By Jake Mosbach
INDIANAPOLIS — After a loss to Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament, the Iowa women’s basketball team sits with a 19-13 record, awaiting its postseason destination.
That could perhaps be a spot in the NCAA Tournament; the Hawks’ current RPI is 58, putting them just inside the field of 64. However, ESPN.com “bracketology” puts Iowa under the “First Four Out” list.
If that were the case, the Hawkeyes would most likely be headed to the NIT. Not the Big Dance, but it would be a postseason tournament nonetheless.
One might think that the team is on pins and needles awaiting the news of their next stop. That couldn’t be further from the truth, however.
“We’re going to watch the [NCAA Tournament] selection show together,” freshman guard Tania Davis said after the team’s loss to Maryland. “If we get in, that’s great. But if we don’t, our plan is to win the NIT.”
The season didn’t go according to plan for Iowa, there’s no denying that. The Hawks opened the season ranked 23rd nationally and went on to be ranked as highly as No. 19 before losing to Iowa State in Ames on Dec. 11.
After that, Iowa began a slide that would eventually led to its losing 10 of its final 16 games.
But Hawkeye head coach Lisa Bluder remained positive after the team’s loss to Maryland. The coach made one final case for anyone listening regarding the Hawks’ NCAA Tournament chances.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” she said. “I do know we played in one of the toughest conferences in America, and we had a tough schedule. You have to look at the whole body of work, how we did in nonconference, our strength of schedule, and things like that.”
Iowa went 11-2 in its nonconference schedule. And according to RPIRatings.com, the Hawks played the 27th-toughest schedule in the country, an impressive mark.
“We only played the bottom teams in our conference once, and so sometimes, you look at conference rankings or conference standings,” Bluder said. “When you play only five teams [twice] and the rest of them are single, it depends on who you play.”
Iowa ended the Big Ten regular season in ninth place with an 8-10 record. In the Big Ten Tournament, the team upended eighth-seeded Michigan and put up a ferocious fight against top-seed Maryland.
The players are confident they could put up a fight against anyone. Junior guard Ally Disterhoft said after the first game in Indianapolis, the win against Michigan, that Iowa basketball still has it.
“[After a slow start to the game], we know that’s not us,” Disterhoft said. “Let’s go out and show everyone what Iowa basketball is all about.”
It’s clear that the Hawkeyes are capable of playing at a high level, certainly a level deserving of a spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, failing to eclipse the 20-win mark could be the nail in the team’s coffin. The late-season slide certainly won’t do it any favors, either.
So now, with a streak of eight-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, the Hawks will hold out hope to make it nine, but they aren’t making any predictions.
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Bluder said. “You just can’t predict those things.”