A trip to the Sweet 16 is at stake in the Iowa Hawkeyes’ final game of the 2022-23 women’s college basketball season at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa (27-6, 15-3 Big Ten) easily edged Southeast Louisiana in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano combined for 48 points and the Hawkeyes limited the Lions to a meager 25.4% field goal shooting, including 18.2% from 3-point range.
The Hawkeyes welcome the Georgia Bulldogs (22-11, 9-7 SEK) for a ticket to Seattle. The Bulldogs used 21 points from Guard Diamond Battles to eliminate Florida State 66-54.
Georgia guard Audrey Warren and forward Jordan Isaacs added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“Obviously happy to play Georgia in the field of 32 tomorrow. We know Georgia, great team. great depth. Zone defense they are known for. Battles and Warren are excellent players. They are posts. They have a lot of depth at the post. So they’re going to be a really tough challenge,” Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder said of Georgia.
Georgia is known for its zone defense, something Clark hopes Iowa’s shooters can exploit.
“I think it will be very important to appreciate the ball. Fake shots against a team that’s more athletic, taller and longer than us, but at the same time I’m not sure they’ve seen a team that has as many shooters as us on the fringe. So we can use that to the best of our ability. It’s difficult to play Zone when you have four people on the edge who can really spread the ground and shoot at it like we do.
“So we have to be able to do that, but at the same time it’s pretty easy to get the ball to Monika, when we have people making shots on the border or when Monika hits the block pretty easily, it’s gonna open things up. So it’s hard to find your poison with this team. There’s only so much you can do, but I don’t know if they’ve really seen a team that has four constant shooters on the rim like us,” Clark said.
The story goes on
Without further ado, here’s how fans can watch, stream and listen to the Iowa Hawkeyes hosting the Georgia Bulldogs. Also, a look at the main actors, the history of the series, and some other game notes.
like watching
broadcast teams
ABC: Dave O’Brien, Bit by Bit; Christy Winters Scott, Color Analyst
Hawkeye radio network: Rob Brooks, Bit by Bit; Jaime Cavey Lang, Color Analyst
key figures
Iowa:
G Caitlin Clark: 27.0 points, 8.5 assists, 7.5 rebounds
G Kate Martin: 7.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists
F/C Monika Czinano: 17.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 68.0% FG
G Gabbie Marshall: 5.7 points, 1.5 steals, 36.7% 3-point FG
G/F McKenna Warnock: 10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 39.4% 3-point FG
Georgia:
G Diamond Battles: 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals
F Brittney Smith: 11.5 points, 5.2 rebounds
F Javyn Nicholson: 9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals
G Audrey Warren: 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals
F Zoesha Smith: 6.7 points, 3.9 rebounds
history of the series
Margaret Kispert/The Register/USA TODAY NETWORK
Series history: Georgia leads 3-2. The last meeting between the two programs was during the 2007-08 season when Georgia defeated Iowa 67-61.
2007–08: Georgia 67, Iowa 61 (neutral)
1995-96: Georgia 79, Iowa 52 (neutral)
1990-91: Georgia 62, Iowa 51 (neutral)
1987-88: Iowa 65, Georgia 56 (in Iowa)
1986–87: Iowa 62, Georgia 60 (neutral)
Journey #9?
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
If Iowa Georgia tumbles, the Hawkeyes would secure the program’s ninth Sweet 16 appearance. Iowa last advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2021.
2-seed history for the Hawks
(Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
Iowa entered the NCAA tournament as a runner-up for the fifth time in program history. The Hawkeyes were also selected as No. 2 seeds in 1993, 1996, 2019 and 2022.
Iowa’s only Final Four appearance came during that 1993 tournament, and the Hawkeyes also completed an Elite Eight run in 2019 as the No. 2 seed. Iowa is 10-4 all-time as the No. 2 in the NCAA tournament.
Big Ten Tournament Champions
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Clark became the first player in Big Ten tournament championship history to hit a triple-double. She finished with 30 points, 17 assists and 10 rebounds.
Clark was named the Big Ten tournament’s Most Valuable Player, averaging 24.7 points, 10.0 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game. Gabbie Marshall and Monika Czinano were also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.
It marks the first time in program history that the Hawkeyes have won back-to-back Big Ten tournament titles. The conference championship game appearance was Iowa’s fourth in the last five seasons.
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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire
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