Former Iowa Women's Basketball superstar Caitlin Clark's return to Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be moved up two hours. On January 30, it was announced that the Indiana Fever would welcome the Brazilian National Team to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, for a preseason matchup on May 4.
The matchup was originally slated for 5:00 p.m. Central Time and was moved to 3:00 p.m. Central Time. The move is likely in response to ESPN not wanting the game to conflict with a potential game seven in the NBA Playoffs.
If there is a game seven, the Fever game will move to ESPN2.
The highly anticipated game will be Clark's first time playing at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since she torched West Virginia with 32 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 matchup on March 25, 2024.
The tickets for the matchup went on sale on February 27, and were sold out in 45 minutes. The new-look Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark will battle Kamilla Cardoso and the Brazilian National Team in front of 15,000 fans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The game will be the first WNBA preseason game to be nationally televised.
The WNBA is looking to capitalize on the "Caitlin Clark Effect" and has already scheduled the Indiana Fever for 41 nationally televised or streamed games. Teams are also moving games against the Fever to bigger arenas to accommodate more fans.
That includes the Chicago Sky moving two home games against the Fever to the United Center.
The league took notice after Caitlin Clark helped boost the viewership numbers for the WNBA last season. During her first season, the WNBA averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 170 percent increase from the 2023-2024 season.
The "Caitlin Clark Effect" is in full effect, and the WNBA is beginning to notice.