The Iowa Women’s Basketball team is fresh off of a Sweet 16 appearance in 2020 and the sky is the limit for upcoming season. The team goes from young to experienced, as Lisa Bluder’s squad returns all five starters, including Preseason AP All-American Caitlin Clark.
The Hawkeyes tip off the season on Thursday with an exhibition against Truman State and they have one thing on their mind this season….Make the Final Four.
Caitlin Clark
“Caitlin is definitely worth the price of admission,” says Coach Bluder and worth it she is.
Clark burst onto the scene early in the 2020 campaign when she led the Hawkeyes back from a 17-point deficit, including four three pointers vs Iowa State. She has not looked back since that moment and led the nation in number of categories, while landing as a Second Team All-American.
Not only did Caitlin lead the country in points, but she also led in assists, which caught extra attention from her head coach. “That’s an incredible statistic, and quite honestly, I don’t know that it’s ever been done before.”
Caitlin spent her offseason working to become better on the court, but also worked on her leadership skills with the U19 Team USA team, where she was the oldest on the team. As for on the court, it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that she could get even better.
Coach Bluder pointed out that she can continue to improve on the defensive side of things and Caitlin echoed that saying, “I definitely have focused in on that area, knowing my team wants to be great, every single one of us has to be focused in that area.”
On the offensive side, Caitlin has worked on her step back jumper going to the right side, as well as attacking and finishing at the basket with her left hand. She also talked about becoming better off the ball in terms of creating space and working off screens to get the ball back in her hands.
As for finally getting to play in front of a Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd? She is ready. When asked if she is the type of player that feeds off the crowd she said, “Oh, yeah for sure, have you watched me in high school? People would say the same thing.”
After learning during media day from Monika Czinano that Caitlin would yell at and try to hype up the cardboard cutouts during the times of Covid, I believe that she is absolutely ready to have fans in seats again.
There is no doubt that she is one of the most exciting and dynamic players in college basketball. Sit back, relax and enjoy every opportunity to watch her play this season because she is a special player.
Experience in Bunches
Last year the Hawkeyes were a young team, starting four underclassmen, but now become an experienced team as the starting lineup returns fully intact. All five starters played over 29 minutes per game, and they add a transfer in Kylie Feuerbach from Iowa State who played just over 20 minutes per game last season.
Monika Czinano (Sr) was #2 in the nation in field goals made, just behind her teammate Caitlin Clark and led the nation in shooting percentage. The connection between Clark and Czinano was special last season and will continue to be one of the best pairings in the country.
“I think she’s one of the most underrated people in the country…I don’t think she gets the credit she deserves sometimes. So, to have a post like that, she makes me look super good a lot. She gets my assist numbers up,” said Clark on Czinano.
The Hawkeyes return a trio of players that can shoot from outside in McKenna Warnock (Jr), Gabbie Marshall (Jr) and Kate Martin (rJr). Warnock actually led the team in rebounding, averaging eight per game, but she also shot 45.1% from beyond the 3pt line. Gabbie Marshall led the team in 3pt % at a sizzling 47.1% from behind the arc. On the defensive end she is one of the best on the team.
“Gabbie, I think is one of our best defensive players for the perimeter position…she will be counted on a lot this year in elevating our defense,” said Coach Bluder.
Kate Martin rounds out the returning starters and received incredibly high praise from her head coach during media day. “Kate may be the most improved starter that returns to our basketball team…one of the best leaders that I’ve ever been around, and that’s over quite a few years.”
Martin averaged 7.0 points per game last season and shot 35.4% from 3, but has improved in that department according to Coach Bluder, which would give the team four legit outside shooters. On defense, Bluder mentioned that Kate is one of the best inside-outside defenders on the team.
“Kate can guard anybody on the court…I would try her on a center at times if they’re not 6’5.”
The versatility that Kate Martin brings on offense and defense will allow Coach Bluder to mix and match her in various lineups.
