"Not a Final Four team": ESPN analyst Andraya Carter makes a bold claim on Caitlin Clark's Iowa despite stellar record

Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes have been on a good run this season. While things did not go their way at all times, Iowa has managed to put up a 24-4 record. In the run to March Madness 2024, the Hawkeyes are predicted to be the No. 2 seed, per ESPN. With Clark & Co, looking to redeem themselves from last year's finals loss to LSU, things do not look hopeful.

During Sunday's College GameDay, ESPN analyst Andraya Carter shared that she doesn't think the Hawkeyes will be a great contender for the title this year.

"Iowa is not a Final Four team as currently constructed. Caitlin Clark is better than she was last year, but the team is not better than they were last year. There are not 16 teams that I think can beat Iowa, but there are eight. There are eight teams that I think can beat Iowa...

'In my opinion, [Iowa] may not get to Elite Eight with the way that Caitlin Clark can put the team on her back. Iowa cannot make it to a Final Four with Caitlin Clark doing all the work," Carter said.

The analyst also pointed out that the Hawkeyes are missing the services of forwards Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock, who were key to their championship run last year. Plus, this time around, there is a negligent contribution from the rest of the Iowa team in helping the senior guard.

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Breakdown of Caitlin Clark and her teammates' numbers

The 6-foot guard is Iowa's scoring, rebounds, assists and steals leader, averaging 32.4 points per game with 7.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.7 steals. The next best on this list is Hannah Stuelke with 14.2 ppg, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Kate Martin is the only other guard with double digits in average points (13.4).

The rest of the Hawkeyes roster is putting up dismal numbers. While the team tops the ranking in scoring offense, thanks to Clark, their scoring defense is abysmal. They are out of the top 300 with 71.3 opp ppg. In most of the team's losses, Clark still managed to give her best, like the 100-92 upset to Ohio State in January. The senior guard had put up 45 points, the highest score for the game.

Looking at these numbers, it is easy to see Andraya Carter's opinion on Iowa's chance at the NCAA tournament. If this continues, the Hawkeyes risk exhausting Caitlin Clark, further ruining their run to the title.