Caitlin Clark and Caitlin Bueckers have been in each other’s orbit for years. The Final Four beckons

By WILL GRAVES
AP National Writer

CLEVELAND (AP) — Two of college basketball’s biggest stars will face off when Iowa and Caitlin Clark meet UConn and Paige Bueckers in the Final Four. Clark is a two-time National Player of the Year trying to guide the Hawkeyes to their first NCAA championship. Bueckers has returned to form this year after dealing with knee injuries that cost her most of two seasons. Clark and Bueckers grew up in the Midwest often facing off in AAU tournaments or playing alongside each other for Team USA. They say they don’t view themselves as rivals but instead feel their rising stardom is symbolic of the increased exposure of the women’s game.