Iowa Hosts Michigan on Thursday

Hawk Talk Monthly — January | Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19 | Game Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK 

The No. 22/18 University of Iowa women’s basketball team returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, hosting Michigan at 7 p.m. (CT). 

DOLLA, DOLLA BILL, Y’ALL 

Thursday is Buck Night. All adult tickets are $1. Children (18 & younger) and UI students are free. 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• Thursday’s contest will air live on BTN. Lisa Byington (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (analyst) will have the call from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Links to the broadcast are available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com. 
• Live stats are available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com. 

AUDIO COVERAGE

• Rob Brooks and Jamie Cavey Lang will call the action on the Hawkeye Radio Network. A link to the broadcast is available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
• Brooks is in his third year as the play-by-play announcer for the Iowa women’s basketball team. He has been Iowa football’s sideline announcer since 2004. He has called seven different Iowa sports on radio or television.
• Lang is in her third year as Iowa’s color commentator. She lettered at Iowa from 2002-05. Lang finished her Hawkeye career with 1,265 points and 506 rebounds. She was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.

NATIONAL RANKINGS 

• Iowa is ranked No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP Poll. 
• Iowa is one of seven conference teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. No. 9 Maryland, No. 17 Michigan State, No. 20 Rutgers, No. 22 Iowa, No. 23 Minnesota, and No. 25 Indiana are all ranked in the top 25, while Purdue is receiving three votes. 
• It marks the first time the Big Ten has had six teams ranked in the AP Top 25 since Nov. 17, 2014. 
• The Hawkeyes are one of seven Big Ten teams ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They include: No. 9 Maryland, No. 18 Iowa, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 23 Rutgers, No. 25 Minnesota, Indiana (29 votes), and Purdue (5 votes). 

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Iowa faces 10 teams who made the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including four nonconference opponents and six Big Ten foes. 
• The Hawkeyes are 4-2 on the season in games against 2018 NCAA Tournament opponents, including wins over Drake, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, and Minnesota. 
• As of Jan. 14, Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks ninth nationally. 

SCOUTING MICHIGAN 

• Michigan is 11-6 overall and 2-3 in conference action. 
• The Wolverines have registered conference wins over No. 12 Minnesota (76-60) and Northwestern (79-78; OT). 
• All three of Michigan’s conference losses have come on the road (at Nebraska, at Purdue, and at No. 9 Maryland). 
• Three Wolverines are averaging double figures in scoring. Senior center Hallie Thome leads the team, averaging 13.6 points per game. 
• In five Big Ten games, Thome is averaging a team-leading 17.2 points and team-high 8.2 rebounds. 
• Thome’s 59.7 field goal percentage ranks third in the Big Ten and 19th nationally. 
• Freshman forward Naz Hillmon leads the team on the boards, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game. 
• As a team, Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in rebounding margin (11.1). It also ranks 15th nationally in total rebounds (726) and 32nd in rebounds per game (42.71). 

THE SERIES 

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 49-17. 
• The Hawkeyes and Wolverines met just once last season. Iowa defeated No. 19 Michigan, 82-72, on Dec. 31, 2017 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson led Iowa in last year’s victory, scoring 27 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-for-11 performance from the free throw line. She also pulled down 11 rebounds. 
• Sophomore Kathleen Doyle scored 23 points (9-for-17 from the field) and dished out nine assists. 

ROAD WOES BURIED AT THE BARN

• The Hawkeyes registered their second win over a top-25 team with an 81-63 victory over No. 23/20 Minnesota on Jan. 14. It marked Iowa’s first Big Ten road win of the season. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson led the team with 34 points on 16-for-22 shooting from the field. She also registered a game-high 13 rebounds. 
• Senior Tania Davis netted 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, including a 3-for-4 performance from behind the arc. Davis also dished out seven assists in 35 minutes of action. 
• Junior Kathleen Doyle dished out seven assists, marking the seventh straight game she has registerd five or more assists. 

