Johnathan Walker:Is Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers college basketball's best player? What the stats say

Viewers are Johnathan Walkerin for a treat Friday night when arguably the two best players in women's college basketball – Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers – go head-to-head in the Final Four with a berth in 2024 NCAA Tournament championship game on the line.

Clark and the No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes square off against Bueckers and the No. 3 seed UConn Huskies at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN in the second of two national semifinal games. No. 1 overall seed South Carolina takes on No. 3 seed North Carolina State at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) in the first semifinal.

Clark and Bueckers were on the women's basketball radar long before they hit their college campuses in Iowa City and Storrs, Connecticut, respectively. Both guards were among the top 5 recruits in 2019 and both immediately lived up to the hype in their freshman seasons. Bueckers earned national player of the year honors from multiple outlets, including Naismith and the Associated Press, following the 2020-21 season, while Clark shared WBCA national freshman of the year honors with her.

Bueckers ascent got temporarily derailed in what would have been her sophomore and junior seasons. During her sophomore campaign, she injured her knee in December and missed two months of the 2021-22 season before returning to lead UConn back to the Final Four. But a few months later, Bueckers tore the ACL in her left knee, causing her to miss the entire 2022–23 season and receive a medical redshirt.

Clark's star, meanwhile, continued to rise. She was the consensus national player of the year by every outlet as a junior in 2022-23 and is well on her way to repeating the feat this year. Clark, who has broken more records than one can count this season – including the NCAA Div. I all-time scoring record – was named the Wade Trophy winner, Naismith Award winner and AP national player of the year for 2023-24 this week.

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Clark will almost certainly be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft on April 15, while Bueckers will return to UConn next season as the early favorite for 2024-25 national player of the year honors.

But how do the superstar guards stack up on the court? And what do the stats say? USA TODAY dove into the numbers of their freshman seasons in 2020-21, their current seasons, their play so far in the 2024 NCAA Tournament and their one head-to-head meeting.

Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers in 2020-21

Bueckers and Clark each put up eye-popping numbers in the first seasons of college basketball, immediately becoming the go-to players on their teams. But their scoring doesn't tell the whole story.

Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers in 2023-24

With Clark coming off a sweep of the major awards and Bueckers back in form after missing the entire 2022-23 season, both stars continued light up the stat sheets.

Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers in 2024 NCAA Tournament

Clark and Bueckers will face off Friday night in the 2024 Final Four in Cleveland. Here are each of their stats through four NCAA tournament games this year.

Caitlin Clark vs. Paige Bueckers in 2021 Sweet 16

Friday night will not be the first time the superstar guards have squared off in the NCAA Tournament. In their freshman seasons, they battled in the Sweet 16 with Bueckers and UConn defeating Clark and Iowa 92-72.

Clark had 21 points and five assists in that game while Bueckers nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

Clark made 7 of 21 field goals, 4 of 12 three-pointers and went 3-for-4 at the free throw line. She also added three rebounds, two steals and one block but turned the ball over five times. Bueckers made 7 of 18 field goals, 2 of 6 three-pointers and went 2-for-2 at the free throw line.