Iowa, Illinois Meet in Champaign on Sunday

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THIS WEEK 

The No. 22/18 University of Iowa women’s basketball team hits the road this weekend, traveling to Illinois for a Sunday afternoon matchup. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. (CT) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• Sunday’s contest will be streamed live on BTN Plus. 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. 17, Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks 11th nationally. 
• As of Jan. 17, the Hawkeyes own an RPI of 12. 

• SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois is 9-8 overall and 1-5 in Big Ten action this season. 
• The Illini defeated No. 12 Minnesota on Jan. 6. Illinois downed the Gophers, 66-62, in Minneapolis. Illinois trailed by 17 points before coming back to defeat Minnesota on the road. 
• Illinois is 7-4 when playing at the State Farm Center. 
• Senior forward Alex Wittinger leads the team, averaging 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. 
• Junior guard Brandi Beasley is also averaging double figures in scoring with 10.1 points per game. 
• Wittinger ranks 10th nationally in blocked shots (44) and 13th in blocked shots per game (2.59). 
• As a team, Illinois ranks 17th nationally in blocked shots (86) and 24th in blocked shots per contest (5.1). 

THE SERIES 

• Iowa leads the all-time series, 55-19. 
• The Hawkeyes and Illini met just once last season. Iowa defeated Illinois, 84-71, in Champaign on Jan. 7. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson led Iowa in last year’s victory, scoring 34 points on 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) from the field and a perfect 10-for-10 performance from the free throw line. She also registered 12 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. 
• Redshirt sophomore Alexis Sevillian netted 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. 
• Junior Kathleen Doyle registered a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. 

BALANCED ATTACK LEADS IOWA PAST MICHIGAN

• The Hawkeyes improved to 4-2 in Big Ten action with a 75-61 win over Michigan on Jan. 17 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 
• Four Hawkeyes scored in double figures, including Megan Gustafson (21), Hannah Stewart (16), Tania Davis (10), and Kathleen Doyle (10). 
• Gustafson and Davis each dished out a team-high six assists. 
• Iowa registered 25 assists on 34 made field goals in the win. 
• After registering seven turnovers in the first half, the Hawkeyes committed just two over the final 20 minutes. 
• Iowa gave up 11 offensive rebounds in the first half and held the Wolverines to just one in the second half. 

SENIOR STANDOUTS

• Iowa’s three seniors — Tania Davis, Megan Gustafson, and Hannah Stewart — combined for 47 points, 24 rebounds, and 15 assists against Michigan on Jan. 17. 
• The trio shot a combined 63.6 percent from the field (21-for-33). 
• In the last two games (wins vs. Minnesota and Michigan) Iowa’s seniors collectively averaged 56.0 points. They shot 70.0 percent from the field (49-for-70) in Iowa’s last two contests. 

WORKIN’ ON HER FITNESS 

• No other center in the country plays as many minutes per game than senior Megan Gustafson. 
• Gustafson has played 558:00 minutes this season — an average of 33.1 minutes per game.
• According to Her Hoop Stats, Gustafson averages 1.35 points per possession this season — the second-best rate in the country. Gustafson also ranks fourth in points per scoring attempt at 1.43. 

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 registered five or more assists. 

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 3.8 fewer turnovers with Doyle in the lineup. In seven games without Doyle, Iowa averaged 16.3 turnovers per game. In 10 games with Doyle in the lineup, the Hawkeyes are averaging 12.5 turnovers per game. 
• Doyle has also stepped up Iowa’s defensive intensity. She leads the team with 26 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 averages 7.6 steals per game — a difference of 1.5 steals per game.  

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE

• Senior Megan Gustafson recorded her 71st career double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds against Michigan on Jan. 17. 
• 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 16 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 48 of her last 56 games. 

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 second nationally at 69.9 percent, while Stewart ranks 27th at 58.5 percent. They rank first and fifth, respectively, in the Big Ten. 
• Stewart and Gustafson are scoring a combined 39.0 points per game and averaging 19.1 rebounds per contest. 
• The duo has 663 points, 324 rebounds, 71 assists, and 42 blocks. They are shooting a combined 65.6 percent (282-for-430) from the field. 

(AS)SISTER SISTER 

• Junior Kathleen Doyle has registered five or more assists in seven of the last eight 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 10 games this season, Doyle is averaging 5.7 assists per game. 
• In six Big Ten games, Doyle is averaging 6.5 assists per game — the second-best mark in the Big Ten.

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 2,247 career points.

SHARING IS CARING 

• Through 17 games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 22.3 assists per contest — the second-best mark in the NCAA. 
• Six Hawkeyes have dished out 20 or more assists this season. Senior Tania Davis leads the team with 81 (4.8 per game). 
• In six conference games, junior Kathleen Doyle is averaging 6.5 assists — the second-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 1,201 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 17 games this season, Iowa is averaging 80.2 points per game, a mark that ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th nationally. 
• Iowa’s 51.6 field goal percentage leads the Big Ten and is second nationally.
• 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-3 nationally in eight categories. She leads the nation in double-doubles (16), field goals made (186), total points (444), and points per game (26.1), ranks second in defensive rebounds per game (10), field goal percentage (69.9), and total rebounds (222), and third in rebounds per game (13.1). 
• Senior Hannah Stewart ranks 27th nationally in field goal percentage (58.5). 

STEWART COMES UP B1G

• Senior Hannah Stewart has started all 17 games for the Hawkeyes this season.
• Stewart is averaging 12.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. 
• The Minot, North Dakota, native has scored 10 or more points in 15 of Iowa’s 17 games this season. 
• Stewart’s 58.5 field goal percentage ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 27th 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.
• She 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 17 games this season, Davis is averaging 10.9 points and 4.8 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 returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday, hosting Rutgers at 7 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed on BTN Plus.