ESPN called out for misleading Caitlin Clark stat graphic

Caitlin Clark fans will not appreciate this move from ESPN.

Sep 14, 2025; College Park, Georgia, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on the sideline against the Atlanta Dream in the first quarter during game one of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Gateway Center Arena at College Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There's no question that Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo is a premier talent who should transition seamlessly into professional basketball as soon as she's eligible for the WNBA, which will be in 2027.

There's also a strong case to be made that Hidalgo is the best offensive weapon in college basketball right now, at least when it comes to guards (although UConn Huskies star Azzi Fudd would have a good argument as well). Yet, Hidalgo's college scoring prowess can't compare to what Caitlin Clark produced during her time at the University of Iowa.

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo brings the ball up the court during an NCAA women's basketball game against No. 22 North Carolina at Purcell Pavilion on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hidalgo's Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the North Carolina Tarheels on ESPN on January 11, in a game in which Hidalgo scored 31 points. This marked the fifth time in her college career that she scored at least 30 points against a ranked opponent.

ESPN commemorated this achievement with a graphic during the game's broadcast that has since gone viral.

whew pic.twitter.com/RwNXj8jJVg

— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) January 11, 2026

Rachel DeMita calls ESPN out over cherry-picked Caitlin Clark graphic

While this graphic seems easy enough to understand at first glance, the truth is a much different story. And Rachel DeMita pointed this out during a recent episode of her Courtside Club podcast.

DeMita put the graphic on her screen and said, "I can't believe ESPN used this graphic. 'Most 30-point games vs. AP-ranked opponents'. So, as you can see, JuJu is here, Caitlin is here, Paige is here, and Hannah Hidalgo is here.

"Now, if you're looking at this graphic and you're not looking at the fine details, it looks like JuJu Clearly has the most 30-point games against ranked opponents. And then Caitlin Clark is second, Paige is third, and Hannah Hidalgo is creeping in on that mix," DeMita said.

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives to the basket as South Carolina Gamecocks guard Bree Hall (23) defends during the NCAA Tournament championship basketball game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Sunday, April 7, 2024 in Cleveland. | Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

"However, it says since the 2023-2024 season. So with that in mind, Caitlin Clark had 7 [30-point games]. In one season. Paige Bueckers had five over two seasons, Hannah Hidalgo had five over two and a half seasons, and then JuJu had 10 over two seasons," DeMita continued.

She then added, "So it's not actually the accurate graphic, unless you're looking at the timeline of it. All of these players have played different amounts of time in college. And it's kind of misleading, because Caitlin Clark actually had 23 with 30-plus points against AP-ranked opponents during her entire Iowa career, which was from 2020-2024."

ESPN totally cherry picked this Caitlin Clark stat 😭 pic.twitter.com/UbuBNVU7UO

— Courtside Club (@CourtsideClub_) January 13, 2026

DeMita is right that ESPN cherry-picked this stat, and it's fair that Clark's fan base is frustrated about them doing so.