PHOENIX — While Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were both rising to household-name prominence in their college careers, they were also rivals in high-stakes games. First, it was the 2023 national championship game, where Reese's LSU came out on top. Clark's Iowa returned the favor in the 2024 Elite Eight.

For fans, it created a rivalry between the two top players which has translated to the WNBA. No. 1 pick Clark and No. 7 pick Reese are just three hours away from each other in Indiana and Chicago, setting up a four-game Eastern Conference regular-season rivalry for the foreseeable future.

To top it off, they've become the two frontrunners for 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

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"I don't think anybody else is going to enter the Rookie of the Year conversation," ESPN WNBA commentator Ryan Ruocco said in a media call Wednesday. "But that doesn't have to do with — that's not a slight to the production of anybody else, like Rickea (Jackson) or Aaliyah (Edwards) or Kamilla (Cardoso). That's just how good Caitlin and Angel have been, with the history they've continue to set."

There's been a lot of debate between fans, media, and even celebrities on who should be Rookie of the Year. This kind of race, and even this kind of fan engagement, has been unheard of.

"I think first and foremost, these two players came into the pros with unprecedented followings," Ruocco said. "Caitlin and Angel both had just incredible, incredible fanfare in college, and their matchups obviously lived up to and exceeded the hype...  Then you've had them both doing historic things. They came in with these followings and this fanfare, and they both have delivered in huge ways on the floor.

"So that has made it a really interesting conversation, an intriguing conversation because these two players who already kind of had this blossoming rivalry, if you will, then become the two premier candidates for Rookie of the Year. It's almost too good to be true for sports television."

In recent history, there's usually been a clear frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. Fever center Aliyah Boston, the 2023 No. 1 pick, was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year last season, becoming the seventh player to be a unanimous pick for the award. Even if the award isn't unanimous, it's not one that has been frequently contested. Rhyne Howard, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, got 53 of 56 votes and 2021 winner Michaela Onyenwere garnered all but two votes.

There also hasn't been this much attention on the WNBA where other sports celebrities have taken the time to not only watch the WNBA, but know enough to comment on it. Former NBA great and fellow LSU graduate Shaquille O'Neal, for example, said Reese was going to be his pick for Rookie of the Year and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley concurred.

This season is also one of the first times there have been betting odds for the WNBA Rookie of Year award. The money is on Clark as the heavy favorite. Bet MGM, as of July 18, has Clark at -2000 for the award and Reese at +750.

"They have really entered into new territory where not just sports fans are interested in Angel and Caitlin, but they're household names," ESPN WNBA commentator LaChina Robinson said. "So, I've enjoyed watching them really take the league to new heights, both with their play on the court and who they are as people."

Clark and Reese have broken WNBA records in their short time as pros. But how do they stack up to each other? It's hard to compare the two head-to-head. After all, Clark is a point guard and Reese is a power forward, so their two positions aren't necessarily compatible.

WNBA rookie stat leaders

Total Points: Clark, 1^st (445); Reese, 2^nd (324)

Total Rebounds: Reese 1^st (286); Clark, 2^nd (151)

Total Assists: Clark, 1^st (213); Reese, 5^th (44)

Total Steals: Clark, 1^st (38); Reese, 2^nd (34)

Total Blocks: Clark, 2^nd (22); Reese, 5^th (10)

Caitlin Clark's case for WNBA Rookie of the Year

The Fever rookie was most outlets' pick for Rookie of the Year preseason, for obvious reasons. It took her time to adjust to the pace of play and her teammates in the beginning of the season, but she has found her footing in a big way.

Throughout a stretch between late June and early July, Clark became the first player in WNBA history with at least 15 points and 13 assists in three straight games. She had five consecutive points-assists double-doubles, with one of them being triple-double, a first in Fever history and first for a rookie in WNBA history.

She is consistently responsible for over 50% of the Fever's offense in some way (between points and assists). She continues to break records, becoming the fastest to 400 points and 200 assists in WNBA history. She currently leads the league with 213 assists, averaging 7.9 per game. She is also 13th in the league with 17.1 points per game.

Her most recent record came in the Fever's final game before the All-Star break. She dished out a WNBA single-game record of 19 assists against the Wings, breaking Courtney Vandersloot's previous record of 18 set against the Fever in 2020.

Clark is top-15 in the league overall in scoring, assists, rebounds, steals and blocks.

The thing holding Clark back, though, is her turnover rate. She broke the league's single-season turnover record just over halfway into the season, overtaking Alyssa Thomas' record of 137 set last year. Still, Thomas finished second in the MVP voting with that turnover number.

Clark has 145 turnovers in just 26 games, averaging out to 5.7 per game. Thomas, the next closest, has 87 turnovers. But as Clark has more comfortable with teammates, speed of play and coach Christie Sides' sets, that number has started to taper off.

Angel Reese's case for WNBA Rookie of the Year

Reese has been breaking records of her own throughout the pre-Olympic portion of the season.

She tallied 15 consecutive points-rebounds double-doubles, breaking a WNBA record set by Candace Parker over the 2009-10 seasons. She leads the WNBA with 17 total double-doubles and is on her way to breaking the rookie mark of 22 set by Tina Charles in 2010.

Reese is a ferocious rebounder, as she leads the WNBA in offensive rebounds with 4.7 per game. Her teammate, fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso, is second with 3.3 offensive rebounds a game. Overall, Reese is second in the WNBA in rebounding with 11.9 per game — just behind Olympian A'ja Wilson's 12 per game. Reese is averaging a double-double so far this season, adding on an average of 13.5 points per game.

What holds Reese back is her shooting percentage. As a forward, Reese is expected to be an effective 2-point shooter, but that hasn't totally panned out for her yet. She is shooting 40.4% on 2-pointers, when the league average is around 49%.

What about team success?

ESPN's Monica McNutt argued Reese should win the award earlier this month because the Sky had a better record than the Fever. That's no longer the case, though it's close. The Fever are 11-15 (.423), while the Sky are 10-14 (.417).

Team record didn't hurt Aliyah Boston's case, who was the unanimous winner despite the Fever's 13-27 record last season. The Fever are 2-1 vs. the Sky this season and are one win away from matching last year's total output.

The Sky, who have made the playoffs five straight seasons, are one game behind the Fever in the eighth spot. The Fever, with Clark leading the way, are in the hunt for their first playoff appearance since 2016.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese debate heats up for WNBA Rookie of the Year