CHANDLER, Ariz. — Caitlin Clark makes pulling up from the midcourt logo look easy, routinely hitting shots most players would consider a heave.

The Iowa star’s deep range has expanded the scope of possibilities for up-and-coming women’s basketball players, much the way NBA star Stephen Curry changed the men’s game more than a decade ago.

“Guys will say the game is not as fun to watch, but Caitlin Clark is fun to watch,” said Shay Ijiwoye, one of Arizona’s top high school players and a Stanford commit. “I think she’s inspiring a lot of young kids my age, older, younger, that you can have that confidence and do it just as well as any guy could.”

Clark’s ability to shoot 3-pointers from midcourt logos at arenas across the country has changed the sport and the perception of it.

The 6-foot senior from Des Moines became Division I’s all-time leading scorer this season – a 3-pointer clinched it – a first-team All-American and has filled up the record book during one of the best careers in women’s college basketball history.

Clark’s reach has gone beyond the basketball court in the form of endorsement deals and fan interest, everyone wanting a part of the transcendent player.

Young female players want some of her game, too.

Clark’s shooting from well beyond the college 3-point line – the NBA line, for that matter – has been unlike anything seen in the women’s game before. Combined with her confidence, court vision and awareness, work ethic and team-first mentality, Clark has set a standard that’s hard for young players to miss.

“She’s part of the dialogue when players are talking about a logo 3 or a great pass she made in transition and uncanny ability to answer the bell in the biggest moments,” said Sue Phillips, coach of powerhouse Archbishop Mitty High School in California and USA Basketball.

“I think that really speaks to that innate ability as well as the time she’s put in. And this just doesn’t happen by accident. It’s clear she’s worked on her craft.”

Nearly every player in Division I basketball was the best on their team in high school. At the college level, the players are bigger, more athletic, so scoring doesn’t come quite as easy.

Clark has the scoring part down, but with the all-around game to go with it. She’s a superb passer with a high basketball IQ, the type of player who seems to see things before they happen. Clark also isn’t afraid to mix it up on defense, sets screens and is an excellent rebounder – all things coaches can point to for younger players.

“It’s a good model to show all the other girls coming up like, hey, you don’t have to just shoot 30 times a game,” said Tony Darden, Ijiwoye’s coach since second grade who runs Darden Sports Skills Academy. “You have to learn to do other things because when you get to that next level, everybody else is going to be able to score just as good as you. How are you going to stand out? She’s (Clark) taken it to a different level.”

RATINGS: Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes can claim another record — the most-viewed first-round game in women’s NCAA Tournament history.

The Hawkeyes’ 91-65 win over Holy Cross on Saturday averaged 3.23 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen. The viewership surpassed the 2.50 million who watched last year’s Elite Eight game between Iowa and Louisville, making this the most-viewed women’s tournament game ever – excluding Final Four contests and title games.

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CREIGHTON: Hands on his head with the front of his jersey pulled up to cover his face, Baylor Scheierman was the picture of Creighton’s raw emotion in the immediate aftermath of its crushing loss in the NCAA Elite Eight last year.

That loss to San Diego State denied the Bluejays of their first Final Four and made Scheierman’s decision to come back to college for a fifth year a lot easier.

If third-seeded Creighton beats No. 2 Tennessee in the Sweet 16 in Detroit on Friday night, the Bluejays would be in the same position as a year ago. No one has played a bigger role in making it to this point than Scheierman.

He ranks in the top five in the Big East in scoring, rebounding and free-throw shooting and in the top 10 in 3-point shooting and assists. He was an All-Big East first-team pick by The Associated Press and the conference’s head coaches and a third-team AP All-American.

“He’s truly a complete player, and I’d probably say the most complete player I’ve been around,” Utah State transfer and fourth-year point guard Steven Ashworth said.

Creighton leaned hard on Scheierman to get through the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament with an 86-73 double-overtime win over No. 11 Oregon in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

The Bluejays were down four points with under 30 seconds left in regulation when Scheierman made two free throws to halve the deficit. After Oregon missed the front end of a one-and-one, Scheierman came off a screen and hit a fade-away jumper to tie it at 64 with nine seconds left.

“I always want the ball in that situation,” Scheierman said. “My coaches and teammates obviously trust me a lot because they gave me the ball. The season’s on the line, and that’s what I’ve worked for since I was in eighth grade.”

Scheierman grew up two hours west of Omaha in Aurora, Nebraska, where he was a star quarterback and a two-time all-state pick in basketball. He was a bit undersized in high school and didn’t attract recruiting attention from power-conference programs. He accepted an offer to South Dakota State and was named Summit League player of the year in his third, and final, season with the Jackrabbits.

Scheierman went through an NBA draft evaluation and was told he would be served well by staying in school and playing against higher-level competition, getting faster and stronger and working on shooting off screens and quickening his release.

RATINGS: The first three days of the NCAA Tournament attracted record ratings, only to see the momentum stifled due to Sunday’s games being blowouts.

Overall, the tournament is averaging 9.07 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. That is a slight increase over the 9.05 million average at this point last year.

Through Saturday, the tournament averaged 9.0 million, making it the most-watched through that stage.

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