March 15, 2011
- Iowa NCAA Tournament Central
- Spokane First/Second Round Site Information
- ‘Kash’ Alexander: All-America Candidate
- Vote ‘Kash’ For Premier Player Award
- Women’s Basketball – W.I.N. Video
- Buy Women’s Basketball Tickets
- Iowa and the Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
Gonzaga Game Notes in PDF Format
IOWA CITY, Iowa — THE SETTING
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team enters the 2011 NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed and will take on No. 11 seed Gonzaga Saturday at 3 p.m. (CT). Saturday’s first round matchup will be held at McCarthey Athletic Center, Gonzaga’s home arena.
No. 3 seed UCLA will face No. 14 seed Montana 30 minutes after Iowa’s game vs. Gonzaga. The two winning teams will play Monday at 8:30 p.m. (CT).
ON YOUR TELEVISION
Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game game will be televised live to a national audience on ESPN2. Marc Kestecher and Krista Blunk will call the action.
Fans in the home market areas of Iowa and Gonzaga will see the game on ESPN2. DirecTV subscribers can see the home market protected game in the 210’s, while Dish Network subscribers can see the game on the ESPN2 alternate channel. If you are a high definition subscriber, you must tune to the regular standard definition station in order to view the home market protected game.
AUDIO COVERAGE
Brent Balbinot and Shelley Till will call all NCAA Tournament games for the Hawkeye Radio Network. Hawkeye fans can listen to the contest on AM-800 KXIC in Iowa City, AM-600 WMT in Cedar Rapids, AM-1040 WHO in Des Moines or on the Hawkeye All-Access page of hawkeyesports.com. Balbinot is in his seventh season as Iowa’s play-by-play voice, while Till is in her sixth providing analysis.
ON YOUR COMPUTER
Hawkeye fans can also follow the game via live stats (Gametracker). The “GT” link can be accessed under the “Calendar” tab on the front page of hawkeyesports.com or on the women’s basketball schedule page.
All NCAA Tournament games can also be streamed online at ESPN3.com.
IOWA HISTORY
Iowa has played 1,065 games since beginning basketball in 1974. Iowa’s overall record is 651-414 (.611). That includes a 328-164 (.667) mark in regular season Big Ten contests and a 309-89 (.776) mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
HAWKEYE NCAA TOURNAMENT FACTS
? Iowa is 17-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes have advanced to the Sweet 16 five times, the Elite 8 three times and also played in the 1993 Final Four.
? Iowa is a No. 6 seed for just the second time in program history. The Hawkeyes advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed in 1991, defeating Montana in the first round before losing to Washington in the second round in Seattle. Iowa’s game versus Washington was in Seattle and is the only other time the Hawkeyes have played an NCAA Tournament game in the state of Washington.
? Iowa is 8-4 in NCAA Tournament first round games. Iowa defeated Rutgers, 70-63, in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.
SCOUTING GONZAGA
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are ranked 19th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll and 20th in the Associated Press poll. The Bulldogs won both the West Coast Conference regular season and conference tournament championship. Gonzaga has won 18-straight games, with its last loss coming at Notre Dame Dec. 29 (70-61). The Bulldogs are 13-1 this season on their home court, the only loss coming to second-ranked Stanford (84-78).
Gonzaga is the top offensive team in the country at 86.1 points per game, and holds a +25.2 scoring margin. The Bulldogs are led by senior All-American candidate Courtney Vandersloot, who is the three-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year. She currently leads the nation in assists per game for the second-straight season at 10.2 per game and is also first in assists-to-turnover ratio at 3.34. She is the team’s leading scorer at 18.6 points per game. Katelan Redmon (17.3), Kayla Standish (16.6) and Janelle Bekkering (11.3) are also averaging double figures. Standish is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.7 boards per contest.
As a team, Gonzaga is shooting .499 (1,111-2,228) from the field, including .317 (149-470) from three-point distance.
GONZAGA VS. IOWA NOTES
? Iowa won the only previous meeting between the two schools, 69-54, in the 2001 Great Alaska Shootout.
