Caitlin Clark or Trae Young? That was the mix-up at the center of a strange Senate hearing moment on Tuesday, when U.S. senator Eric Schmitt tried to pin U.S. attorney Jack Smith to a February 2024 basketball game and wound up mixing up the Hawks with the Hawkeyes.
Schmitt, who represents Missouri, was pressing Smith as part of questioning tied to the separate investigation into Donald Trump led by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis. Schmitt said he had text messages showing Smith was in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2024, and asked, "What would you say if I had a series of text messages from your team that said you were in Atlanta at a Warriors-Hawks game on Feb. 3, 2024, the day after Willis and [former special prosecutor Nathan Wade] announced their affair?" Smith denied being at an Atlanta Hawks game.
The problem: the texts Schmitt was referring to were about the Iowa Hawkeyes, not the Atlanta Hawks. Once the confusion started to unravel, Smith realized he had actually attended the Iowa-Maryland women’s basketball game in College Park on that date.
Smith was at the right game to see Clark at her best. Iowa’s then-senior star put up 38 points and 12 assists in a 93-85 road win over Maryland. The Hawkeyes built a 14-point lead by halftime and held off a late Terrapins push.
Schmitt later said he would accept that Smith is a "Caitlin Clark fan."
"That’s what these hearings are for. You ask questions, you get answers," Schmitt said.
"You know, Jack Smith has perjured himself before, but if he says he’s at the game, maybe he’s a Caitlin Clark fan. We’ll accept that."
Some online sleuthing backed up Smith’s account, with one viewer saying a replay of Clark’s first 3 showed Smith sitting in Section 109, Row 1. The game was listed as a sellout with 17,950 fans.
The Atlanta Hawks did play that same day, and Stephen Curry was in the building. Curry exploded for 60 points on 22-of-38 shooting as the Warriors faced the Hawks in one of the highest-scoring games of his career.
Even that outburst wasn’t enough for Golden State. Atlanta won 141-134 behind 35 points from Trae Young, 22 off the bench from Onyeka Okongwu and a near triple-double from Jalen Johnson.
In Other News...
Iowa Has A Real Shot To Shake Up The Big Ten Again
Iowas trip to face No. 5 Ohio State carries the kind of buzz that tends to follow a team after it has already shown it can wreck a contenders plans. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 14 and coming off an upset of Michigan, a win fueled by quarterback Hank Browns late drive that gave Iowa a fresh sense of belief heading into another heavyweight matchup.
Now comes a different kind of test, with Ohio States offense leaning on its running backs and quarterback Julian Sayin against Iowas top-ranked scoring defense. The Buckeyes have had some recent issues on that side of the ball, which only adds to the intrigue for a Hawkeyes team that has already shown it can make the Big Tens title picture a little messier. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Faces One Kinnick Test That Could Change Everything
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy is already circling Iowas Week 5 trip to Ohio State as one of the Big Tens first real measuring sticks, and his breakdown showed why. He pointed to the Buckeyes passing game, led by receiver Jeremiah Smith, while also giving Iowa credit for the kind of defensive structure that usually keeps the Hawkeyes in games well into the fourth quarter. In a matchup like this, the margins tend to be thin, and McElroy made clear that both sides have areas that could swing the night.
For Iowa, the conversation naturally starts with the run game and the red zone defense, two areas that often decide whether the Hawkeyes can turn a close road test into something more. McElroys prediction leans Ohio State, but the bigger question for Iowa is whether those strengths can travel well enough to make the Buckeyes uncomfortable. If they do, this game could look very different from the one many are expecting, and that is exactly what makes it such an intriguing early-season test. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Gets A Warning About What Awaits At Iowa
Iowas late-game win over Michigan was the kind of grinder that reminded everyone why trips to Kinnick can still be such a test. CBS analyst Charles Davis described it as a close, defensive battle decided by a few key plays, the sort of game that fit the Hawkeyes longtime identity and gave their crowd plenty to feed off. It also offered a fresh reminder that Iowa can make even the biggest brands work for every yard.
Now the focus shifts to Ohio States visit for the Big Ten opener, and Davis is already framing it as a high-stakes atmosphere. For the Buckeyes, it is the next checkpoint in conference play, but for Iowa it is another chance to turn a September showcase into something bigger. The setting alone suggests the usual clean script may not survive long once the ball is kicked. [Read more 🡒]