The Phoenix Mercury are scheduled to host WNBA rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in what is likely to be the biggest game of the season in terms of anticipated attendance and viewing.
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“Clark Mania” is traveling to Phoenix, and Mercury is set.
Since she was a college student at Iowa, Clark’s celebrity has been the subject of a deluge of print and online headlines. During her four-year (2020–24) collegiate career, Clark averaged 28.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.1 rebounds. Her exceptional scoring ability and versatile effect on both ends of the court quickly made her a viral sensation.
Powerhouse South Carolina defeated the Hawkeyes in Iowa in the NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament championship game, 87-75. In the loss, Clark grabbed eight rebounds and scored 30 points while forcing her will and trying to carry her squad.
She was chosen by the Fever as the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, making her one of the most anticipated athletes in women’s basketball worldwide.
Since then, although the team began the season with a 1–7 record, Clark and 2023 first-overall pick Aliyah Boston have guided the resurgent Indiana team to a 7–12 record thus far. In her debut season, Clark is averaging 16.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game as she grows accustomed to playing basketball in the WNBA. She has continued to be one of the more underappreciated players in the league for Boston, averaging 12.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game this season.
Twelve of the WNBA’s 13 record-breaking games this season are Fever games, according to Sports Media Watch. When Indiana faced the Chicago Sky on June 23, YahooSports stated that, with 2.3 million viewers on ESPN and a peak of 3.3 million, it was the most watched WNBA game in 23 years.
Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi was adamant that her squad will be prepared from the first tip since she understood the importance of this game and didn’t want the attention to divert her attention.
Taurasi declared, “Indiana is another incredibly talented, young team that’s going to come in here and play well.” Being young has its advantages since you don’t have any life experience. You can enter these buildings and play freely, letting your imagination run wild. We must confront the fact that we must treat everyone with the proper respect and fear while playing with extreme intensity on both ends of the field [offensively and defensively]. We have, I believe, mostly accomplished it this year.
The Mercury has the veterans who have been there and done that to counter the Fever’s youth and star power. WNBA winners Natasha Cloud, Kahleah Copper, Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner are all aware of the requirements for success in the league.
Head coach of the Mercury, Nate Tibbetts, paid praise to Indiana but expressed confidence in his team’s ability to withstand pressure when discussing the excitement leading up to the game versus the Fever.
Tibbetts stated, “There is a lot of media coverage surrounding them.” They have talented young players who are still learning the ropes in this competitive competition. For us, it is a pleasure to be surrounded by a group of such seasoned individuals. There are a number of young, promising clubs in the league, like Indiana, which makes it exciting for everyone.
On Sunday, the Mercury and the Fever will square off at Footprint Center at 12 p.m. PT.