Something’s got give Sunday when the Iowa women’s basketball team hosts Michigan at noon inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Both teams come into the game riding seven-game win streaks and both teams believe they should be ranked in the national polls.
“I feel like we should be ranked, but if we aren’t then we’ll keep telling our girls and using that to our advantage,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said.
The Hawkeyes have won seven straight games and during that stretch have defeated nationally ranked Iowa State and Texas and most recently upended No. 24 Ohio State at home to start the Big Ten slate.
The Hawkeyes are receiving votes this week in the national polls. With an RPI of 12 and a strength of schedule of 16, it’s hard to believe that Bluder’s bunch doesn’t deserve to be ranked.
The Hawkeyes (12-3, 1-0) hope to just keep winning though and next on the list is Michigan. which comes into the game at 12-2. The Wolverines lost at Utah and were beaten by No. 4 Duke.
Each team should be able to find a mismatch on the offensive end.
Not many players have stopped Iowa center Morgan Johnson this season. She is averaging 18 points and 7.3 rebounds and has scored at least 20 points seven times this season.
On the other end, Iowa may have a tough time covering Michigan’s Kate Thompson, a 6-foot-4 guard who is scoring 16 points per game and making nearly four triples per game. Rachel Sheffer also is averaging in double figures at 12.3 points per game.
Iowa will need to get continued strong play from sophomore Sam Logic and junior Theairra Taylor. Logic is a stat stuffer and has dished out 10.3 assists per game in her last three, while Taylor is coming off a career-high 19 points against Ohio State.
Michigan’s top role player is sophomore Nicole Elmblad, who leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 per game.
Iowa is 43-14 all-time against Michigan and has won seven of the last nine in the series. The Hawkeyes swept the Wolverines last season.
Sunday’s game will tip off at noon from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
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