Iowa, Baylor Meet Monday in Elite Eight

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THIS WEEK 

The No. 8/8 University of Iowa women’s basketball team takes on No. 1/1 Baylor in the NCAA Elite Eight on Monday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. (CT) at the Greensboro Coliseum. 

TICKETS 

Tickets behind the Iowa bench can be purchased here. 

WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG 

• Monday’s contest will air nationally on ESPN2. Pam Ward (play-by-play), Carolyn Peck (analyst), and Allison Williams (sideline) will have the call from Greensboro Coliseum. The game will also be available on the ESPN App and WatchESPN. 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 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.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

• Iowa enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. The Hawkeyes have been a No. 2 seed three times in program history (1993, 1996, 2019). Iowa is 8-2 all-time as a No. 2 seed. 
• This marks Iowa’s 26th trip to the NCAA Tournament. 
• Iowa clinched its fourth appearance to the Elite Eight and its first since 1993 with a win over NC State on Saturday. It is the first Elite Eight appearance in the Lisa Bluder era. 
• Iowa advanced to the Final Four in 1993. 
• Bluder has led the Hawkeyes to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances in 19 years.
• Iowa has advanced to the postseason in 18 of her 19 seasons (14 NCAA, 4 WNIT).  

IN THE RANKINGS

• Iowa is ranked No. 8 in this week’s AP Poll and USA Today Coaches poll. It marks Iowa’s highest national ranking since 1996. 
• Six Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament. They include Iowa (2), Maryland (3), Rutgers (7), Michigan (9), Michigan State (9), and Indiana (10). 
• Three Big Ten teams accepted bids to the WNIT. They include Minnesota, Northwestern, and Ohio State. 

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

• Iowa’s strength of schedule ranks eighth nationally. 
• The Hawkeyes have registered seven wins over ranked opponents this season (No. 25/20 West Virginia, No. 23/20 Minnesota, No. 14/18 Rutgers, No. 23/21 Michigan State, No. 7/8 Maryland, No. 8/8 Maryland, and No. 10/10 NC State). 

29 WINS

• The Hawkeyes registered win No. 29 on Saturday, March 30, matching the highest win total in program history. 
• The Hawkeyes finished the 1987-88 season with a 29-2 record.  

B1G RECORD BREAKER 

• Senior Megan Gustafson became the Big Ten’s all-time leading rebounder on March 24. 
• Gustafson surpassed Jantel Lavender’s (2008-11) previous record of 1,422. She has 1,450 rebounds in her career. 
• Gustafson is also on pace to break conference records for field goal percentage in a season (record is 69.0 by Maryland’s Brionna Jones in 2016-17) and a career (record is 65.0 by Jones from 2014-17). 

HOME IS WHERE THE TIGERHAWK IS 

• Iowa has won 21 consecutive games on Mediacom Court in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including a perfect 17-0 mark this season. 
• The last loss for the Hawkeyes at home was a 92-74 defeat against Nebraska on Jan. 28, 2018. 
• The Hawkeyes went undefeated on their home court for the first time since 2014-15 (18-0). 
• Iowa’s two-day attendance of 23,096 marked a new NCAA First/Second Round record. 
• Iowa City’s second round attendance of 12,376 was higher than the combined two-day attendance at 11 other sites (Ames, Charlotte, College Park, College Station, Coral Gables, Corvallis, Raleigh, Stanford, Storrs, Syracuse, Waco). 

SCOUTING BAYLOR

• Baylor enters Monday’s contest with a 34-1 record.  
• The Bears lone loss of the season came at Stanford on Dec. 15. Baylor has won 26 straight games. 
• Senior center Kalani Brown leads the team, averaging 15.6 points per game. 
• Junior forward Lauren Cox averages 12.7 points per contest and a team-high 8.2 rebounds. 
• The Bears are coached by 18-year head coach Kim Mulkey. Both Mulkey and head coach Lisa Bluder are finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year. 
• Baylor leads the all-time series, 1-0. The Bears defeated the Hawkeyes, 81-66, in the 2015 NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Oklahoma City. 

MS. 1000

• Senior Megan Gustafson is 22 points shy of reaching 1,000 for the season. 
• Gustafson would become just the fourth NCAA student-athlete to accomplish the feat, joining Kelsey Plum (Washington, 2017), Jackie Stiles (Missouri St., 2001), and Odyssey Sims (Baylor, 2014). 
• Gustafson’s 978 points is a single-season school record. 

AN EIGHT SO ELITE 

• The Hawkeyes advanced to their first Elite Eight since 1993 with a 79-61 win over NC State on March 30. 
• Three Hawkeyes scored in double figures, while five scored nine or more points. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson led the way, registering a game-high 27 points and a game-best 12 rebounds. It marked her 33rd double-double of the season and the 88th of her career. 
• Senior Hannah Stewart recorded the third double-double of her career (16 points, 10 rebounds). 