Tomi Taiwo (Sr) will be one of the big pieces off of the bench for the Hawkeyes and averaged just under 15 minutes per game last season. While Taiwo only averaged 3.7 points per game, she will be one of the best defenders for the team and Coach Bluder said that she made a significant jump this summer.
“Tomi is an excellent perimeter defensive player. She gets her hands on a lot of basketballs. She’s got good anticipation skills, and she gets a lot of deflections.”
Iowa State transfer Kylie Feuerbach (Soph) will fit into the rotation as a player that averaged over 20 minutes per game for the Cyclones, however she is still working on learning the system that the Hawkeyes run. Kylie spoke highly of the Hawkeyes style of play and thinks she fits in well.
“They’re a very up-tempo team. I like that a lot about them. Caitlin is a great point guard, so she can kick it up the floor. She has great court vision…their defense, they have a new defensive mentality…defense is a huge thing for me.”
Speaking of Caitlin Clark, she and Kylie were teammates on the All-Iowa Attack travel team prior to college basketball and are now roommates at Iowa.
Feuerbach averaged 5.5 points per game with the Cyclones, but got into the double digits in scoring six times. She will bring some defensive help to the team and if she can improve as a shooter (27.1% 3pt) then she will be a great off the bench option for the team.
Experience in the Numbers
· 5,187 minutes return out of 6025 minutes played last season (86.1%), while Kylie Feuerbach brings 614 minutes of experience into the fold.
· 2,342 of 2,583 total points from last season return (90.7%), while Kylie Feuerbach adds 155 points from Iowa State.
· 266 of 289 made 3pt field goals from last season return (92.0%), while Kylie Feuerbach adds 19 and Fr Addison O’Grady has the ability to make outside shots.
· 149 of 150 starts return from last season (99.3%)
· 857 of 1068 rebounds return from last season (80.2%), while 6’4 Fr Addison O’Grady will contribute in that area.
Offensive Firepower
Scoring the basketball will not be an issue for the Hawkeyes this season. The team was second in the nation in scoring, averaging 86.1 points per game and with the top five leading scorers back the expectation is that the offense continues to roll.
“Our offense, one of the best in the country…We have a pretty good recipe for offensive success,” said Coach Bluder.
The Hawkeyes scored 80+ points in 26 of their 30 games, which is an outstanding statistic. They led the nation in FG% (51.3%) and 3pt (40.8%). They also ranked fourth in assists with 604 on 949 made baskets. Monika Czinano led the nation in FG% and Gabbie Marshall was among the nation’s best from the 3pt line (3rd).
While the offense is certainly exciting, it will not be the key to their success this season.
Defense, Defense, Defense
With everything that went right for the offense last season, the exact opposite happened with the defense for Lisa Bluder’s squad, and it became a huge point of emphasis this offseason.
“We had practices where we worked on offense for 10 minutes and all the rest of it was defense,” said Monika Czinano.
The Hawkeyes allowed teams to score over 75 points 22 times and allowed an average of 80.3 points per game. That ranked dead last in all of women’s college basketball. Opponents converted 44.5% of their shots, which put Iowa in 315th in nation in FG% allowed.
“Our defense needs to improve…I think they understand that we got to the Sweet 16 with a tremendous offense, but we could have gone farther if we had had a good defense,” said Coach Bluder.
She went on to say that there were some schematic changes made, but it really is going to take total buy-in from the team to work to get better on the defensive side. The team has some good individual defensive players, but the key is putting it into a full team effort. Kylie Feuerbach figures to a big addition to this team from a defensive standpoint.
Caitlin Clark said the team went back and watched film from games where they struggled and even watched some other teams that play really good defense. They tried to take certain techniques/schemes and implement them into their defensive strategy.
“We worked on different things that we can throw at teams and also communication as a whole,” said McKenna Warnock.
If the Hawkeyes can improve to an average level on defense, they will have a chance to contend for a Big Ten Title and a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament, but it all depends on the buy-in from the team and the want to get better.
Rebounding
“…making sure that opposing teams don’t have as many possessions. It’s going to be a crucial part (of team success),” said Monika Czinano. Czinano said that her and the team have worked extensively in the area of rebounding, as a part of their emphasis on defensive improvement.
