WBB Notebook: at B1G Tournament (Quarterfinals)

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN (7 seed)

• If the Hawkeyes play the Wildcats, the matchup will mark the 77th meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes lead the series 58-18 and have won 12 of the last 16 matchups. The two teams split a pair of games this season, each winning on the road and losing at home.
• Northwestern is 16-11 overall and finished the regular season 8-8 in Big Ten play.
• Senior guard Veronica Burton leads the Wildcats, averaging 17.5 points per game.
• Burton has tallied 111 steals in 27 games (4.1 per game) and averaged 6.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game. She leads the nation in total steals and steals per game, and ranks fifth in assist turnover ratio (2.97), sixth in assists per game, seventh in total assists (175) and free throws made (150).
• Senior forward Courtney Shaw ranks fourth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (4.6).
• As a team, the Wildcats rank 16th in blocked shots per game (5.0) and 17th in overall blocked shots on the season (136), led by freshman forward Caileigh Walsh with 40 blocked shots in 26 games.
• Head coach Joe McKeown is in his 14th season at the helm of the Northwestern women’s basketball program. He currently ranks fourth among active Big Ten coaches in total wins. Additionally, McKeown has guided the Wildcats to eight winning seasons, shattering the win total in his first 13 years with the program (208).

SCOUTING MINNESOTA (10 seed)

• If the Hawkeyes play the Gophers, the matchup will mark the 85th meeting between the two teams. The Hawkeyes lead the series 57-27, winning the last seven matchups.
• Earlier this season, Iowa defeated Minnesota, 105-49, at Williams arena holding the Gophers to their lowest score against a Big Ten opponent in program history and recording the largest margin of victory over a Big Ten opponent by the Hawkeyes in program history. In the two team’s second meeting at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa won, 88-78, with seven available athletes on the roster.
• Minnesota is 14-16 overall and finished the regular season 7-11 in Big Ten play.
• Three Gophers average double-figure scoring, including junior guard Sara Scalia (17.8), redshirt-senior guard Deja Winters (11.6) and redshirt junior forward Kadiatou Sissoko (10.4).
• The Gophers rank fifth in 3-point percentage (.382), 11th in the country in 3-pointers made (255) and 21st in 3-pointers per game (8.5) with Scalia ranking second nationally in 3-pointers made (101), fourth in 3-pointers per game (3.37) and 15th in 3-point percentage (.426).
• Head coach Lindsay Whalen is in her fourth season at the helm of the Minnesota women’s basketball program. Whalen has led the team to a 47-42 mark (.528) with a trip to the WNIT in 2018-19. In addition, she has coached one WNBA draft pick, one All-American, nine All-Big Ten honorees, two members of the Big Ten All-Freshman team, one Big Ten All-Defensive Team player and 18 Academic All-Big Ten honorees.

(HAWK)EYES ON THE SEASON

• The Iowa Hawkeyes finished the regular season 20-7 overall and 14-4 in Big Ten play, clenching a share of the Big Ten Regular Season Championship — 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.
• Iowa defeated 15 of its 27 opponents this season by double figures, including 11 20-plus point wins (six in Big Ten play). 
• Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads Iowa, averaging 27.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.9 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 14 on the season (22 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 12.4 points per game, respectively. The pair also average 6.9 (Warnock) and 6.1 (Czinano) rebounds per game.
• Redshirt junior Kate Martin ranks second on the team in assists per game, averaging 3.2.
• Clark, junior Gabbie Marshall, Martin, Warnock and senior Tomi Taiwo have tallied 41, 39, 30, 27 and 19 steals, respectively.

THE BEST IN THE NATION (AND BIG TEN)

• Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads the country in total assists (225), total points (743), assists per game (8.3), points per game (27.5), free throws made (174) and triple doubles (5), while ranking fourth in field goals made (247) and free throw attempts (199), 17th in 3-pointers made (75), 18th in 3-pointers per game (2.78), 19th in double doubles (14) and 23rd in defensive rebounds per game (7.5) and free-throw percentage (.874). She has also tallied 10 30-plus point games this season, tallying the most 30-point games in Division I women’s basketball for the season.
• Senior Monika Czinano ranks third nationally in field-goal percentage (.669), fifth in field goals made (228), 14th in points per game (20.7), 19th in total points (538) and 46th in free-throw percentage (.845).
• In the Big Ten Conference, two Hawkeyes are statistical leaders, including Clark’s assists per game, points per game, total assists, total points, triple doubles, free-throws made, field-goals made and free throw attempts and Czinano’s field goal percentage. Czinano also ranks second in the conference in field goals made behind Clark.

WHERE THEY RANK AS A TEAM

• Iowa leads the country in field-goal percentage (.505) and free-throw percentage (.846).
• The Hawkeyes rank in the top-25 in seven additional categories, including second in scoring offense (85.4), third in assists per game (19.4), fifth in total assists (524), 11th in assist turnover ratio (1.28), 12th in free throws made (417), 16th in defensive rebounds per game (29.4) and 23rd in scoring margin (13.8).

YOU GET AN ASSIST, YOU GET AN ASSIST, EVERYONE GETS AN ASSIST

• Iowa currently leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in assists per game (19.4) and ranks fifth in the country in total assists (524). Sophomore Caitlin Clark leads the Hawkeyes and the nation with 8.3 assists per game.
• Iowa tallied 37 assists against Penn State (Jan. 25) to break the program’s single-game record, the Big Ten record against a Big Ten opponent and to tie the Big Ten record for most in a game – previously the Iowa record was 36 against North Carolina Central (Nov. 17, 2018) and the Big Ten single-game record is tied by Penn State (vs. Delaware St., Nov. 16, 2021) and Maryland (vs. Loyola Maryland, Dec. 11, 2017).
• Sophomore Caitlin – Clark broke the Iowa single-game assist record, tallying 18 and breaking the Big Ten regular-season record and tying the record for most against a conference opponent. Former Hawkeye Kathleen Doyle previously held the Iowa record with 15 assists against Nebraska (Feb. 6, 2020). Clark tied with Nebraska’s Rachel Theriot who had 18 assists against Minnesota on March 7, 2014 in the B1G Tournament.
• Clark’s 225 assists this season are the most by a sophomore in program history. She also ranks fourth all-time at Iowa with 439 career assists.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREAT

• Sophomore Caitlin Clark has registered five triple-doubles this season and six in her career.
• Clark’s six career triple-doubles ties former Hawkeye Sam Logic’s Big Ten record (2011-15) for most in their career and ties fifth most single season (5) and career (6) triple-doubles in NCAA Division I history.
• 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 five triple doubles in one season.