? Iowa has faced one other team from the West Coast Conference. The Hawkeyes defeated Saint Mary’s, 73-48, in the 1994 Stanford Cardinal Classic in Stanford, CA.
? The Hawkeyes are 1-3 in games played in the state of Washington. Iowa lost three contests at the University of Washington, including one NCAA Tournament game. The Hawkeyes won their only matchup at Washington State.
ALEXANDER IN NCAA TOURNAMENT GAMES
Kachine Alexander has played in three NCAA Tournament games in her career and averaged 20.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists in those games.
Alexander shot .545 (18-33) from the field, including .733 (22-30) from the free throw line and .571 (4-7) from three-point distance during NCAA Tournament play.
Alexander collected 17 points and 10 rebounds in her first NCAA Tournament game as a sophomore vs Georgia Tech in Iowa City. Last season as a junior, Alexander scored 18 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in a first round win over Rutgers before recording a career-high 27 points (11-16 FGs) against Stanford. Both games last year were played at Stanford.
IOWA IN THE RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes are receiving votes in the AP and ESPN/USA Today poll.
Four Iowa opponents are also ranked in the AP and the ESPN/USA poll: Michigan State (12th/13th), North Carolina (14th/14th), Ohio State (18th/24th) and Gonzaga (20th/19th).
Penn State, Iowa State, Kansas State and Northern Iowa are receiving votes.
HAWKEYES AND ATTENDANCE
Iowa drew a total of 81,528 fans to Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season, which is the third-highest single-season total in school history. The record for single-season attendance at Iowa is 83,945, set during the 1993-94 season. Iowa ranks 13th in the NCAA in attendance.
Iowa’s average attendance for home games was 5,823, the fourth-highest figure in school history. In addition, Iowa’s crowd of 9,865 against Ohio State (Jan. 8) is the 11th-highest single-game crowd in school history.
THREE HAWKEYES LAND ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
The 2010-11 all-Big Ten teams were announced Feb. 28, with Kachine Alexander, Jaime Printy and Kamille Wahlin taking home awards.
Alexander was a first team all-Big Ten selection by both the league media and coaches, and was also one of six players named to the Big Ten all-Defensive team. Printy was a second team pick by the coaches and third team selection by the media. Wahlin was named honorable mention by both the media and coaches.
SUCCESS UNDER BLUDER
This season marks the eighth time in 11 seasons under Head Coach Lisa Bluder that Iowa has been selected for the NCAA Tournament, including each of the last four seasons. The Hawkeyes have participated in postseason play in all but one season under Bluder (two WNIT appearances).
In addition, Iowa will finish with a winning record for the 10th time in 11 seasons under Bluder. Iowa’s tie for third place in the Big Ten is also the eighth time under Bluder the Hawkeyes recorded an upper-division finish in the conference.
Iowa also tallied its sixth 20-win season under Bluder, including each of the last four seasons.
HAWKEYE SENIORS LEAVING A MARK
Iowa’s senior class of Kachine Alexander and Kelsey Cermak has left its mark on the Hawkeye women’s basketball program.
Alexander and Cermak have led Iowa to an 84-44 (.656) record over the past four seasons, four-straight 20-win seasons and four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Hawkeyes won the Big Ten regular season championship in 2008, finished second in 2009 and third in both 2010 and 2011.
COMING CLOSE TO 1,000
Jaime Printy needs just four more points to become the 29th player in school history to reach the 1,000 career point milestone.
If accomplished this season, Printy would become the first player in school history to record 1,000 career points during her sophomore season.
CLOSING IN ON SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS
Kachine Alexander and Morgan Johnson are both close to breaking single-season school records.
? Alexander needs three more made free throws to break her own school record for made free throws in a single season. She set the record last year with 146 made free throws and she has 144 this season. Alexander already broke her previous school record for free throw attempts with 194 so far this season. Her previous record was 186 last year.
? Alexander also needs 23 rebounds to break Amy Herrig’s record of 306 rebounds in a season. Alexander currently has 284 boards.
