ALBANY, N.Y. — The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament held press conferences, open locker room interviews, and open practices ahead of a Sweet Sixteen game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 Colorado at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., on Friday.
Iowa defeated No. 8 West Virginia, 64-54, on Monday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder spoke about what needs improvement from last year to secure a win over Colorado in the tournament two years in a row.
“We have to box out better than we did laster year. We gave up 22 O-boards against them last year. Obviously they have two very good 3-point shooters right now. Adding Maddie Nolan does pose a problem just because now they have two excellent 3-point shooters on the perimeter and a great inside game,” Bluder said.
Colorado defeated No. 4 Kansas State, 63-50, on Sunday at Bramlage Coliseum. Colorado head coach JR Payne talked about what they need to do differently to beat come out on top in comparison to last year’s matchup.
“We’re looking at every game that Iowa has played and trying to take bits and pieces. Maybe this is something that could be effective, maybe that’s something that could be disruptive in some way,” Payne said.
The Hawkeyes and the Buffaloes face off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