SENIOR STANDOUTS

• Iowa’s three seniors — Tania Davis, Megan Gustafson, and Hannah Stewart — shot a combined 75.7 percent (28-for-37) from the field in Iowa’s win over Minnesota on Jan. 14. 
• The trio combined to score 65 of Iowa’s 81 points. 
• Gustafson led the team with 34 points (16-for-22). Davis netted 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field. She made 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Stewart scored 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field. 

DIFFERENCE MAKER 

• After missing the first seven games of the season with a pair of broken bones in her left (nonshooting) hand, junior Kathleen Doyle has made a big impact in her return.
• The Hawkeyes are averaging 3.4 fewer turnovers with Doyle in the lineup. In seven games without Doyle, Iowa averaged 16.3 turnovers per game. In nine games with Doyle in the lineup, the Hawkeyes are averaging 12.9 turnovers per game. 
• Doyle has also stepped up Iowa’s defensive intensity. She leads the team with 23 steals (2.6 per game). She is averaging 2.8 steals per game in Big Ten contests — the second-best mark in the conference. 
• As a team, the Hawkeyes averaged 6.1 steals per game without Doyle on the floor. With Doyle in the lineup, Iowa is average 7.7 steals per game — a difference of 1.6 steals per game.  

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Senior Megan Gustafson recorded her 70th career double-double with 34 points and 13 rebounds at Minnesota on Jan. 14. 
• She is just the second student-athlete in Big Ten women’s basketball history to register 70 or more double-doubles. 
• Jantel Lavender holds the current Big Ten record with 77 double-doubles. 
• Gustafson leads the nation with 15 double-doubles this season. 
• She broke the program record (men or women) with her 49th career double-double (25 points, 15 rebounds) against Minnesota on Feb. 4, 2018. Gustafson surpassed former Iowa men’s basketball player Kevin Kunnert’s career total of 48 set in 1971-73. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native had 28 double-doubles last season — the second most in the NCAA. 
• She has registered a double-double in 47 of her last 55 games. 

(AS)SISTER SISTER 

• Junior Kathleen Doyle has registered five or more assists in each of the last seven games, including Big Ten contests against Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Minnesota. 
• Doyle finished one assist shy of her fifth career double-double in Iowa’s win over Nebraska on Jan. 3. Her nine assists marked a season high. 
• In nine games this season, Doyle is averaging 5.9 assists per game. 
• In five Big Ten games, Doyle is averaging 7.0 assists per game — the third-best mark in the conference. 

IT WAS FOR FREE! SO I SAID “SURE”

• The Hawkeyes are shooting 77.5 percent from the free throw line this season — a mark that ranks first in the Big Ten Conference and 11th nationally. 
• Two Hawkeyes — Makenzie Meyer and Tania Davis — are shooting 80 percent or better from the free throw line this season. Junior Makenzie Meyer is a perfect 18-for-18 from the line. 
• Iowa was a perfect 15-for-15 from the free throw line against Iowa State on Dec. 5. Junior Kathleen Doyle (6-for-6), senior Megan Gustafson (5-for-5), junior Makenzie Meyer (2-for-2), and redshirt sophomore Alexis Sevillian (2-for-2) all made free throws in the contest. 
• Davis made a career-high 13-of-14 free throws in Iowa’s 24-point comeback win against No. 25/20 West Virginia on Nov. 24. 

HISTORY MADE 

• Senior Megan Gustafson became the University of Iowa’s all-time leading scorer on Dec. 30, surpassing both the men’s and women’s records. 
• Ally Disterhoft (2013-17) set the previous women’s record of 2,102 in 2017. 
• Roy Marble held the men’s record of 2,116 since 1989. 
• Gustafson has 2,226 career points.

THE B1G DUO 

• Seniors Hannah Stewart and Megan Gustafson have dominated down low for the Hawkeyes.
• The duo ranks in the top-30 nationally in field goal percentage. Gustafson ranks first nationally at 70.2 percent, while Stewart ranks 26th at 57.9 percent. They rank first and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten. 
• Stewart and Gustafson are scoring a combined 39.1 points per game and averaging 18.9 rebounds per contest. 
• The duo has 626 points, 302 rebounds, 62 assists, and 41 blocks. They are shooting a combined 65.6 percent (265-for-404) from the field. 