SEVILLIAN COMES UP B1G

• Redshirt sophomore Alexis Sevillian netted a pair of momentum-swinging 3-pointers in the second half to help the Hawkeyes past NC State on Saturday. 
• Up by five with 3:53 left in the third quarter, Sevillian drained a 3-pointer to give the Hawkeyes an eight point lead. The bucket sparked a 9-2 run that gave Iowa a 12-point advantage. The Hawkeyes led by at least 10 points for the remainder of the contest. 
• Sevillian netted another 3-pointer with 8:09 left in the fourth quarter to give the Hawkeyes a 17-point advantage. 
• The Goodrich, Michigan, native finished the game with six points and two rebounds. All six of her points game in the second half. 

FEELIN HOT, HOT, HOT

• Junior Makenzie Meyer is shooting 55.0 percent (11-for-20) from 3-point range and 56.5 (13-for-23) from the field in three NCAA Tournament games this season. 
• The Mason City, Iowa, native is also averaging 3.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds over that span. 
• Meyer tied a career-high with five 3-pointers made in Iowa’s win over Mercer. She was 5-for-7 from distance. Two days later, Meyer was 4-for-7 from 3-point range to help Iowa to a win over Missouri. Meyer hit two more 3-pointers in Iowa’s win over NC State. 

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY 

• Senior Megan Gustafson registered her 32nd double-double (27 points, 13 rebounds), tying the NCAA record for double-doubles in a season (Courtney Paris (Oklahoma; 2006, 2007) and Natalie Butler (George Mason; 2018) share the current record of 33). 
• Gustafson’s 88 career double-doubles ranks fourth all-time in the NCAA. 
• Her 33 double-doubles this season are an Iowa program record. She bested her own previous record of 28 (2017-18) against Rutgers on March 9. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native broke the Big Ten record for double-doubles in a career against Illinois on Feb. 14. Jantel Lavender (2007-11) previously held the record of 77. 
• Gustafson 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. 
• She has registered a double-double in 65 of her last 74 games, including 29 of her last 30 contests.

SWEET, SWEET VICTORY 

• The Hawkeyes defeated Missouri, 68-52, in the NCAA Second Round on March 24. 
• Three Hawkeyes scored in double figures. Senior Megan Gustafson led the way with 24. Junior Makenzie Meyer netted 18 and junior Kathleen Doyle registered 15. 
• Iowa shot 52.0 percent (26-for-50) from the field and held Missouri to 36.2 percent (21-for-58). 
• After giving up 20 points in the first quarter, Iowa held the Tigers to nine points in the second, 12 points in the third, and 11 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

SURVIVE & ADVANCE

• Iowa defeated Mercer, 66-61, in the NCAA First Round on March 22.  
• Three Hawkeyes scored in double figures. Senior Megan Gustafson led the way with 30 points, while junior Makenzie Meyer netted 16, and senior Hannah Stewart poured in 12. 
• Gustafson and Stewart each notched double-doubles. Gustafson netted 30 points and pulled down 16 rebounds for her 31st double-double of the season. Stewart registered 12 points and 11 rebounds to post her second career double-double. 
• Junior Makenzie Meyer tied a career-high with five 3-pointers made. She was 5-for-7 from distance. 

GUSTAFSON BREAKS (ANOTHER) RECORD… WHAT ELSE IS NEW? 

• Senior Megan Gustafson broke or tied four records against Mercer on March 22. 
• Gustafson broke the Big Ten record for points and rebounds in a single season. She now has 951 points this season, besting Rachel Banham’s (Minnesota) previous mark of 917 set in 2015-16. Her 459 rebounds this season surpassed Amanda Zahui B’s previous mark of 426 set in 2014-15.
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native also broke a pair of NCAA Tournament records. She made 13 straight field goals against Mercer, passing the previous record for consecutive field goals made of 11 set by Teaira McCowan (2018) and Terry Carmichael (1985). 
• Gustafson shot 87.5 percent (14-for-16) from the field, matching Brooke Smith’s tournament record set in 2006. 

“ALEXA: PLAY WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!” 

• The Hawkeyes claimed the Big Ten Tournament title with a 90-76 win over top-seeded Maryland on March 10. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson led the Hawkeyes with 45 points (17-for-24), 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Her 45 points were a Big Ten Championship record. Senior Tania Davis (14) and junior Kathleen Doyle (13) also scored in double figures for the Hawkeyes. 
• Gustafson was named the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while senior Hannah Stewart was named to the All-Tournament team. 
• The Hawkeyes defeated Rutgers, 72-67, in the semifinal and Indiana, 90-76, in the quarterfinals to advance to the championship game. 

NAME A BETTER TRIO… WE’LL WAIT

• Iowa’s senior class of Tania Davis, Megan Gustafson, and Hannah Stewart owns an overall record of 92-42 (69 percent), including a 58-12 mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena (83 percent). 
• Davis, Gustafson, and Stewart have started all 35 games for the Hawkeyes.
• Collectively, Iowa’s three seniors are averaging 49.5 points, 22.9 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game this season. 

