The WNBA season tips off in a big way on Tuesday night. Not only is it opening night for the league, but its new burgeoning star is set to make her debut when Caitlin Clark takes the floor. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 Draft joins the Indiana Fever as they head to Uncasville, Connecticut to take on the Sun.
The Fever, coming off a 13-27 campaign in which they had last season's top overall pick and 2023 Rookie of the Year in Aliyah Boston, are poised to take a major step in 2024. Although with essentially a one-week training camp and a two-game preseason, the learning curve will be steep as the NCAA championship game Clark played in was little more than five weeks ago. But despite the on-the-fly adjustments, Clark is looking forward to her pro debut.
"This is what you work for and dream of," Clark said. "Now you get to put your jersey on for the first real time and go out there and play. I think more than anything, just soak up the moment. We get to play on the biggest stage. There are going to be lots of people there. It's going to be loud. But you only play your first WNBA game once."
"I'm really excited...It'll be super special."
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 13, 2024
Caitlin Clark on making her @WNBA debut tomorrow 🤩 pic.twitter.com/i6Vr7EGzwB
Through four years at Iowa, Clark finished her Hawkeyes career with her name next to a bevy of records. Her 3,951 career points places her first among every NCAA Division I basketball player -- woman or man -- of all-time. She averaged 31.6 points per game during her senior year, along with a nation-best 346 assists, as she guided Iowa to back-to-back national championship appearances.
The Sun, which finished last season at 27-13, was the third best team in the league and battled the New York Liberty in a hard-fought semifinal playoff series. Connecticut, landing in fourth in CBS Sports' preseason WNBA Power Rankings, is led by 10-year veteran forward Alyssa Thomas, who was the runner-up for both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. And heading into the season, she is also third in Jack Maloney's ranking of the WNBA's Top 25 players. Thomas is one of three Sun players on the list, and Boston, at No. 14, is one of two Fever players to make the cut.
The Sun came up short against the New York Liberty in the second round of the playoffs last season, but they have consistently been in the playoffs and in contention for the championship since 2019. The Sun won the East in 2021 but fell short to the Chicago Sky in the semifinals. They then got past the Sky in 2022 to make the WNBA Finals, but lost to the Las Vegas Aces. Now, they look to begin a new journey back to the playoffs on Tuesday night.
Let's take a look at how you can catch the action on Tuesday.
Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun viewing info, odds
- Date: Tuesday, May 14
- Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Odds: Connecticut Sun -8
- Where: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
- Watch: ESPN2
How Clark did during the preseason
The Fever lost its first preseason game, 79-76, to the Dallas Wings on May 3, but Clark did a good job handling her first game against professional competition by registering 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including five 3-pointers, on the road.
Indiana then picked up an 83-80 win against the visiting Atlanta Dream on May 9. Clark struggled a bit more in that one, going just 4 of 12, including 2 of 9 from 3-point range. She still finished the day with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but the rookie recognized there is still room to improve.
"I don't think I was that effective, honestly," Clark said. "I thought more than anything I did a really good job of passing the ball, finding my teammates. Obviously, I would have liked to have made a couple more threes, but sometimes that's how you shoot it."
Turnovers will be another stat to keep an eye on, as Clark registered a total of 11 during those two preseason games.
Which Sun vs. Fever picks have the most value for Caitlin Clark's debut, and what season-long prop should you lock in before Tuesday evening? Visit SportsLine to see the WNBA best bets for Clark's opener, all from a pair of experts who have crushed their basketball picks.
