| OPPONENT | #14/15 Iowa (5-2) vs. Central Florida (8-1) |
| LOCATION | Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena) |
| DATE | Saturday, Dec. 18 |
| TIP-OFF | 6:30 p.m. (CT) |
| RADIO | HAWKEYE RADIO NETWORK |
| TV | B1G Network+ |
The Setting
The No. 14 University of Iowa women’s basketball team returns home to Iowa City, Iowa, on Dec. 18 to take on the Central Florida Knights inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on B1G Network+.
Saturday’s matchup is the first for the Hawkeyes and the Knights.
ON THE AIR
Radio: Iowa games are broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network. Rob Brooks (play-by-play) and Jamie Cavey Lang (color) call the action. Brooks is in his sixth year as the play-by-play announcer for the Iowa women’s basketball team. He has been Iowa football’s sideline reporter since 2004. Brooks has called seven different Iowa sports on radio or television. Lang is in her sixth 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.
TV: Wednesday’s contest will be televised B1G Network+.
PROGRAM QUICK HITS
- The Hawkeyes finished the 2020-21 season 20-10 overall and 11-8 in Big Ten play, advancing to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game and the NCAA Sweet 16.
- The Hawkeyes finished the season ranked in the top-11 nationally in 11 statistical categories, including first in field goal percentage (51.3) and 3-point percentage (40.8), second in scoring offense (86.1), third in free-throw percentage (80.0), and fifth in assists per game (20.1).
- Head Coach Lisa Bluder and staff led Iowa to its 12th 20-win season over the last 14 seasons and 14th in Bluder’s tenure.
- Freshman Caitlin Clark earned consensus first team All-America status with honors from WBCA, USBWA, and The Athletic. Associated Press named Clark to their second team.
- Clark was named National Co-Freshman of the Year by The Athletic, USBWA, and the WBCA.She was also named the Dawn Staley Award recipient — an award that goes to the best guard in women’s basketball.
- In the Big Ten, Clark was named Freshman of the Year, unanimous first team All-Big Ten, unanimously selected to the all-freshman team. Junior Monika Czinano earned first team all-Big Ten honors. The pair were also named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team.
- Clark and Czinano led the country in seven statistical categories, including Czinano leading the country in shooting percentage (66.8) and Clark leading in points per game (26.6), total assists (214),
- Iowa has made 13 consecutive postseason appearances (11 NCAA, 2 WNIT) when a postseason tournament was held. The 2020 postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Hawkeyes have made a postseason tournament appearance in 19 of head coach Lisa Bluder’s 21 seasons at the helm of the program, receiving 14 NCAA Tournament and four WNIT (2003, 2005, 2016, 2017) bids, including eight Sweet 16 appearances — most recently in 2021.
- Bluder is one of six active Division I women’s head coaches to win 795 games or more in her career. She completes her 37th season as a head coach and 21st at Iowa in 2020-21.
- Bluder owns a 444-236 (.653) record and a 221-135 (.621) conference mark at Iowa. In her 37 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 800-378 (.679).
SCOUTING CENTRAL FLORIDA
- Saturday’s matchup is a first for the Hawkeyes and the Knights.
- Senior guard Diamond Battles leads UCF, averaging 14.8 points per game.
- Junior forward Destiny Thomas averages 8.1 rebounds followed by senior forward Brittney Smith with 6.1 rebounds.
- The Knights rank third in the NCAA in scoring defense, holding opponents to 45.9 points per game.
- Head Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson is in her sixth season with UCF women’s basketball. In her first four seasons at the helm, UCF posted the program’s first four-consecutive 20-win seasons in the Division I era, and only missed a fifth-straight after the COVID-19 pandemic led to fewer contests in the 2020-21 campaign. She has led the Knights to their best finish in the American Athletic Conference in all five seasons, including their first-ever appearance in The American Championship title game in 2018-19 and a return to the title game in 2020-21.
(HAWK)EYES ON THE SEASON
- The Hawkeyes are 5-2 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play.
- Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads Iowa, averaging 22.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. Clark’s 7.1 assists per game ranks second in the country, while she ranks sixth nationally with 22.6 points per game and is the only Division I women’s basketball player to tally two triple-doubles.
- Clark and junior McKenna Warnock have each tallied double-doubles this season. Clark has tallied three on the season, while Warnock has registered one.
- Senior Monika Czinano and Warnock average 17.0 and 13.0 points per game. The pair also average 7.1 (Warnock) and 5.4 (Czinano) rebounds per game.
- Czinano ranks fifth in the nation in field goal percentage (62.8).
- Redshirt junior Kate Martin ranks second on the team, averaging 2.9 assists per game.