| OPPONENT | #25/RV Iowa (11-4, 5-1) vs. Illinois (6-10, 1-4) |
| LOCATION | Iowa City, Iowa (Carver-Hawkeye Arena) |
| DATE | Sunday, Jan. 23 |
| TIP-OFF | 5 p.m. (CT) |
| RADIO | Hawkeye Sports Network |
| TV | B1G Network |
The Setting
The No. 25 University of Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Illinois inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Sunday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (CT) on B1G Network.
Sunday’s matchup marks the 79th meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes lead the series 59-19 and have won 24 of the last 28 matchups.
Iowa defeated the Illini in Champaign, Illinois, 107-68, last season.
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:
Sunday’s contest will air live on B1G Network. Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott (color) are on the call.
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 450-238 (.654) record and a 233-136 (.631) conference mark at Iowa. In her 37 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 806-380 (.680).
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
- Sunday’s matchup marks the 78th meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes lead the series 59-19 and have won 24 of the last 28 matchups.
- Iowa defeated the Illini in Champaign, Illinois, 107-68, last season.
- Illinois is 6-10 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play, defeating Wisconsin (68-47) on Jan. 9.
- Sophomore guard Aaliyah Nye and junior guard De’Myla Brown lead the Illini, averaging 12.1 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
- Sophomore forward Kendall Bostic ranks fifth nationally in rebounds per game (11.9) and sixth in defensive rebounds per game (8.4).
- Nye averages 2.75 3-pointers per game, ranking 29th in the country.
- Head coach Nancy Fahey is in her fifth season at the helm of the Illinois women’s basketball program. Prior to Illinois, Fahey spent 31 years at Washington University in St. Louis, where she guided the Bears to an NCAA record five Division III National Championships.
(HAWK)EYES ON THE SEASON
- The Hawkeyes are 11-4 overall and 5-1 in Big Ten play, defeating Minnesota, Nebraska, twice, and Purdue most recently.
- Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads Iowa, averaging 26.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game.
- Clark, junior McKenna Warnock and freshman Addison O’Grady have each tallied double-doubles this season. Clark has tallied eight on the season, including a Big Ten record four triple-doubles, while Warnock has registered two and O’Grady has recorded one.
- Senior Monika Czinano and Warnock average 20.1 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. The pair also average 7.7 (Warnock) and 5.6 (Czinano) rebounds per game.
- Redshirt junior Kate Martin ranks second on the team in assists per game, averaging 2.7.
- Junior Gabbie Marshall, Clark, and Martin have tallied 25, 23 and 19 steals, respectively.
THE BEST IN THE NATION (AND BIG TEN)
Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads the country in points per game (26.2) and triple doubles (4), ranks second in assists per game (7.7), third in free throws made (104) and total assists (115), fourth in total points (393), eighth in free throw attempts (115), ninth in field goals made (129), 12th in defensive rebounds per game (8.1), 14th in free-throw percentage (.910), 21st in double-doubles (8), 63rd in assist turnover ratio (2.02) and 88th in rebounds per game (8.5).
Senior Monika Czinano ranks third in field-goal percentage (.652), 20th in points per game (20.1), 29th in field goals made (116), 39th in free-throw percentage (.862) and 59th in total points (282).
In the Big Ten Conference, two Hawkeyes are statistical leaders, including Clark’s points per game, triple doubles, assists per game, total assists, total points, field goals made and free-throw percentage and Czinano’s field goal percentage.
WHERE THEY RANK AS A TEAM
- Iowa leads the country in field-goal percentage (.489), making 452-of-925 shots taken, and free-throw percentage (.867), making 229-of-264 free throws attempted.
- The Hawkeyes rank in the top-30 in seven additional categories, including fifth in scoring offense (83.4) and defensive rebounds per game (30.8), seventh in assists per game (18.9), 11th in assist turnover ratio (1.26), 19th in scoring margin (16.7), 21st in free throws made (245) and 28th in total assists (283).
TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREAT
- Sophomore Caitlin Clark has registered four triple-doubles this season and leads the country in most career triple-doubles by an active player with five.
- Clark joins the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Hardin, Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only NBA, WNBA, Division I men’s and women’s basketball to record back-to-back 30-point triple doubles since 2000.
- Clark is one of 10 women’s basketball players (15 times) to register back-to-back triple doubles in their careers — the only to do so with 30-plus points in the pair. Clark registered 35 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists at Minnesota (Jan. 20) and 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Nebraska (Jan. 16).
- The Des Moines, Iowa, native is the first Big Ten women’s basketball player to register consecutive triple-doubles and four triple doubles in one season.
- Clark registered her first triple double of the season against Southern University (Nov. 17) with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, her second against Michigan State (Dec. 5) with 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, her third against Nebraska (Jan. 16) with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and her fourth at Minnesota with 35 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.
- Clark’s fifth career triple-double is the second most from a Hawkeye – former Hawkeye Sam Logic tallied six in her career.