ESPNW PLAYER OF THE YEAR 

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named the unanimous ESPNW Player of the Year on March 15. 
• She is the first ESPNW Player of the Year in program history. She is the first Big Ten student to earn women’s basketball national player-of-the-year honors since 1999. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native also earned unanimous first team All-America honors from ESPNW on March 14. 

RECORD BOOK… SHARPIE

• Senior Megan Gustafson broke her own school record for points and double-doubles in a single season against Indiana on March 8. 
• Gustafson now has 978 points this season, besting her 2017-18 total of 823. 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, has a single-season high 33 double-doubles in Iowa’s 35 games this season. 
• On March 10, Gustafson bested her own record for rebounds in a single season. She now has 472 rebounds, besting her 2017-18 mark of 411. 

GOIN’ BACK-TO-BACK

• Senior Megan Gustafson was named the consensus Big Ten Player of the Year.
• Gustafson became the first Hawkeye in program history to win the award twice. 
• She is the first Hawkeye student-athlete chosen as the coaches’ Player of the Year since 1998 (Tangela Smith). 
• The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native is the ninth two-time Big Ten Player of the Year in conference history. She joins Jantel Lavender (OSU, four times), Jessica Davenport (OSU, three times), Kelsey Mitchell (OSU, three time), Anucha Browne (NW, two times), Tracey Hall (OSU, two times), Maggie Lucas (PSU, two times), Kelly Mazzante (PSU, two times), and Katie Douglas (PU, two times).
• Gustafson as also a unanimous first time All-Big Ten honoree (coaches & media) and named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.  
• Gustafson was honored by the Big Ten every week this season, including 13 Player of the Week nods and four Honor Roll mentions.
• She has 23 Big Ten Player of the Week awards in her career. Gustafson owns the conference record for career weekly awards, besting Jantel Lavender’s (Ohio State) previous mark of 19. She also owns the record for awards in a single season (12). 

ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

• Three Hawkeyes earned all-conference honors.
• Senior Megan Gustafson was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten honoree (coaches & media). 
• Junior Kathleen Doyle earned first team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and second team accolades from the media. 
• Senior Tania Davis was named a consensus honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. 
• Senior Hannah Stewart was named Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree. 

B1G RECORDS FALL 

• The Hawkeyes set a Big Ten record for assists in a single-season with 763 total assists, surpassing Maryland’s mark of 694 assists in 2016-17. 
• Iowa set a Big Ten record with 392 assists during the conference season. The Hawkeyes topped Ohio State’s mark of 356 set in 1984-85. 
• The Hawkeyes averaged 21.8 assists per game during conference play — passing Iowa’s own record of 20.8 assists per game during the 2000-01 Big Ten season. 
• Senior Megan Gustafson made 211 field goals (11.7 per contest) during the conference season, besting the Big Ten record set by Northwestern’s Anucha Browne of 205 field goals (11.4 per game) in 1984-85. 

SHARING IS CARING

• Through 35 games this season, the Hawkeyes are averaging 21.8 assists per contest — the second-best mark in the NCAA. 
• Seven Hawkeyes have dished out 33 or more assists this season, while six have dished out 62 or more. Junior Kathleen Doyle has dished out a team-high 164 assists. She averages 5.9 assists per game. 
• In 18 conference games, Doyle averaged 6.3 assists — the 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. 

THAT’S OUR HEAD COACH

• Head Coach Lisa Bluder was named one of four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year on March 21. 
• Four Big Ten coaches have earned the honor, including former Hawkeye head coach C. Vivian Stringer (1993). 

EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT

• Senior Megan Gustafson ranks first nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 70.1 percent. She has made an NCAA-best 403 field goals.
• No student-athlete in the history of NCAA women’s basketball has ever averaged 28 or more points, 13 or more rebounds, and shot 70 percent or better from the field. 
• According to Her Hoop Stats, Gustafson averages 1.34 points per possession this season — the best rate in the country. Gustafson also ranks first in points per scoring attempt at 1.44. 
• Gustafson is just the eighth athlete in Big Ten history to shoot 70 percent or better from the field and the first since 2011 (Carolyn Swords, Boston College). 

(AS)SISTER SISTER 

• Junior Kathleen Doyle has recorded five or more assists in 20 of her 28 games.
• In 28 games this season, Doyle is averaging 5.9 assists per game. Her 5.9 assists per contests rank 15th nationally. 
• In 18 Big Ten regular season games, Doyle averaged 6.3 assists per game — the best mark in the conference.

HIGH-POWERED OFFENSE 

• Iowa’s 52.0 field goal percentage leads the nation.  
• Through 35 games this season, Iowa is averaging 79.1 points per game, a mark that ranks first in the Big Ten and 14th 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. 

OH MY, 40 

• Senior Megan Gustafson netted 45 points in Iowa’s win over Maryland on March 10. It marks the third time she’s scored 40 or more points this season (Drake, 12/21, Michigan State, 2/7). 
• Gustafson has surpassed 30 points 13 times this season — a mark that leads the NCAA. 
• She’s netted 20 or more points in 32 of Iowa’s 35 contests.