Last Sunday’s much-anticipated showdown between Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes rang up huge TV numbers.
With FOX Sports’ Gus Johnson on the call, 3.39 million viewers watched Iowa notch a 93-83 victory. In that game, Clark scored 35 points and surpassed Pete Maravich as the NCAA Division I overall career scoring leader.
But Clark is doing more than bringing eyeballs to TV screens. She’s attracting sports bettors in droves, as they wager in record numbers on Iowa games and women’s college basketball in general.
“There’s been a tremendous uptick in action this season, and Clark has a major role to play in it,” said Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading for Caesars Sports.
Pullen provides his behind-the-betting-counter insights on the surge in women’s college basketball betting — primarily due to the Iowa superstar.
A Ton of Action
The Ohio State-Iowa game was the most-watched regular-season women’s college basketball game on any network since 1999. Viewership peaked late in the game at 4.42 million viewers for the battle between the second-ranked Buckeyes and sixth-ranked Hawkeyes.
The public betting masses were certainly dialed in, too.
“There was a tremendous amount of action,” Pullen said. “The majority of action was on Iowa, but Ohio State is a solid team in its own right. There was decent action on Ohio State. It’s nice to see that for women’s basketball.”
The heavier wagering is not surprising at this point, though.
“All the Iowa games get a lot more action, way more handle,” Pullen added, noting that home-state bettors really get into it. “There’s just a ton of action in Iowa whenever the Hawkeyes play.”
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Big Ten Boost
The Big Ten women’s tournament began Wednesday in Minneapolis. As the No. 2 seed, Iowa doesn’t take the court until Friday night and won’t know its opponent until Thursday night.
That could dampen betting a bit, but Pullen expects it to grow throughout the weekend, while hoping Iowa gets to Sunday’s final.
“We know Clark is playing Friday against Penn State or Wisconsin. Then there’s a possible Saturday semifinal against Indiana, which is another good matchup,” he said.
Indiana is ranked 14th and split a home-and-home with Iowa in the regular season. If Big Ten seeding holds up, women’s college hoops fans and bettors will get what they want Sunday: a repeat of last weekend’s Iowa-Ohio State clash.
“People will know when Caitlin Clark is playing,” Pullen said. “They’ll keep their eyes on it, and when game time comes, they’ll be interested no matter who she’s playing. And increased attention leads to increased betting.”
Caitlin Clark breaks Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring record
Clark’s Championship Chase
Clark and her Iowa teammates will have their hands full just trying to win the Big Ten Tournament. Then comes a probable No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with the Hawkeyes looking to take that final step.
Last season, Clark led Iowa to the championship game, but LSU proved too much in posting a 102-85 victory.
Ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tourney, South Carolina is the strong favorite at Caesars Sports. The undefeated Gamecocks (29-0) are -145 to win the title, meaning it takes a $145 bet to win $100, for a total payout of $245.
Iowa (26-4) is the +700 second choice to win it all, a price much more attractive to public bettors. A $100 bet on the Hawkeyes would profit $700, for an $800 total payout.
Caesars customers are lining up to back Clark’s championship chase.
“Iowa is far and away the leader in ticket count. It’s all Caitlin Clark and Iowa,” Pullen said. “Then it’s South Carolina and LSU, which are almost the same.”
At +750, LSU (26-4) is right behind Iowa in NCAA Tournament championship odds. Any championship run will have to go through South Carolina, but with Clark, Pullen likes Iowa’s chances.
“At 7/1, the Hawkeyes have a shot. Anytime you have a player like her, you’ve got a shot,” he said. “They’ll go as far as Caitlin Clark can take them.”
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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