"Had me about to go thru a brick wall": Caitlin Clark reacts as Iowa bus driver delivers spirited March Madness speech to Hawkeyes

Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark got all fired up for March Madness after seeing Iowa’s bus driver give the Hawkeyes a pep talk ahead of their first-round NCAA Tournament game on Saturday.

Clark, who starred and made NCAA history during her four years at Iowa, shared her excitement in the comments section of the school’s Instagram post that featured bus driver “Mama Zee” giving the players a spirited talk as they began their tournament campaign.

"Remember when y'all tried out for this team? Everybody remember that feeling? That's what I need from you today," Mama Zee said. "I need you to go out there thinking like, 'If we don't win, we can never play ball again.'"

She wrapped up her speech by rallying the team with a spirited "We ready!" chant.

The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year responded to the Hawkeyes' Instagram post, writing:

"Okay eat then. This had me about to go thru a brick wall … heck yeah"

Caitlin Clark fired up for Iowa's March Madness campaign

The pep talk Mama Zee gave worked, as the No. 6 seed Hawkeyes played inspired basketball in defeating No. 11 Murray State, 92-57, in their first-round showdown.

Ava Heiden came off the bench and led Iowa with 15 points, with Lucy Olsen adding 12 and Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter scoring 11 points each. Iowa next plays Oklahoma in the second round.

Caitlin Clark admits missing March Madness play

While she has moved on to the next chapter of her basketball journey, Caitlin Clark admits she misses playing collegiate ball, especially during March Madness.

She spoke about it earlier this month as she attended one of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ games, highlighting her support for her alma mater and how she wished she could still be playing.

"It's pretty fun, and I love getting to be able to support this program," she told The Big Ten Network in an interview. "Obviously a lot of these girls were my teammates and getting to see (coach) Jan (Jensen) in her first year and they're playing their best basketball."

"I love this time of the year, March, I miss it."

Caitlin Clark was a huge part of the Hawkeyes program during her four years at Iowa, particularly in the last two years when she led her team to the national championship game each time.

Though they fell short of their championship goal, Clark’s standing in the school’s basketball lore is forever etched, with coach Jensen even comparing her impact to what Michael Jordan had at North Carolina.

At Iowa, Caitlin Clark became one of the greatest collegiate players of all time, breaking multiple records, including the all-time NCAA Division I scoring mark — men’s or women’s — with 3,591 points, eclipsing the long-held record of 3,667 points set by basketball legend Pete Maravich.

In honor of her accomplishments, Iowa retired her No. 22 jersey earlier this year.