For those interested in watching today or knowing more...
- Tip is 4 PM in Gainbridge (Banker's Life) Fieldhouse
- ESPN2 has the television broadcast. 105.5 FM in Beford (http://www.wqrk.com/) is the radio broadcast flagship for IUWBB.
- If you want to attend in person, tickets are $16 for single tix, $60 for a 'family four pack' of four tickets + vouchers for a soda, hot dog, and chips.
- If you want tix in hand before getting to the arena, go to https://www.ticketmaster.com/big-te...lis-indiana-03-06-2022/event/05005B19D0079B9B. Note you will pay Ticketmaster fees (my 'family four pack' purchase came out to $68.50). Tix are delivered electronically.
- The Fieldhouse box office will be open if you want to skip fees, but maybe not lines. All tickets purchased at the box office are also delivered electronically via text.
- How did IU get there?
- IU entered the tournament as the #5 seed, a spot they tumbled to after losing four of their last five regular season games.
- Opening round game win over #13 seed Rutgers, 66-54. IU played a steady, unflustered game against the conference's top defensive teams, forcing them to face an equally tough defensive effort.
- 2nd round win over #4 seed Maryland, 62-51. The win avenged IU's final regular season loss, a 64-67 L at Maryland. IU upped the defensive intensity and kept Maryland's role players in check while frustrating their stars. Mackenzie Holmes showed her first signs of looking like the player she was in the early season, pre-injury and surgery, scoring 17 points. IU did not allow a Maryland 3-pointer throughout the game.
- 3rd round win over #1 seed Ohio State, 70-62. OSU claimed a share of the conference championship and #1 overall seed thanks heavily to a schedule weighted toward the bottom teams in the conference. IU started the game without usual starter Aleksa Gulbe, who was dealing with a non-COVID illness. Gulbe did enter the game later. IU once again maintained a defensive toughness and showed an adeptness at breaking the OSU press for most of the game. IU held OSU's strong 3-point shooting game to under 20%. A late surge by OSU paired with missed free throws by IU made the final score look closer than the game actually was.
- How did Iowa get there?
- Iowa claimed a conference co-championship via a 104-80 throttling of Michigan in their final regular season game. Iowa is peaking late, going on a six-game win streak with two wins over IU, the win over Michigan, and wins over likely tournament teams Nebraska and Northwestern.
- Iowa overcame a slow start vs Northwestern in their opening game, grabbing a 72-59 win. NW had a poor shooting night, shooting under 30% for the game. Iowa scored at their usual clip, hitting just under 50% of their FG attempts and over 40% of their 3-point attempts. Iowa starters Caitlin Clark, Monica Czinano, and Kate Martin combined for 55 of Iowa's 72 points.
- Iowa's Saturday win over Nebraska, 83-66, had a similar script. Nebraska took a first quarter lead and went into the locker room down 3. The Iowa offense took off in the 2nd half, scoring 45 points over the two quarters. Nebraska's 3-point shooters struggled, going 3-26 on the day while Iowa was over 50% on FG attempts.
- Recent history
- Iowa won both games vs IU this year - a 91-96 win in Bloomington and a 82-88 win in Iowa City. The two wins came at the conclusion of a 5-games-in-10-days / 3-games-in-5-days stretch bestowed on IU due to COVID rescheduling.
- Iowa took early control in Bloomington and never looked back, carrying a 22-point lead into the final quarter. IU put together a conference record 42-point quarter to make the game interesting, but the outcome was rarely in doubt.
- IU bounced back two days later to keep things closer in Iowa City. The Hoosiers let Iowa chip away at an 11-point halftime lead to put the game away in the 4th quarter.
- IU was 2-0 vs Iowa in the 20-21 season, including getting the program's first win at Iowa.
- Iowa won both games vs IU this year - a 91-96 win in Bloomington and a 82-88 win in Iowa City. The two wins came at the conclusion of a 5-games-in-10-days / 3-games-in-5-days stretch bestowed on IU due to COVID rescheduling.
- Deeper history
- Iowa
- This is Iowa's 6th trip to the tournament finals, winning in 97, 01, and 19 with runner-up honors in 10, 14, and last year when they lost to Maryland 104-84.
- Iowa is a traditional WBB power in the Big 10. They've claimed 10 regular season championships, second only to OSU's 16.
- Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder has been with the program 21 years and has guided them to 15 NCAA tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight run in 2019. Two of the program's Big 10 season and tournament championships have come under her tenure.
- Indiana
- This is IU's 2nd trip to the tournament finals. They won their only other visit in 2002.
- IU has one regular season championship in the Big 10, coming in 1983
- IU head coach Teri Moren is in her eighth season. She's put together 7 consecutive 20-win seasons, besting the total number of 20-win campaigns in program history prior to her arrival. She's guided IU to it's deepest run in the NCAA tournament, an Elite Eight appearance in 2021, and a WNIT title in 2018.
- Iowa
- What to expect today
- Iowa is the conference's top offensive team, averaging nearly 85 points a game. They would love nothing more than to make the game a track meet and take full advantage of IU playing its 4th game in 4 days. IU is more a mid-pack scoring team, averaging 72 a game, good for 6th in the conference.
- IU's defensive efforts have gotten the squad to the finals. The Hoosiers are the #2 defensive team in conference, holding opponents to 61.5 ppg. Iowa leans on offense to win games. They sit at 11th in defense in the conference, allowing 71 ppg.
- Playing Iowa is a 'pick your poison' gambit. You can focus on their stars - Clark and Czinano - and hope their supporting players (who combine for over 40% 3-point shooting) have an off day. Or you can let Clark and Czinano get theirs and hold the rest of the team in check. The latter has been more of the strategy for IU in games vs MD and OSU in the tourney.
- Fatigue could heavily come into play, especially on the offensive end where the legs needed to hit jumpers may not be there.
- IU's first two tournament games felt like "first to 60 wins" rock fights. The OSU game was more a "first to 70 wins" duel. Today may be a "first to 80" affair. Iowa's propensity for a 2nd half surge is also worrisome.
- What's on the line (besides a tournament title) - both teams are likely locks for at least a 4-seed in the women's tourney, granting them an opportunity to host 1st and 2nd round games in their home arenas. IU has been projected as high as a 2-seed earlier this season. A win today could push them up to the 3-line and put them in the conversation for a 2-seed thanks to their season resume. Iowa also likely moves up with a win today.
