Preview: No. 2 Iowa WBB vs. Wisconsin
WHO: Wisconsin Badgers (8-8)
WHEN: 8:00 PM CT (Tuesday, January 16)
WHERE: Carver Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, Iowa)
TV: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/home
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network
ONLINE: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/home
MOBILE: https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/home
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaWBB | @IowaonBTN
Wisconsin has been up and down since its December 10 loss to Iowa. On the positive side, the Badgers have won three games, including a big 67-61 victory at Illinois.
The negatives include blowout losses at Purdue and at Michigan and a home loss to a Northwestern team that was expected to finish at the bottom of the conference.
Wisconsin is a young team, so the ups and downs aren't that surprising, but they also show that Wisconsin has a long way to go if it wants to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
Stats for this preview are from HerHoopStats.
Iowa-Wisconsin Round I
Iowa beat Wisconsin 87-65 in Madison on December 10. The game was tied at 21 at the end of the first quarter, and Iowa led 43-33 at halftime.
The game turned in the second quarter when Wisconsin star post Serah Williams went to the bench with her third foul. Williams gave Iowa trouble in the early going, and Wisconsin led 26-23 when she went to the bench with foul issues. Iowa closed the half on a 20-7 run.
Williams picked up a foul early in the third quarter, too, and that basically wiped out any chance of a Badger comeback. Williams finished the game with 15 points and 8 rebounds in just 17 minutes of action.
Iowa didn't play particularly well against Wisconsin. Sharon Goodman started, but only scored 4 points. Molly Davis, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall combined for 11. Most of Iowa's offense ran through Caitlin Clark (28 points on 11-of-19 shooting) and Hannah Stuelke (21 points). Iowa has played much better team basketball in the past month.
Play Style
Wisconsin averages 72.2 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks in the 61st percentile. Despite playing somewhat quickly, the Badgers average just 65.2 points per game, which ranks 170th. They have been even worse defensively, allowing 66.7 points per game, which ranks 210th. The Badgers have tumbled more than 100 positions in the ranking since facing Iowa a month ago.
Offensively, Wisconsin is still hampered by turnovers and poor offensive rebounding. The Badgers turn the ball over 17.7 times per game on average, which ranks 260th. They somehow rank worse at offensive rebounding, as their 9.5 offensive rebounds per game ranks 297th.
Defensively, the Badgers are much better at rebounding. Their 27.2 defensive rebounds per game ranks 74th nationally. They are also decent at defending around the basket. Wisconsin's opponents have made 41.8% of their 2-point attempts, which ranks 76th nationally. The Badgers also block 4.5 shots per game, which ranks 43rd.
Top Players
Sarah Williams is averaging 16.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, and 3.2 bpg. She's shoots 51.0% on 2-point attempts and 20.0% on 3-point attempts.
5'4" guard Ronnie Porter does a bit of everything. She averages 10.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.6 apg, and 2.4 spg, though she shoots just 45.1% on 2-point tries and 24.1% on 3-point attempts.
5'7" guard Sania Copeland scored 13 on Iowa the first time around. She averages 8.6 ppg and 1.7 spg while shooting 52.6% on 2-point attempts and 31.1% from long range.
X-Factor
Contain Williams. In order for Wisconsin to threaten Iowa, the Badgers will need Williams to carry a big scoring load and also control the paint on defense. If Iowa can contain her, or get her in foul trouble again, Wisconsin doesn't have enough scoring threats around her to be truly dangerous.
Iowa has largely done well in combating great posts thus far this season. Ayoka Lee wasn't as much of a factor in Iowa's rematch win over Kansas State. Mackenzie Holmes had a quiet second half for Indiana on Saturday. Elizabeth Kitley played well, but didn't do quite enough to beat Iowa early in the season for Virginia Tech.
Resume on the Rise
Iowa's resume has taken a big step forward in the past few weeks.
Kansas Stateis 17-1 overall, 5-0 in the Big 12, and just entered the AP Top 10 at #7.
The Wildcats would be leading the Big 12 outright but for Iowa State. The Cyclones have won eight straight games since losing to Iowa, including wins this week over ranked West Virginia and former #4 Baylor. The Cyclones are 12-4 overall, 5-0 in the Big 12, and enter the Top 25 this week at #24.
Virginia Tech has also played well since losing to Iowa early in the year. The Hokies are 13-3 overall and 4-1 in the ACC. They sit #14 in the AP poll.
Indiana got blown out by Iowa and Stanford, but the Hoosiers are still 14-2 overall and ranked #16 in the AP.
If Iowa continues to take care of business and its past opponents continue to play well, the Hawkeyes will have a great argument to earn a #1 seed come March.