THE WNBA JUST GOT A BRUTAL DOSE OF REALITY

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Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese get a brutal reality check about their WNBA rivalry

The two rookies squared off again on Sunday

Another showdown between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese ended with a victory for Clark‘s team — and controversy centered on Reese.

Dating to their college days, Clark has won the past three meetings with Reese after the Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky on Sunday. But the game was controversial for a flagrant foul Reese committed on Clark in the third quarter, a swipe for the ball that went awry. While both players have dismissed the incident as a “basketball play,” others have not been swayed — and one analyst has even questioned the nature of their rivalry.

Andraya Carter discusses the Clark-Reese “mid-off”

ESPN‘s Andraya Carter on Monday said that as fun as it has been watching these two rookies square off and establish themselves in the WNBA, the fact of the matter is that airtime could be devoted to some of the league’s elite teams and players — a level that neither Clark nor Reese will reach as rookies.

“If we’re being completely honest, their teams are having a mid-off right now,” Carter said. “They’re eighth and ninth in the WNBA standings.”

The Fever (5-10) and the Sky (4-9) are in a virtual tie for the final playoff spot in the W, with more than half the season still to play. While making the postseason in year one would be a tremendous learning opportunity for Clark and/or Reese, their teams are far from the league’s top tier — which includes the Connecticut Sun, the New York Liberty, and the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

However, the media coverage devoted to Clark and Reese’s every move is outweighing that afforded to players like Brittney Griner, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, and others. Carter is trying to draw attention away from the pair of influential rookies and back toward the league as a whole — where there are plenty of intriguing storylines.