After a 20-9 regular season, the Iowa women’s basketball team gears up for the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The No. 11-seeded Hawkeyes will take on No. 14 Wisconsin in the first round at approximately 7:30 p.m. Central Time inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday evening. Both teams met in the regular season finale on March 2, where Iowa prevailed by a score of 81-66 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Indianapolis
With conference contenders Penn State, Northwestern, and Purdue out of the running, the gauntlet of the Big Ten Tournament drops to 15 teams. USC, UCLA, Ohio State, and Maryland will be given a bye all the way to the quarterfinals, while Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Oregon, and Indiana will be eager for a shot to take on one of these four in their second round matchups.
Despite Iowa’s improved performance in the back half of the season, including an upset over USC and back-to-back victories over Michigan and Wisconsin to cap off the regular season, a five-game conference losing streak in January knocked the Hawkeyes out of the rankings and out of a top seed for this tournament.
Sunday’s win over Wisconsin was the first meeting between the two teams, but with Indianapolis on the horizon, it won’t be the last. Iowa will have to close the deal against the Badgers a second time to advance to the next round, where they would face Michigan State, who bested the Hawkeyes, 68-66, on Dec. 15.
“I think we’re hitting it at the right spot,” fourth-year guard Lucy Olsen said after the Wisconsin win. “Coach J has always said be at your best in March, and I think we’re doing just that. The beginning was a little wonky, but we figured that out. I’m excited. Momentum is on our side right now.”
Similar to their first encounter, Iowa is heavily favored against the Badgers, with ESPN Analytics giving the Hawkeyes a 93.8 percent chance of coming out on top, compared to a mere 6.2 percent chance for Wisconsin.
The game is expected to be a battle nonetheless, with the Badgers outscoring in the first quarter of Sunday’s meeting and going into halftime tied up. Iowa ultimately pulled away late, but the Badgers have the talent to scare them again.
Despite four personal fouls on each, Wisconsin’s Serah Williams and Carter McCray combined for 35 points. Tess Myers kept clear of foul trouble with 12 points, going 4-for-7 from downtown. The Hawkeyes will have to play good defense in their second meeting, especially with Myers’ three-point prowess.
One area where Iowa may have an edge is what the second round holds in store for the victor. Michigan State, slated as the No. 6 seed and the next opponent for the winner, previously bested Wisconsin by a whopping 20 points on Feb. 12.
In contrast, the Hawkeyes lost to the Spartans by only two points over two months ago. Olsen was held to 13 points against Michigan State, a far cry from the 18 points per game average the guard is sporting now.
With Olsen back on track and a lot to prove, Iowa is eager for a chance at some rematches in the most volatile part of the season.
“Anything happens in March,” first-year head coach Jan Jensen said after the first meeting against Wisconsin. “You [have to] be ready, and if you’re not ready, then you don’t get to have as much fun. I do think we’ll be ready.”