Preview: No. 3 Iowa WBB at Northwestern
WHO: Northwestern Wildcats (7-13 overall, 2-7 Big Ten)
WHEN: 7:00 PM CT (Wednesday, January 31)
WHERE: Welsh Ryan Arena (Evanston, Illinois)
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
In the 2019-20 season Northwestern finished 26-4 overall, and 16-2 in the Big Ten. Those highs for the program seem like a distant memory now.
Last year, the Wildcats collapsed to 9-21 overall, and 2-16 in the Big Ten. This year has been similar. The Wildcats sit 7-13 overall and 2-7 in the Big Ten. Their only saving grace is that their February schedule isn't particularly daunting. They have winnable games at home against Wisconsin and Purdue, and end the year by traveling to 6-16 Rutgers.
Northwestern has shown some flashes of decently play throughout the season. The Wildcats won at NET #99 Temple late December. They also won at Wisconsin, and only lost to 15-5 Penn State by 11 points on Thursday.
But there have also been some blowout losses, including 110-52 at Notre Dame, 90-52 against Florida State, 90-60 against Ohio State, and 100-59 at Indiana on Sunday.
Top Players
5'11" guard Melannie Daley is Northwestern's leading scorer. She averages 12.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg, and 1.4 spg. She's shooting 49.8% on 2-point attempts, but isn't much of a three-point threat.
6'3" forward Caileigh Walsh is Northwestern's only other player averaging in double-digits. She averages 12.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, and 1.0 bpg. Walsh is shooting 50.0% from 2-point range and 32.2% from 3-point range.
Play Style
Last year, Northwestern averaged 75.1 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranked in the 94th percentile nationally. The Wildcats have slowed down a bit this year, as they average 72.9 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks in the 72nd percentile.
Offensively, Northwestern averages 67.1 points per game, which ranks 138th. The Wildcats shoot much better on 3-point attempts (36.0%, 30th) than on 2-point shots (43.6%, 210th). Despite that difference, Northwestern ranks just 262nd in three-pointers attempted, meaning they aren't taking advantage of their three-point shooting prowess. The Wildcats don't rebound particularly well on the offensive end, and their 17.4 turnovers per game rank 253rd. They do share the basketball well, though, as their 18.0 assists per game rank 21st.
Defensively, Northwestern surrenders 82.0 points per game, which ranks 356th (of 360 teams). The good Northwestern teams of a few years ago were known for their stifling zone defense that forced plenty of turnovers. This year's squad is far from that. The Wildcats are averaging just 5.6 steals per game, which ranks 340th. Northwestern has allowed teams to shoot 49.3% inside the arc (308th) and 36.8% (348th) from beyond the arc.
X-Factor
No anomalies. This is a game Iowa should win big so long as they don't have a historically bad shooting night or an early ejection. The best case scenario is for the starters to dominate in the first half so that Taylor McCabe, Jada Gyamfi, and Iowa's other deeper bench options can get a solid run of game action. They will play an important role on next year's team, and any experience they can gain this year will be helpful to their development.