1. Clark was more spectacular
Bueckers sought traditional shots and made them with little flair. Her three-pointers almost all came from just behind the arc, and her favorite two-point shot was a pull-up jumper in the lane. She excelled by making the right plays and coming up big in the clutch.
Clark colored outside the lines, taking step-back 28-foot three-pointers, shooting from near the logos on the court, fighting through double teams with elbows high and playing with more visible emotion.
If they worked in Vegas, Bueckers would have been the magician doing card tricks, Clark would have been in Cirque du Soleil, leaping off the high dive headfirst into a puddle.
2. Clark overachieved
As great as Bueckers’ career was, her successes were expected. She was the best high school player in the nation as a senior and went to the greatest program in the history of women’s college basketball.
Clark played high school ball in Des Moines and went to the local college without much fanfare. Then she elevated that program to unforeseen heights.
3. Clark was controversial
Clark screamed on the court, played with a chip on her shoulder and wound up feuding, at least briefly, with Angel Reese.