“Same” - $3.1 million NIL-valued Caitlin Clark backs teammate Sydney Affolter to be Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year

Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark has supported teammate Sydney Affolter in her bid to become the 2023-24 Big Ten Conference Sixth Player of the Year.

Clark, whose NIL value is pegged at $3.1 million by On3.com, replied to a post by Iowa social media and digital strategy director Brandee Britt on X.

Britt wrote Affolter is her bet for the conference's top performing off-the-bench player this season, and the Hawkeyes guard backed her up by saying "Same."

The post has been viewed 400,000 times and garnered 6,300 likes in just seven hours.

Ohio State

Sydney Affolter excels in her role as Hawkeyes' sixth player

Sydney Affolter #3 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives to the basket.

The 5-foot-11 guard has excelled in her role as the sixth player for the No. 3 seed Hawkeyes, averaging 7.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks in 30 games this season. She has shot 55.6% from the field and 80.8% from the free throw line.

Affolter has provided quality minutes for Iowa, scoring a season-high 14 points twice. In the team's last game against No. 2 seed Ohio State, she tallied six points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one block in 23 minutes of action.

Iowa coach Lisa Bluder also vouched for Affolter becoming this year's sixth player awardee.

“I thought that Syd (Affolter) would get sixth-player of the year,” Bluder said on Tuesday.

The Hawkeyes mentor added that she will hand Affolter the starting role in the Big Ten Tournament as Molly Davis is sidelined due to a knee injury.

It would also mean that bench players Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe will get more minutes as well.

Bluder said in her radio program that Davis hurt her right kneecap but added the senior guard wouldn't require surgery as it was not a torn ACL.

The 5-foot-7 Davis will undergo physical therapy next week and will not play in Minneapolis this week. There is a possibility, however, that she could suit up for the NCAA tournament.

Affolter was saddened by the development and implied that it is important for her and Feuerbach to perform their new roles while Davis is out.

“She’s (Davis) a very crucial part of our team. Kylie and me filling those minutes is going to be super important,” Affolter said.

Iowa gets a bye as the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They will face the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 7 seed Penn State (18-11) or No. 10 seed Wisconsin (13-15) on Friday afternoon.

The Hawkeyes are the two-time defending champions. They beat Penn State, 111-93, in their only regular-season meeting and trampled Wisconsin twice this season.