Clara Strack Is About to Own Women's College Basketball and Nobody's Talking About the Historic Numbers

A bunch of elite centers just left college basketball for the pros this offseason. UCLA's Lauren Betts, South Carolina's Madina Okot, Oklahoma's Raegan Beers, Texas' Kyla Oldacre, and UConn's Serah Williams are all gone. So who's the best center left standing? Kentucky's Clara Strack, and the stats she just put up as a junior are honestly unprecedented.

The Season That Changed Everything

Strack averaged 16.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game last year. Those numbers led Kentucky to its first Sweet 16 in a decade. But here's the wild part: she became the first player in women's college basketball history to record 607 points, 365 rebounds, 91 blocks, 68 assists, 44 steals, and 25 made three-pointers in a single season. Nobody has ever done that before. Not once. That should matter when you're talking about who the best center in the country is heading into 2026-27.

Strack vs. Crooks: The Debate Nobody's Ready For

Most people would probably tell you that Oklahoma State's Audi Crooks is the top center right now. Crooks averaged 25.8 points per game last season, second in the country behind Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes at 27 PPG. She also shot 64.9% from the field. Impressive, no question about it. But here's the thing: Crooks is a one-dimensional player. Her entire offensive game lives in the paint. Strack? She does everything. She's arguably one of the best defenders in the country. Crooks is on the complete opposite end of that spectrum. Her defense needs serious work.

Let's look at the actual numbers. Strack leads Crooks in 11 of 14 statistical categories, including rebounds per game (10.1 to 7.7), steals per game (1.2 to 0.3), blocks per game (2.5 to 0.8), assists per game (1.9 to 1.7), and three-pointers made (25 to 1). Sure, Strack played 36 games while Crooks played 31, but Kentucky made the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals and the Sweet 16, while Iowa State lost in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. That's not a coincidence. Even if you give Crooks five extra games to match Strack's totals, Strack still leads 11-3. The numbers don't lie, and neither does what you see on the court.

Senior Season Incoming

Strack is heading into her senior season at Kentucky, and the case for her as the best center in women's college basketball is stronger than most people realize. She does the work on both ends of the floor. She puts up historic numbers. And she wins games. When the 2026-27 season tips off, all eyes should be on Lexington.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.