? Johnson, who has 75 blocks this season, needs just five more to break her own single-season school record of 79, which she set as a freshman last year.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT (REBOUNDER)
Kachine Alexander’s 9.5 rebounds per game are the most for any guard in the country.
Alexander ranks 43rd in the country in rebounding, but the 42 players ranked above her are all listed as forwards or centers. Alexander, along with Morehead State’s Ashar Harris (12.3 rebounds per game), are the shortest players among the top 50, both listed at 5-9.
Alexander is one of only two guards listed among the top 50 rebounders in the NCAA. The other is Jasmine Bailey from Illinois-Chicago, who ranks 47th with 9.3 rebounds per game.
ALEXANDER STILL IN RUNNING FOR NAISMITH AND WADE TROPHIES
Kachine Alexander is still up for the Naismith and Wade Trophies, two of the most prestigious awards in women’s college basketball.
Alexander was one of 30 players named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 list (Feb. 14). She is also on the watch list for the Wade Trophy. The “Wade Watch” list is made up of the top 25 preseason women’s basketball players.
Alexander was one of 20 players named to the Wooden Award Top 20 Midseason list (Jan 11), but did not make the final ballot.
PRINTY FAMILY BUSY DURING MARCH MADNESS
Jaime Printy and her older brother, Jordan are one of four brother-sister combos in NCAA Division I basketball. Jordan is a redshirt junior at Indiana State. The other combos are Justin Graham (San Jose State) and Jessica Graham (Idaho), Diana Venezia (UNC Wilmington) and Mike Venezia (Colgate) and Chandra Harris (Georgia State) and Marvelle Harris (Campbell).
Jaime and Jordan are the only combo to both be playing in the NCAA Tournament this season. Indiana State is a No. 14 seed and will face No. 3 seed Syracuse Friday in Cleveland, OH.
PRINTY AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Iowa has played in six games against opponents ranked in the top 25 this year, and Jaime Printy’s numbers in those games have been impressive.
Printy is averaging 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in Iowa’s games against ranked opponents (North Carolina, Iowa State, Ohio State twice and Michigan State twice). Printy is shooting .448 (30-67) from the field, including .458 (11-24) from three-point distance and .917 (22-24) from the free throw line against ranked teams.
JOHNSON SETS SOPHOMORE BLOCK MARK
Morgan Johnson set the Iowa school record for blocks by a sophomore at Indiana (Feb. 27). She entered the contest tied with Tangela Smith, who recorded 69 blocks her sophomore season. Johnson swatted three shots against the Hoosiers to claim the record.
Johnson, who has 75 blocks this season, needs just five more to break her own single-season school record of 79, which she set as a freshman last year.
BALANCED SCORING ATTACK
Iowa is one of only two teams in the Big Ten to have four players ranked among the top 30 scorers in the conference.
Iowa and Ohio State have four players ranked. Northwestern, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan have three ranked, while the remaining four schools have either one or two players ranked.
The Hawkeyes have had at least three players reach double figures in scoring in 25 of 30 games. Five players scored 10 or more points against Bradley and at Illinois. Four players hit double digits 10 times, including games against Northeastern, Central Michigan, Kansas State, Minnesota, in both games vs. Ohio State, vs. Penn State, at Northwestern, vs. Illinois and at Indiana.
MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS
Four Hawkeyes are currently working their way up the career records lists at Iowa.
? Kachine Alexander ranks second in career double-doubles (33), second in career rebounding (899), ninth in career assists (330) and 17th in career scoring (1,221). She needs 24 assists to move past Jolette Law for eighth place. She needs three more double-doubles to take over first place (Lisa Long, 35).
? Kamille Wahlin ranks fourth in career three-pointers made (165), 11th in career assists (302) and 25th in career scoring (1,076). She needs 21 more three-pointers to move past Kristi Smith into third place and 26 more assists to move past Lisa Anderson for 10th place.
? Morgan Johnson ranks second in career blocks (154) and needs 82 more to move past Tangela Smith for first place.
? Jaime Printy ranks sixth in career three-pointers made (147) and needs 12 more to move past Leah Magner for fifth place.