Hawkeyes Have Little Time to Enjoy Win over Ohio State
By Kif Richmann
After an emotional win over #20 Ohio State on Saturday, the now #16 (AP) Iowa Hawkeyes (14-3, 2-2) women’s basketball team must immediately refocus for the toughest Big Ten opponent so far: #9 Michigan State.
The Spartans come into Thursday’s matchup in East Lansing with a 15-1 record and a 3-0 mark in conference play. MSU’s only loss comes at the hands of an extremely talented Baylor team.
Iowa's Jaime Printy led the Hawkeyes with 25 points on 8 of 10 shooting Saturday against the Buckeyes (AP photo via daylife.com)
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder talks about the upcoming game against #9 Michigan State
Iowa guard Jaime Printy discusses preparing for MSU and reflects on win over Buckeyes
Iowa will enter the game feeling positive having won two in a row, but that seems like a minuscule next to MSU’s current win streak, which sits at 15 games. Iowa will need an entire team effort if it o hopes to stop the run by the Spartans.
Iowa always relies heavily on the 3 pointer, and if they can shoot as well as they did against the Buckeyes, the Hawks should give MSU a serious run. Iowa shot 8-19 behind the arc on Saturday, including 2-2 from Jaime Printy and 3-6 from Kamille Wahlin.
Morgan Johnson, the interior stand out for Iowa, will have her work cut out for her, as the Spartans boast a pair of talented forwards in Kalisha Keane and Lykendra Johnson. Keane, a senior, averages over 16 points a game, and junior Johnson leads the Big Ten in steals (43) and is sixth in the Big Ten in total blocks (23).
MSU can also shoot the deep ball, as guard Taylor Alton in 17-30 from 3 point range. Her .567 3 point shooting is the best in the conference.
Expect another rain of 3 pointers from the Hawks, as they did against Ohio State. If the 3 point buckets a draining the net, it will open up more in-the-paint opportunities and allows Iowa’s quick guards to be able to drive to the hoop.
Please Assuage my Ire: Iowa to the Insight Bowl
By: Mike Rabon
Shaun Prater returns an INT for a TD vs Penn State (Photo by Julia Thompson via hawkcentral.com)
Adam Robinson scores a TD vs. Michigan (Photo by Carlos Osorio via blackheartgoldpants.com)
The 7-5 (4-4) Iowa Hawkeyes ended the regular season on a 3-game losing streak and dropped precipitously out of the BCS rankings. Failures in the final 3 weeks cannot be understated and losing late in the season has a disproportionate impact on a team’s body of work and appeal in terms of bowl selection. Let’s elaborate on that.
Michigan State is going to play Alabama in the Capital One Bowl game on January 1st. Iowa throttled Michigan State in Kinnick Stadium 37-6 on October 30th. No one would argue with Michigan State’s bowl placement but Iowa proved that the program maintained an ability to defeat a top 10 team. The Spartans finished the season 11-1 (7-1) and I offer sincere congratulations to Mark Dantonio and the program for a tremendous season.
Penn State will play Florida in the Outback Bowl on January 1st. Iowa dismantled Penn State 24-3 in Kinnick Stadium on October 2nd and made the Nittany Lions look like a team that was unfocused, ambivalent about their identity and crestfallen. Joe Paterno and Penn State finished the season 7-5 (4-4) and with wins against Youngstown State, Kent State, Temple, Minnesota, Michigan, Northwestern and Indiana. I’m speechless. Are they more deserving? Please tell me if I am wrong.
Michigan will square off against Mississippi State on January 1st in the Gator Bowl. The Hawkeyes traveled to Ann Arbor and defeated the Wolverines in the Big House 38-28 on October 16th. Rich Rodriguez deserves credit for getting this Michigan team bowl eligible despite all of the distractions, which include injuries and NCAA investigations. Michigan finished 7-5 (3-5) and won against Uconn, Notre Dame, Umass, Bowling Green, Indiana, Illinois, and Purdue. While a 30-10 win against the Big East Champion Uconn is respectable, the Huskies were 8-4 overall with losses to Temple, Louisville and Rutgers. Michigan’s body of work is far from impressive and they ended the season with a 48-28 loss to Wisconsin and 37-7 loss to Ohio State.
As mentioned earlier, Iowa defeated Michigan State, Penn State and Michigan. Iowa’s other wins came against Eastern Illinois, Iowa State, Ball State and Indiana. The Hawkeyes cannot boast about their resume but can make a case based on wins over MSU, PSU and UM. Iowa lost 3 games to end the season and lost 5 games by a grand total of 18 points. QB Ricky Stanzi finished the season Top 10 in Passing Efficiency and with 25 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions. DE Adrian Clayborn is an All-American and multiple Hawkeyes won Big10 commendation. Iowa’s defense is 7th in the nation in scoring and top 15 against the run.
I am under no illusion about what bowl selections are all about. Money and TV ratings drive the selection process. Nonetheless, Iowa had a stronger body of work to offer the Outback Bowl and the Gator Bowl than did Michigan or Penn State. Iowa will face #12 Missouri in the Insight Bowl and have an opportunity to reach 8 wins. Unfortunately, the Iowa players and coaches will be playing in a less prestigious bowl game because they lost late rather than early and preseason expectations that were not lived up to.
Michigan’s futlity in the previous two seasons actually bolstered its case for the Gator Bowl this season due to the fan’s thirst for the postseason. Joe Paterno’s name alone was probably enough for the Nittany Lions despite Kirk Ferentz’s 8-2 overall record against Mr. Paterno.
I am excited for the Hawks to play on December 28th but will not forget that Iowa’s body of work was stronger than Penn State and Michigan’s total resume.
KRUI Sports Blog 