WBB Notebook: at B1G Tournament (Semifinals)

OPPONENT Iowa (21-7, 14-4) vs. Nebraska (24-7, 11-7)
LOCATION Indianapolis, Ind. (Gainbridge Fieldhouse)
DATE Saturday, March 5
TIP-OFF 5 p.m. (CT)
RADIO Hawkeye Sports Network
TV B1G Network

The Setting

No. 2 seeded University of Iowa women’s basketball plays No. 6 seed Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, March 5 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. (CT) on B1G Network.

 

Saturday’s matchup marks the 35th meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes lead the series 19-15 and have won 12 of the last 15 matchups, including a regular-season sweep over the Huskers.

 

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: Saturday’s contest will air live on B1G Network. Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Christy Winters Scott (color) are on the call, while Meghan McKeown will report from the sidelines.

PROGRAM QUICK HITS

  • The Iowa Hawkeyes finished the regular season 21-7 overall and 14-4 in Big Ten play, clenching a share of the Big Ten Regular Season title — Ohio State shares the title. It is the Hawkeyes’ 13th Big Ten Championship (10 regular, 3 tournament) in program history and first regular season title since 2008.
  • In the Big Ten Tournament , Iowa is 6-6 all time in the Semifinals and is 5-4 under P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder’s leadership. If the Hawkeyes advance to the finals, it will mark the program’s seventh Championship appearance and fifth under Bluder — third in four years. Iowa last won the Big Ten Tournament as a two seed at the 2019 Championship. 
  • Iowa is ranked 12th in the latest AP Poll, 14th in the NCAA Final Top-16 Reveal and 18th in the USA TODAY Sports/WBCA Coaches Poll.
  • Iowa defeated 16 of its 28 opponents by double figures, including 11 20-plus point wins (six in Big Ten play). 
  • The Hawkeyes lead the country in field-goal percentage (.504) and free-throw percentage (.84) and ranks in the top-25 in eight additional categories, including second in scoring offense (84.9), third in assists per game (19.4), sixth in total assists (544), 11th in assist turnover ratio (1.29), 14th in defensive rebounds per game (29.4), 16th in free throws made (426), 20th in 3-point percentage (35.8) and 22nd in scoring margin (13.8).
  • Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads the nation in total assists (231), total points (762), assists per game (8.2), points per game (27.2), free throws made (174) and triple doubles (5) and has tallied 10 30-plus point games this season, tallying the most 30-point games in Division I women’s basketball this season.
  • Sophomore Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Year and earned unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors (coaches and media). Senior Monika Czinano earned first team all-Big Ten honors (coaches and media) — her third Big Ten postseason honors — and junior McKenna Warnock earned second team All-Big Ten honors by the media and was selected as an honor roll honoree by the coaches.
  • Bluder registered her 800th win this season and is one of five active Division I women’s head coaches to accomplish the feat in their career. She is in her 38th season as a head coach and 22nd at Iowa.
  • Bluder owns a 460-241 (.656) record and a 232-139 (.625) conference mark at Iowa. In her 38 seasons as a head coach, Bluder is 816-383 (.681).

SCOUTING NEBRASKA (6 seed)

  • Saturday’s matchup marks the 35th meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes lead the series 19-15 and have won 12 of the last 15 matchups, including a regular-season sweep over the Huskers.
  • The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena, 95-86, on Jan. 9. Sophomore Caitlin Clark and junior McKenna Warnock registered double-doubles with Clark tallying 31 points and 12 assists and Warnock recording 23 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Monika Czinano added 20 points and redshirt junior Kate Martin was 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, tallying 12 points. At Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark and Czinano each tallied 31 points, while Clark added 10 assists and 10 rebounds for a triple-double.
  • Nebraska is 24-7 overall and 11-7 in Big Ten play, winning its last five-consecutive contests.
  • Four Huskers average double-figure scoring, including Jaz Shelley (13.1), Alexis Markowski (13.0), Isabelle Bourne (11.1) and Sam Haiby (10.6).
  • Markowski leads the Huskers with 8.0 rebounds per game, followed by Shelley (6.6) and Bella Cravens (5.5).
  • Shelley and Haiby average 5.0 and 4.0 assists per game.
  • Shelley ranks in the top 25 nationally in 3-point percentage, ranking 17th (.435). She ranks 18th in total 3-pointers made (76).
  • As a team, Nebraska ranks fourth in total assists (551), fifth in total rebounds (1,310), eighth in scoring offense (78.9), 10th in assists per game (17.8), 12th in 3-pointers made (267), 15th in assist turnover ratio (1.24), 16th in scoring margin (15.4) and 3-point percentage (36.4), 17th in rebounds per game (42.26), and 18th in field-goal percentage (45.2) and 3-pointers per game (29.1)
  • Head coach Amy Williams is in her sixth season at the helm of the Nebraska women’s basketball program. Williams is 109-70 at Nebraska and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and led the Huskers to the NCAA Tournament First Round, during her second season (2017-18).

(HAWK)EYES ON THE SEASON

  • The Iowa Hawkeyes are 21-7 overall and 14-4 in Big Ten play. Iowa clenched a share of the Big Ten Regular Season title on Feb. 27 — Ohio State shares the title. It is the Hawkeyes’ 13th Big Ten Championship (10 regular, 3 tournament) in program history and first regular-season title since 2008.
  • In the Big Ten Tournament , Iowa is 6-6 all time in the Semifinals and is 5-4 under P. Sue Beckwith, MD, Iowa Head Coach Lisa Bluder’s leadership. If the Hawkeyes advance to the finals, it will mark the program’s seventh Championship appearance and fifthe under Bluder — third in four years. Iowa last won the Big Ten Tournament as a two seed at the 2019 Championship. 
  • Iowa defeated 16 of its 28 opponents by double figures, including 11 20-plus point wins (six in Big Ten play). 
  • Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads Iowa, averaging 27.2 points, 8.3 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game. 
  • Clark, junior McKenna Warnock, senior Monika Czinano and freshman Addison O’Grady have each tallied double-doubles this season. Clark has tallied 15 on the season (24 career), including a Big Ten record five triple-doubles, while Warnock and Czinano have registered two apiece and O’Grady has recorded one.
  • Czinano and Warnock average 20.7 and 11.9 points per game, respectively. The pair also average 6.8 (Warnock) and 6.1 (Czinano) rebounds per game.
  • Redshirt junior Kate Martin ranks second on the team in assists per game, averaging 3.3.
  • Junior Gabbie Marshall, Clark, Martin, Warnock and senior Tomi Taiwo have tallied 43, 41, 32, 28 and 19 steals, respectively.
  • Sophomore Caitlin Clark was named Big Ten Player of the Year (coaches and media). Clark also earned unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors (coaches & media), senior Monika Czinano earned first team All-Big Ten accolades (coaches and the media) and junior McKenna Warnock earned second team All-Big Ten Honors by the media and was honorable mention from the coaches. Redshirt junior Kate Martin was named Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.