The Hawkeyes struggled to limit team’s possessions last season, ranking 160th in the nation in rebound margin. They held their opponents below ten offensive rebounds just three times all season and allowed 15+ multiple times, including 25 extra possessions for Penn St and 22 for Kentucky.
In a conference as tough as the Big Ten and goals of a Final Four run, clearing the defensive glass will be a huge key. Allowing teams to get 15-20 extra possessions can be the difference between a close win and a close loss.
Center Depth
Monika Czinano will undoubtedly be the starter at the center position for the Hawkeyes, but the depth behind her took a hit when Sharon Goodman went down with an ACL injury. According to Coach Bluder, Goodman was going to be the backup to Czinano and had made significant improvements since last season.
This forces senior Logan Cook, who averaged just eight minutes per game last year and true freshman Addison O’Grady into the backup rotation. O’Grady brings height to the position at 6’4 and has the ability to take and make outside shots, but her inexperience will likely give Logan Cook the bulk of the minutes at least at the beginning of the season.
“Right now, Logan is a little bit more ahead of the curve just because of her experience…we have enough offense that we don’t need have to have her be an offensive threat. We just need her to go in there and play great defense, rebound and not make mistakes,” said Coach Bluder.
With Czinano averaging nearly 30 minutes per game last season, you are just looking for a player or two to cover the remaining ten minutes. Logan Cook is a good defensive and experienced option, but O’Grady could be a big rebound getter at 6’4, which is a spot that the team is looking to improve at.
Look for Cook to be the first one off the bench, but O’Grady should get good minutes early in the year vs lower competition to ease her into the college game. Coach Bluder called Jan Jensen “one of the best post coaches in America.” So, expect every center that finds the court this year to be prepared to put together a string of solid minutes.
Freshman Class
C/PF Addison O’Grady – Aurora, Colorado - #92 rated player in 2021 class by ESPN
As mentioned, O’Grady will likely see the court a good bit more than what was initially expected due to the injury to Sharon Goodman.
“…at 6’4 (she) is the tallest woman on our roster, but played the power forward and the center. It’s nice to have a player that size that can come out and knock down threes, and she’s capable of doing that,” says Coach Bluder.
F AJ Ediger – Hudsonville, Michigan - #39 rated player in 2021 class by ESPN
G Sydney Affolter – Chicago, Ilinois – unranked by ESPN
“Athletic, she’s aggressive, can also play a number of positions for us,” said Coach Bluder.
Not Your Walk in the Park Non-Conference Slate
Not taking any shots at how the men’s basketball team builds their non-conference schedule, however this is no men’s basketball non-conference slate. The schedule starts out easy with New Hampshire, Samford and Southern, as well as a tricky trip up the road to face Northern Iowa, but the schedule gets much tougher after that.
A contest against Drake precedes a trip to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, where they will face Seton Hall and USC. Two teams that return good talent and are expected to be fringe NCAA Tournament teams.
The non-conference slate kicks up one more notch with road trips to Duke and Iowa State in early December. The Blue Devils had their season canceled after four games last year, but added a truckload of transfer talent and Iowa State is ranked #12 in the preseason AP Poll led by potential All-American candidate Ashley Joens.
UCF and IUPUI bookend the out of conference schedule and are not easy contests. UCF made the NCAA Tournament last year and returns all five starters, while IUPUI was picked to win the Horizon League. This experienced group will be battle tested before they start Big Ten play.
Brutal Big Ten
Lisa Bluder had a resounding statement when talking about the toughness of the Big Ten during team media day saying, “I’ve said that it’s easier to make the Sweet 16 than it is to win the Big Ten championship. I mean, that speaks volumes (about the conference).”
The Big Ten is the toughest conference in all of women’s basketball hands down. No arguments allowed. That means the Hawkeyes will be tested night in and night out during conference play.
Iowa got the unlucky draw of facing all of the projected lower-level teams in the Big Ten just one time. The Hawkeyes face Illinois, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin just a single time, while the latter four are on the road. None of those five teams put players on the preseason All-Big Ten list and none of them were picked to make the NCAA Tournament.
They will have to face #8 Indiana and #11 Michigan both home and away. The Hoosiers are led by All-Big Ten selections in Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes, while Michigan has preseason Co-Big Ten Player of the Year Naz Hillmon. Nebraska and Northwestern are fringe NCAA Tournament teams that the Hawkeyes face twice.
Michigan State and #17 Ohio State will be tournament teams who come to Carver only, but the biggest game of the season will be on Valentine’s Day vs preseason #4 Maryland. Iowa got the luck of facing the Terrapins and Preseason All-Big Ten selection Diamond Miller just one time and at home.
The Big Ten is a meatgrinder and you could argue that games against Rutgers and Purdue are not easy. Add all that in with the non-conference schedule and you are talking about an incredibly tough slate.
“Anytime you step on the court, you’re going to have a battle, even if those teams aren’t ranked,” said Caitlin Clark. “That’s what prepares you for March.”
Team Captains
Kate Martin, McKenna Warnock and Monika Czinano are team captains, but expect Caitlin Clark to be one of the leaders on this team as well even as just a sophomore.
Final Question…..How far can this team go?
This team goes from an under the radar prowling cat or prowling hawk, if you will, to a known commodity in the top ten, so the mindset has to flip a little bit.
“We have to change our mentality a little bit and try to be the hunter and not the hunted…Maybe I need to go talk to Tom Brands and talk to him about that. He’s pretty good at it,” said Coach Bluder about keeping that “prowling hawk” mindset, despite the high ranking.
Caitlin Clark spoke about going from off the radar to #9 saying, “I think we deserve being ranked number nine. But now it’s really just stepping on the court and really proving that and only going up from there.”
With everyone returning, offense will not be a concern and will once again rank among the elite teams in the country. Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano will be a great PG to C combination, while McKenna Warnock, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin will be perimeter scoring options. The bench has a number of options as well led by Kylie Feuerbach.
So, to finally answer the question…How far can this team go? It will all lie in the defense and how much improvement there is from last season. If the Hawkeyes can cut their points per game down to 72-75 this team will have a legitimate shot to compete in the top of the Big Ten and make an NCAA Tournament run.
Connecticut beat the Hawkeyes by 20 to end their season, while Iowa allowed 92 points and 15 offensive rebounds. If the offseason emphasis on those two categories pays off that could be a closer contest in 2021.
“I think the score didn’t really reflect where we were at. It could have been a lot closer at the end than it really was,” said Caitlin Clark on their Sweet 16 loss.
One thing is for sure this season, Coach Lisa Bluder will have this experienced roster ready for battle night in and night out. My final prediction is that this team will make the Elite Eight and have a shot at a spot in the Final Four.
Full Schedule – (Bold Non-Conf)
Nov 4- vs Truman State (Exhibition)
Nov 9- vs New Hampshire
Nov 11- vs Samford
Nov 14- at Northern Iowa
Nov 17- vs Southern
Nov 21- vs Drake
Nov 25- Seton Hall (Cancun Challenge)
Nov 26- USC (Cancun Challenge)
Dec 2- at Duke (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
Dec 5- vs Michigan State
Dec 8- at Iowa State
Dec 18- vs UCF
Dec 21- vs IUPUI
Dec 30- at Penn State
Jan 2- vs Illinois
Jan 6- vs Northwestern
Jan 9- at Nebraska
Jan 13- at Purdue
Jan 16- vs Nebraska
Jan 20- at Minnesota
Jan 23- vs Indiana
Jan 27- at Northwestern
Jan 31- vs Ohio State
Feb 3- at Wisconsin
Feb 6- at Michigan
Feb 10- vs Minnesota
Feb 14- vs Maryland
Feb 20- at Indiana
Feb 24- at Rutgers
Feb 27- vs Michigan
Mar 2-6- Big Ten Tournament
