There was no March Madness the first year of Caitlin Clark’s collegiate career.
No, it wasn’t because the Iowa Hawkeyes didn’t make the NCAA tournament in the 2020-21 season. They did, colliding with Connecticut in a Sweet 16 showdown of future WNBA superstars Clark and Paige Bueckers.
It was because the NCAA withheld from its women’s tournament the use of “March Madness” — a powerhouse phrase synonymous with sneaking looks of full days of hoops action during work hours and rejoicing in surprising upsets.
By doing so, it relegated the women to secondary status.