Caitlin Clark was shockingly candid about the difference between college basketball and the WNBA

Caitlin Clark is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball, finishing her career with 3,951 points across four seasons.

Now, when she looks back, she questions why she wasnt guarded better.

In a TIME interview with Sean Gregory, Clark noted just how much higher the basketball IQ is in the WNBA than in the womens game.

Professional players and professional coaches this is no disrespect to college womens basketball are a lot smarter, Clark said.

I love womens college basketball.

But if you go back and watch the way people guarded me in college, its almost, like, concerning.

They didnt double me, they didnt trap me, they werent physical.

Clark acknowledged that many of the players she faced were not continuing their careers past college, and that basketball IQ played a role.

A lot of those women will never go on to play another basketball game in their life, Clark said.

They dont have the IQ of understanding how the game works.

So I completely understand it.

And its no disrespect at all.

They dont have the IQ.

You have to simplify it for girls at that age.

In her senior season, Clark averaged 32.1 points, 8.5 assists, and 7.3 rebounds, recording six triple-doubles.

Her 2024 tournament run was punctuated by a 41-point, 12-assist outing in an Elite Eight win over LSU .

In that game, she was primarily guarded by Hailey Van Lith, a 5 7 guard who clearly struggled to keep up with her.

Caitlin Clark tweet pic.twitter.com/d5g87C6Uxb At the time, many wondered why LSU didnt double-team her or put a more physical defender on her.

The end result was a 94-87 Iowa victory.

Now, we know that Clark also often wondered about opposing teams and coaches lackluster schemes as well.

Clark struggled in the early days of her WNBA career, but quickly found her footing, going on to average 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.

From the jump, she faced a level of physicality and defensive intensity she rarely faced in college.

In her TIME interview with Gregory, an NCAA womens basketball game between USC and Ole Miss was fitting playing in the background.

I feel like if I was out there, I would literally have 50 [points], Clark said.

The college game is so much easier than professional..

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