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Bruce Pearl Misnames Caitlin Clark, Stumbles on Lisa Bluder in Big Ten Pregame Gaffe

The brief on-air flub during TNT/CBS pregame coverage drew swift online backlash on International Women’s Day.

Overview

  • During Sunday’s studio tease before the Iowa–UCLA Big Ten women’s final, the CBS/TNT analyst said “Caitlin Smith” and referred to former Hawkeyes coach “Lisa Blunder.”
  • Pearl corrected himself mid-sentence to “Caitlin Clark” after a brief pause on air.
  • The 13-second clip circulated widely on social media, where fans criticized the mistakes and mocked the broadcast.
  • Clark is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and now plays for the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, while longtime Iowa coach Lisa Bluder retired in 2024 with Jan Jensen taking over.
  • UCLA routed Iowa 96–45 in the championship game, and as of Monday there was no reported disciplinary action against Pearl.