SHARING IS CARING 

• Through 16 games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 22.1 assists per contest — the third-best mark in the NCAA. 
• Six Hawkeyes have dished out 20 or more assists this season. Senior Tania Davis lead the team with 75 (4.7 per game). 
• In five conference games, junior Kathleen Doyle is averaging 7.0 assists — the third-best mark in the Big Ten. 
• The Hawkeyes set new school assist records in back-to-back games. Iowa dished out 34 assists against Western Kentucky on Nov. 13, before besting that mark with 36 against North Carolina Central on Nov. 17. 

REBOUNDING RECORD FALLS

Senior Megan Gustafson broke Iowa’s program record for career rebounds against Iowa State on Dec. 5. 

Gustafson has 1,185 rebounds in her career. She bested the previous record of 1,067 set by Cindy Haugejorde in 1980. Gustafson registered her 1,000th career rebound at Western Kentucky (11/13). 

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE 

• Through 16 games this season, Iowa is averaging 80.6 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the Big Ten and 20th nationally. 
• Iowa’s 51.2 field goal percentage leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the NCAA. 
• Iowa scored 106 points in its win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 17. It marked the second-highest point total in program history. 
• Iowa’s 67-point margin of victory (106-39) against North Carolina Central marked the largest scoring margin for the Hawkeyes since 1992-93. 

NATIONALLY SPEAKING 

• Senior Megan Gustafson ranks in the top-4 nationally in eight categories. She leads the nation in double-doubles (15), field goals made (177), field goal percentage (70.2), points per game (26.4), ranks second in defensive rebounds per game (10), and fourth in rebounds (206) and rebounds per game (12.9). 
• Senior Hannah Stewart ranks 26th nationally in field goal percentage (57.9). 

STEWART COMES UP B1G

• Senior Hannah Stewart has started all 16 games for the Hawkeyes this season — the first 16 starts of her career. 
• Stewart is averaging 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. 
• The Minot, North Dakota, native has scored 10 or more points in 14 of Iowa’s 16 games this season. 
• Stewart’s 57.9 field goal percentage ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 26th in the nation. 

SHE’S ON A ROLL

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named to the Big Ten Player of the Week honor roll on Jan. 14. 
• Gustafson has been honored by the conference every week this season, including seven Player of the Week awards and three Honor Roll mentions.
• She averaged 20.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in a pair of conference contests last week. Gustafson netted 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Iowa’s win over Wisconsin on Jan. 7, marking her 13th double-double of the season. She also dished out an assist and denied three shots in Iowa’s 71-53 win.
• On Jan. 10, Gustafson notched her NCAA-leading 14th double-double of the season against Purdue. She scored a game-high 19 points on 9-for-13 shooting (69.2 percent) from the field and pulled down 13 boards.
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native has 17 Player of the Week awards in her career — tied for the second most by a Big Ten athlete (Kelly Mazzante, Penn State). Jantel Lavender (Ohio State) holds the record for Player of the Week awards in a career with 19 (2008-11).
• Gustafson broke a single-season record last year, winning nine Player of the Week honors. She was also named to the conference’s honor roll six times. 

TANIA DAVIS: THE RETURN

• Senior Tania Davis returned to the starting lineup in Iowa’s season opener for the first time since Dec. 17, 2017. 
• Through 16 games this season, Davis is averaging 10.9 points and 4.7 assists. 
• With 2.6 seconds remaining, Davis hit a game-winning 3-pointer to give Iowa a 73-70 victory over Iowa State on Dec. 5. She ended the game with nine points, three assists, and two steals. 
• Davis averaged 9.7 points and 5.2 assists in 12 games before tearing her ACL in 2017-18.  
• The Flint, Michigan, native’s sophomore season was also cut short due to injury. In 23 games in 2016-17, Davis averaged 10.9 points and 4.3 assists. 

UP NEXT 

Iowa travels to Champaign, Illinois, on Jan. 20 for a Sunday matchup with Illinois. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus.