Fever and Indiana Pacers play home games, has a capacity of more than 18,000.

Meanwhile, secondary market reseller Vivid Seats reports the team’s regular-season opener — a May 14 road game against the Connecticut Sun — has seen a price increase of 91% since Clark declared for the draft. The Fever’s home opener, on May 16 against the New York Liberty, has seen a 50% price increase since Clark declared, Vivid Seats reported.

At reseller SeakGeek, the average Fever resale price for home games is currently $182 — a 136% increase from 2023. That kind of shift is typically only seen in the NBA, coming as the result of a player like LeBron James changing teams.

“This is definitely the most significant example I can think of on the women’s side,” said Chris Leyden, director of growth marketing at SeatGeek.

“Three things drive demand for tickets,” he added. “It’s one, how popular the team is overall … Two, it’s how good the team is. Winning teams always drive is up demand. Three, to me, is the star player factor. And this just absolutely checks the box.”

The interest in Clark is not limited to Fever home games.

The Las Vegas Aces recently moved their July 2 game against Indiana from Michelob ULTRA Arena to the larger T-Mobile Arena as a direct result of heightened demand for tickets, according to a team spokesman. The team has played several games at T-Mobile Arena in the past, but those were the result of scheduling conflicts, the team said.

This change was different.

“The demand for the July 2 game against Indiana was particularly high, and the decision was made to move that game to T-Mobile Arena,” spokesman John Maxwell said.

Meanwhile, the Storm recently made a five-game ticket mini-plan available, with two of the five games featuring matchups with the Fever. Secondary market prices for road games featuring the Fever could likely exceed those for home games, Leyden said, because of the limited opportunities to see her play in those cities.

The interest in Clark has already had a significant impact on the Fever’s national visibility. The WNBA announced earlier this week that the team will have 36 of its 40 games this season shown by national broadcast or streaming partners. Eight of those games will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese among those invited to WNBA draft

Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA Division I scoring record and had unprecedented success at Iowa, but growing the game of basketball might be her greatest legacy. (1:57)

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Kamilla Cardoso headline a list of 15 prospects who have been invited to Monday’s 2024 WNBA draft, the league announced Thursday.

Clark, the new top scorer across Division I men’s and women’s basketball after her historic career at Iowa, is widely expected to be selected by the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 pick.

Brink just finished an All-America campaign at Stanford, while Cardoso, another likely lottery pick, just won her second national title with the South Carolina Gamecocks, earning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors along the way.

Reese — a projected first-round pick — led her LSU Tigers to the national championship last season.

The other invitees are Rickea Jackson of Tennessee, Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl of UConn, Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor of Ohio State, Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, Charisma Osborne of UCLA, Alissa Pili of Utah, Marquesha Davis of Ole Miss, Dyaisha Fair of Syracuse and Nyadiew Puoch of Australia.

After the Fever pick at No. 1, the Los Angeles Sparks own the second pick, followed by the Chicago Sky at No. 3 and the Sparks again at No. 4.

Thirty-six selections will be made in all, with 12 in each of three rounds.

The draft takes place Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.