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Caitlin Clark, Iowa basketball suit up for brilliant setting inside Kinnick Stadium

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball are hitting the hardwood for the first (exhibition) game of the season on Sunday afternoon, but the Hawkeyes are not playing in their usual environment.

This time, Iowa is hitting the floor inside the university’s Kinnick Stadium. Dubbed the “Crossover at Kinnick,” the exhibition features Clark and the Hawkeyes facing off with DePaul.

Iowa averaged over 11,100 fans per home game a season ago, and the attendance record for a women’s basketball game is just shy of 30,000. Iowa has sold over 52,000 tickets for Sunday’s exhibition, and the weather has cooperated wonderfully.

The player intros for Iowa set the scene for an electric environment in Kinnick Stadium with Clark understandably receiving a particularly raucous ovation.

As for the play on the outdoor court, Clark showed no issues scoring early on in the exhibition. She beat her defender cleanly off the ball with a pretty kiss of the backboard.

The idea of outdoors basketball is not a new one with some games played on aircraft carriers in recent men’s basketball season. However, this is the first time for a women’s college basketball event of this magnitude with the Hawkeyes pulling off the event.

After fans got a taste of Nebraska’s Volleyball Day, Iowa’s Crossover at Kinnick is another brilliant endeavor for B1G programs looking to advance the cause of women’s sports. It’s good to see the weather cooperated, and fans can check out the event live on BTN.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.