Catlin Clark seems to be taking over the conversation no matter what the game. As the Indiana Hoosiers prepared for the CFB Playoff, the conversation shifted to Clark, who had nothing to do with routes or touchdowns.

In a media session, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt casually revealed that his dog's name could raise eyebrows among Indiana fans. While talking about his new purchase he said, “I got a nice little apartment [in Bloomington, Indiana]. I just chill. I got my dog, and [it’s a] great town and great people.”

When asked about the dog’s name, he didn’t hesitate.“CC. They may not like it, [but] she’s named after Caitlin Clark. That’s why I named her,” he admitted, before adding with a smile, “Indiana fans may not like that. But yeah, that’s my American bully. She’s my daughter right there.”

He shared a photo of his dog on his Instagram story and captioned it "CC, queen of cuteness"

Though Sarratt’s admission seems all in lighthearted fun, some Hoosiers fans felt the sting. Caitlin Clark is not just another name and especially not in college basketball.

While she does play for the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, Clark wore the Hawkeyes jersey in college. The Indiana Hoosiers and Iowa Hawkeyes have an intense rivalry in college basketball, spending the last few years battling out for the Big Ten conference title. When Clark was in college, the Iowa native punished the Indiana Hoosiers team time and again, going 6–3 against Indiana and winning her final three matchups. She even took Iowa to the 2022 Big Ten Tournament championship game.

So it's fair to assume that Hoosiers fans were taken by surprise when Sarratt named his dog after the Iowa alum.

Hoosiers fans have nothing to be upset about after Clark's response

Caitlin Clark responded to Sarratt’s January 17th interview with a repost and a comment on TikTok. The Hawkeyes star wrote “Big Indiana fan Monday night” and followed it up with encouragement “Hope he scores 3 TDs Monday night”.

Clark has admitted that she has enjoyed her time competing for the Fever in Indianapolis. And with her rookie contract still active, she will enter her third year with the franchise in the WNBA.

The name 'CC' may not have anything to do with the final between Indiana and the Miami Hurricanes, but the reveal pushed Caitlin Clark into the headlines regardless, just ahead of the anticipated final.

As Sarratt is aiming to win the final game of the season and complete this fairytale season for Indiana, Clark will be swapping her Iowa jersey for an Indiana jersey this Monday.

Written by

Fatema Kapasi

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu