Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes to Face Powerhouse Team in Tipoff Game
Iowa Hawkeye Catlin Clark has been embracing her celebrity as of late. How could she not be? She's starting off the summer both ubiquitous and hospitable, appearing at an event for Iowa City third graders and even dazzling Iowa Cubs fans at a game this week.
If there's one thing TV and streaming audiences proved last year is they want more Caitlin Clark. The NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game between Iowa and LSU netted a record-shattering average of 9.9 million viewers, and the league looks to capitalize on the momentum with the upcoming tipoff game for the 2023-24 women's college basketball season.
Per Hawkeyes Wire, with reporting from the Charlotte Sports Foundation, Iowa will take on Virginia Tech in the inaugural Ally Tipoff game on November 9th at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. Like Iowa, the Virginia Tech Hokies were a Final Four team last season, and this game will be broadcast across ESPN networks, making the first matchup for the Hawkeyes a marquee primetime one.
The inaugural game for the Hawkeyes' upcoming season will have some seriously bright lights, as Spectrum is also where the NBA's Charlotte Hornets play. Furthermore, Virginia Tech was a No. 1 seed in last year's tournament, taking down Chattanooga, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Ohio State before, like Iowa, falling to the gauntlet of a team that is LSU.
Surely shining brightly under those lights will be Iowa's Caitlin Clark, who averaged a whopping 27.8 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.1 rebounds last season. The West Des Moines native swept the national player of the year awards, but this year, might have a more difficult time with McKenna Warnock and Monika Czinano departing.
That said, multiple players, including Molly Davis, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall will be returning to the court for the Hawkeyes, so Clark will once again be aided by one of the best squads in the country.
More information on tickets for the Iowa Hawkeyes' matchup against the Virginia Tech Hokies will come at a later date. What we know now, however, is that Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes' road to championship glory begins in Charlotte in a huge TV game. To stay in the know, visit Ally Tipoff's official website.