Off a tough home loss to Ohio State that had plenty of physical play and controversial calls, the Hawkeyes have two opponents that on the opposite spectrum both on the court and on paper.

The Wisconsin Badgers have been one of the lower teams on the Big Ten totem pole for a while and are once again in that spot again, while Michigan is at the top of the conference and sits in the top 10 in the nation.

The schedule for Iowa gets much tougher during this last month with two games against #6 Michigan, as well as games against #5 Indiana and # 17 Maryland.

“We do have opportunities,” said Coach Lisa Bluder. “(The Ohio State game) gives us hope that we can compete with a top 25 team, and I think that really is something that we need to take to the game at Michigan.”

Previewing the Wisconsin Badgers (5-15) (2-8) (Thursday, February 3rd)

The Hawkeyes have won 24 straight games against their border rival and with the Badgers near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, they look poised to add another to the win streak, but Lisa Bluder is still a little nervous.

“It makes me nervous; all streaks have to come to an end sometime…I know how mad that makes Wisconsin and you worry about with this game, them being a little bit more fired up than us because we have Michigan coming up. You worry about the mentality of your players going into a game like this, where Wisconsin has got this one circled.”

Despite that respect for the opponent, the Badgers do not look to be a threat to Iowa on paper and have not yet threatened any ranked teams on the court. They rank 299th in the country in points per game, averaging just 57.7, while ranking 211th in 3pt shooting at 29.6%. Wisconsin is also right near the bottom in the country in rebounding, as the average just 30.2 rebounds per game. That ranks 343rd in the nation.

G Julie Pospisilova is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 14.3 ppg and will shoot it from 3pt range, however she is shooting just 28.3% from long range on the season. G Sydney Hilliard averages 12.8 ppg and has put up 15+ points in eight games. She also leads the team in rebounding with a mere 4.7 per game. G Katie Nelson is the teams best 3pt shooter at 38.2% and plays nearly 38 minutes a game, so the Hawkeyes will have to keep an eye on her at all times.

Iowa should be able to get back on track with a 25th straight win over the Badgers and get a relatively stress-less win before the big match-up vs Michigan on Sunday.

Previewing the #6 Michigan Wolverines (19-2) (10-1) (Sunday, February 6th)

“Michigan is one of the best teams, not just in the Big Ten, but in the country this year.”

The Wolverines have a quartet of scorers that produce nearly 75% of their points and 61% of their rebounds. Leading the charge is F Naz Hillmon, who joins Caitlin Clark on the short list for National Player of the Year award. Hillmon averages 20.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while converting 58.3% of her shot attempts. She has scored 20+ points in 11 games this season and much like Clark, Hillmon is going to get her points in this match-up.

G Leigha Brown (36.7%) and G Maddie Nolan (45.5%) lead the 3pt shooting threat for the Wolverines, with Brown averaging 14.8 points per game and Nolan averaging 9.2 per game. F Emily Kiser is the teams second leading rebounder behind Hillmon, averaging 8.5 per game and also averages in double figures with 10.0 points per game.

Michigan’s best bench option is freshman G Laila Phelia. Phelia is averaging 7.4 points per game, but has turned it over 22 times to just seven assists.

As a team, the Wolverines rebound among the best in the country. While their 40.6 rebounds per game ranks 48th in the country, the +10.7-rebounding margin they post is 6th best in the nation. The defense is in the top 50 in the country in scoring, allowing just 58.1 points per game.

“As far as what they’re doing offensively, defensively, depth-wise, inside and outside, they are really the whole package.”

If Michigan has one weakness, it is turning it over on the offensive side. Their 16.1 turnovers per game ranks 183rd in the country.

It is a tough ask to go on the road and beat a top 10 team. However, the first half should give a good idea on if the Hawkeyes have a shot. The Wolverines are outscoring opponents by nearly 11 points in the first half. If Iowa wants a shot to win, they will have to fight on both the offensive and defensive boards, as well as turn the ball over as little as possible.