#2 IOWA HAWKEYES (20-7) (14-4) vs #7 NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS (16-11) (8-8)
INFO: 5:30pm on Big Ten Network
The Iowa Women’s Basketball team opens play in the Big Ten Tournament today, after clinching the double-bye to the quarterfinal round. They will take on a Northwestern Wildcats team that has given the Hawkeyes a pair of tough tests this season, including a 77-69 win in Iowa City back on January 6th.
The assumption is that the Hawkeyes need a win over the Wildcats to lock up a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament, which would mean a pair of tournament games at Carver. It will not be easy, as the Cats ‘Blizzard Defense’, spearheaded by Veronica Burton has held Iowa to 70.5 ppg in two match-ups, which is 15 points below the Hawkeyes season average.
“They play a match-up zone that’s a little bit different than what you see all year,” said Lisa Bluder. “They do such a good job in the zone of taking away the high post and that’s what a lot of people attack in a zone.”
Northwestern defeated Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament by a final score of 65-60. The Cats had four players score in double figures, including 11 points and 11 rebounds from Courtney Shaw, while Veronica Burton has 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. They struggled from 3pt range, shooting just 13.0% (3/23) from behind the arc.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
- A win likely clinches Iowa an opportunity to host an NCAA Tournament regional
- Last hosted in 2019 (defeated 15 Mercer and 7 Missouri)
- Advance to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals for the third time in four seasons
THE NUMBERS – OFFENSE
NORTHWESTERN: 67.2 points (121st), 39.2% FG (223rd), 30.8% 3pt (175th), 70.1% FT (183rd), 36.6 rebounds (180th), 13.8 TO (61st)
IOWA: 85.4 points (2nd), 50.5% FG (1st), 35.6% 3pt (30th), 84.6% FT (1st), 38.2 rebounds (112th), 15.1 TO (138th)
THE NUMBERS – DEFENSE
NORTHWESTERN: 63.6 points (180th), 39.5% FG (154th), 34.3% 3pt (321st), -1.8 rebounding margin (239th), 18.5 TO (58th)
IOWA: 71.6 points (314th), 40.1% FG (187th), 31.8% 3pt (245th), +3.8 rebounding margin (89th), 14.6 TO (262nd)
PROJECTED STARTERS
NORTHWESTERN
G Veronica Burton – 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.1 steals, 32.3% 3pt
G Lauryn Satterwhite – 7.2 points, 37.8% FG
G Jillian Brown – 8.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 34.0% FG
G Laya Hartman – 7.7 points, 40.0% 3pt
F Courtney Shaw – 8.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 51.9% FG
BENCH
G Melannie Daley – 6.6 points, 41.8% FG
F Caleigh Walsh – 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 33.9% FG
IOWA
PG Caitlin Clark – 27.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 32.6% 3pt – Big Ten POY
G Gabbie Marshall – 7.1 points, 40.9% 3pt – best defender
G Kate Martin – 6.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 44.7% FG
F McKenna Warnock – 12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 45.1% 3pt
C Monika Czinano – 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 66.9% FG
BREAKDOWN
Coach Lisa Bluder said earlier this week that they would spend more time preparing for Northwestern than Minnesota, just because the way that the Cats play is tougher to get ready for than Minnesota.
“We don’t know during this week, who we are going to play. So, who is the trickiest to prepare for? That’s Northwestern,” said Bluder. “We have to spend more of our time preparing for Northwestern because of the nature of the way they play.”
The Wildcats have been able to fluster the Hawkeyes offensively through two match-ups and they’ve seen firsthand, the reason why they call it the ‘Blizzard Defense’. Iowa has committed 43 turnovers (21.5 per gm) in two games vs Northwestern and have been held 15 points below their average offensive output.
G Veronica Burton is a major reason why their defense is as good as it is. She leads the nation in steals with 114 and had eight steals in the first match-up vs the Hawkeyes. Winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year three straight seasons speaks for itself.
On the offensive side, she averages 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and is second in the Big Ten with 183 assists. In two games vs Iowa she has 44 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.
“Burton is one of the best guards in the Big Ten conference. She is someone that we really have to key in on,” said Coach Lisa Bluder. “She can shoot from three. She gets to the free throw line and she’s their second-best rebounder…She just fits into their system so well.”
Behind Burton, the Cats have six players averaging above 6.5 points per game and they all have the ability to step up and have a big game. All six players have scored 14+ points in a game this season and that makes them a bit tougher to break down. You never really know who is going to be the one behind Burton.
Freshman G Melannie Daley has been particularly successful against the Hawkeyes scoring 35 points in two games, including a season-high 22 points on 9/16 shooting in their January win. G Laya Hartman had a season-high 14 points in the second match-up.
F Courtney Shaw and F Caleigh Walsh have combined for just 20 points on 8/24 shooting, but Shaw has been big on the boards combining for 23 rebounds, including 12 on the offensive side. G Lauryn Satterwhite has come on late in the season, logging six of her seven double digit scoring outputs in the last nine games. She has just nine points in two games against Iowa this season.
On the Iowa side, they have been playing their best basketball of the season over the last two weeks and a big part of that can be attributed to finally getting fully healthy. The Michigan game was the best team effort the Hawkeyes have put together this season, including good performances from Kate Martin, Kylie Feuerbach, Gabbie Marshall, while Addison O’Grady and Tomi Taiwo also had big minutes. That’s not even mentioning Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano, who combined for 57 points of Iowa’s 104 points.
That’s a polar opposite from the Hawkeyes match-up against the Wildcats back in the January. The Hawkeyes scored just 69 points and only five of them came from players not named Caitlin, Monika or McKenna.
“When we shoot the ball like we are capable of, it’s game changing,” said Caitlin Clark. “Especially, with Monika down on the block, who they have to respect as well…I don’t know what coaches tell their girls, because we just have so many threats. Tomi and Kylie coming off the bench as well is another big key for us.”
If the Hawkeyes want to beat Northwestern, they have to do two things. Rebound the ball and limit turnovers. Even if they do those things, the style of play that is run by Joe McKeown and his squad is one that favors them in a match-up against the Hawkeyes. It’s going to be a close game and Iowa just has to find a way to win, just like they did in Evanston. I’ll say the Hawkeyes pull out a closely contested game and lock up a regional host for the NCAA Tournament. Iowa 75 Northwestern 68
