WHO: Drake Bulldogs (3-0)
WHEN: 6:00 PM CT (Sunday, November 19, 2023)
WHERE: Carver Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
TV: Fox Sports 1
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network
ONLINE: foxsports.com/live
MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaWBB | @IowaonBTN
Last year Drake pushed Iowa right to the limit in their game in Des Moines. On offense, Iowa was very two-dimensional -- Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano scored 64 of the team's 92 points that day. Defensively, the Hawks were unable to consistently get stops against the Bulldogs. The game went back and forth most of the day, before Iowa eventually prevailed in overtime.
Thus far, the Bulldogs have looked just as strong this year as they have in past seasons. They started the year with a 94-69 win over St. Thomas, then won on the road at Saint Louis 78-66. They followed those wins with their biggest of all, defeating Iowa State 85-73 at home. Drake got off to a fast start and led 38-20 at halftime before closing out the big win.
Will Drake pull another upset and become the unlikely Iowa state champions, or will the Hawkeyes get back on track?
Stats used in this preview are from HerHoopStats.
Top Players
Drake's offense is led primarily by three players.
Grace Berg is a versatile 6'0" forward averaging 19.0 ppg and 5.7 rpg so far this season. She's shooting 50.0% on 2-point attempts and 53.8% on 3-point attempts. If Iowa goes with its small lineup again this game, Kate Martin or Sydney Affolter would likely be matched with her to start. Iowa could also put Hannah Stuelke on her and hope that Stuelke's height and athleticism advantages can neutralize Berg's offense. Stuelke was much better at limiting her fouls against Kansas State.
Katie Dinnebier is a 5'8" guard averaging 17.0 ppg, 6.0 apg, and 3.7 spg. She's shooting 52.9% on 2-point shots and 40.0% on 3-point attempts thus far this year. Iowa will likely match her with Gabbie Marshall on defense to slow down her ability to pass or score off the dribble.
Finally Taylor McAulay, a 5'11" guard, is having a breakout season. Before this year, she had only started 15 games in her career. So far this season, she's averaging 16.0 ppg and shooting 42.1% from three. She averages 6.3 three-point attempts per game, which leads the Bulldogs.
Playing Style
For years Drake's play style was very similar to Iowa's under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. The Bulldogs liked to score and play fast, and defense was secondary. Allison Pohlman took over in 2021 when Baranczyk moved on to Oklahoma, and hasn't really changed much.
Drake still plays at one of the fastest paces in college basketball. Last year, the Bulldogs averaged 75 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranked in the 92nd percentile. This year, they're averaging 82.3 possessions per 40 and rank in the 97th percentile.
So far that fast pace has translated to good offense. The Bulldogs are averaging 85.7 ppg, which ranks 26th nationally.
One byproduct of that fast play and offensive focus is a not so stellar defense. The Bulldogs rank 223rd nationally, allowing 69.3 ppg.
One area to watch in the game is turnovers. Thus far, Drake has averaged 19.3 turnovers per game, which ranks 267th nationally. Iowa was good at managing turnovers in the first few games of the season, but had 16 against Kansas State.
Drake also hasn't grabbed many offensive rebounds this season. The Bulldogs have averaged only 9.3 offensive rebound per game, ranking 290th nationally. Iowa has held its own on the boards so far this season against teams that rebound much better than Drake does.
If Iowa can win the turnover and rebounding battles, that could be the difference in a game that looks like it could be a shootout on paper.
X-Factor
Move on quickly. Against Kansas State, everything seemed to go wrong for Iowa. Caitlin Clark had one of the worst shooting nights of her career. Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall were benched in the game's crucial final few minutes in favor of Molly Davis and Sydney Affolter. Hannah Stuelke started the game well, but had three turnovers and just one shot attempt in the second half.
Each of those players is better than they showed on Thursday. To avoid a second potential upset, Iowa needs them to be the players they've been throughout their careers.
