Iowa women’s basketball senior guard Kate Martin, who hails from Edwardsville, Illinois, grew up closer to the Illinois and Indiana women’s basketball programs. But she was still a Hawkeye.

“I was a Hawkeye fan through and through growing up,” Martin said. “Just kind of funny, but yeah, I was always an avid fan, and it was my dream to come play here. So, kind of cool that it turned out.”

Martin didn’t get funny looks for wearing Hawkeye gear in her hometown, she said. The Illinois towns near St. Louis even gained a small Hawkeye faction, partially thanks to the Epenesa family.

Former Hawkeye football defensive end A.J. Epenesa, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills, and current player Eric Epenesa grew up in nearby Glen Carbon, Illinois. Eppy Epenesa, A.J. and Eric’s father, also played football at Iowa.

“There’s actually more Iowa fans down there than you’d realize,” Martin said. “The Epenesa’s are from the same town, and so Eppy played here and then Eric and A.J. both play here, too. I think the city of Edwardsville are big Iowa Hawkeye fans.”

A contingent of family members will be coming to see Martin when she plays just three hours from her hometown on Thursday night — No. 5 Iowa will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on No. 2 Indiana at Assembly Hall. The game starts at 5:30 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.

This is the second time in the 2022-23 season that the Hawkeyes will take on a second-ranked team on the road. Iowa beat then-No. 2 Ohio State, 83-72, at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Jan. 23. The Buckeyes boasted a perfect 19-0 record before losing to the Hawkeyes.

“I think it’s something that we can draw upon,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “I think anything that you can use to boost your team’s confidence, you have to use that. We went in and beat an undefeated team on their home court that was ranked No. 2 at the time. It’s kind of ironic that here we are, facing the second team of the year that’s ranked No. 2, on their home court, that is undefeated on their home court. It’s kind of strange.”

Iowa, which has an 11-1 conference record, is just half a game behind Indiana in the Big Ten women’s basketball standings. Indiana is 12-1 in the conference, with its only loss coming to Michigan State, 83-78, in East Lansing on Dec. 29, 2022.

The Hoosiers have not yet lost at Assembly Hall this season, mounting a perfect 13-0 record.

But with a road win over a top-2, undefeated team already under their belts, the Hawkeyes think they’re prepared for the challenge.

“Coach Bluder said, ‘Whenever you do hard things that prepares you for more hard things.’” Martin said. “And so, with that road win against Ohio State, we go on the road again versus [No. 2] Indiana, so I think it should instill a lot of confidence in us and our players. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.”