Caitlin Clark Shaken Up After Collision With Ohio State Fan Storming Court

NBC had Caitlin Clark’s No. 2 ranked Iowa team taking on Ohio State on Sunday afternoon as the lead-in to pregame coverage for the Detroit Lions-Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL playoff game. The 18th-ranked Buckeyes pulled off the upset, 100-92, despite 45 points and seven assists from Clark. After the final whistle sounded some Ohio State fans decided to storm the court and disaster appeared to strike for college basketball’s biggest superstar.

Clark ran right into a fan storming the court and went down immediately like she was hurt. It is impossible to tell what happened but all reports suggest she was in pain.

Here’s the broadcast view:

In this courtside video you can see Clark getting clipped by a running fan and going down hard.

A look from the nosebleeds:

A photo of Clark being helped off, surrounded by teammates and security:

Man, that is absolutely horrible. And a perfect example as to why people are against storming the court. There is zero control over what happens out there and one collision can change everything.

Clark is having a stellar senior season, averaging 31 points per game. Her Iowa team is one of the best in the country and everybody in sports is looking forward to her return to the national stage come March. Fortunately, while she seemed shaken up, the school announced she had avoided injury.

Happily it seems this is, at most, a cautionary tale. Thank goodness for that. Few athletes are as electric as Clark when she gets going, and it seems she has avoided any injury that may jeopardize her final year at school.