Hawkeyes Arrive in Oklahoma City

March 25, 2015

By DARREN MILLER
hawkeyesports.com

OKLAHOMA CITY — There is an NCAA Sweet 16 going on in Oklahoma City, which is why the University of Iowa women’s basketball team flew into town Wednesday afternoon.

It wouldn’t matter the location: Tulsa, Norman, or Broken Arrow. If it was hosting a Sweet 16, UI senior All-American guard Samantha Logic said the Hawkeyes would be there.

“Wherever the site of the Sweet 16 was going to be, that is where we were going to be,” Logic said after stepping off the plane in Oklahoma City. “We’re excited to be here.”

The Hawkeyes were greeted in Oklahoma by a brisk wind and temperature in the 80s. Iowa practiced Wednesday morning in Iowa City and will unwind this evening at The Mantel in Oklahoma City.

“We will have time for a nice dinner tonight and be able to relax, because it has been kind of hectic pace since we made the Sweet 16,” UI head coach Lisa Bluder said.

The No. 15 Hawkeyes (26-7) take on No. 6 Baylor (32-3) on Friday in Chesapeake Energy Arena at 6:30 p.m. (CT). Bluder doesn’t expect preparation to change much for the Hawkeyes.

“More of the same, we have approached every game the same,” Bluder said. “I don’t want them to get too elevated. I want them to stay loose and enjoy the experience, they will focus when they need to focus, as they have all year.”

Senior guard Kathryn Reynolds said the team is excited and will enjoy their stay, but they haven’t lost sight for the reason of being here.

“We’re here for a reason and that is to win a couple games and keep advancing,” she said.

As for senior center Bethany Doolittle, she is ready to get to back to work.

“We’re ready to get to work, practice, and beat Baylor,” she said.