Illinois women’s basketball (11-4, 1-3) will match up against No. 23 Iowa (12-3, 2-2) on Thursday evening in Champaign. Illinois enters the game on a two-game skid, dropping games against Washington (12-4, 3-1) and Minnesota (15-1, 3-1). Iowa is coming off a loss to No. 8 Maryland (14-0, 4-0).
Matchup history
History does not favor the Illini when they take on the Hawkeyes. They are 16-58 against Iowa all-time and are 2-8 in the last 10 games. The lone bright spot for Illinois is that its last four wins against Iowa came at home. While it isn’t much, it is much more encouraging than its away record against Iowa.
In the two team’s last battle, former Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark and the No. 4 ranked Hawkeyes steamrolled the Illini, winning 101-85. The last win for Illinois came during the 2022-23 season when it upset No. 12 Iowa 90-86 on New Year’s Day. It was a huge win in a season that resulted in an NCAA tournament bid.
Fifth-year guard Genesis Bryant and fifth-year guard Makira Cook have both seen success against Iowa. In two games with the Illini, Bryant and Cook averaged 21.5 and 23 points per game, respectively, against the Hawkeyes.
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The competition
Iowa has found success in its first season without Clark. As a team, the Hawkeyes average 76.9 points per game, shooting 47.6% from the floor. That efficient shooting percentage is second-best in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes move the ball well on offense. They are ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten, averaging 18.1 assists per game. However, with their constant ball movement, they turn the ball over a lot. They are also ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten in turnovers, averaging 16.7 per game.
Leading the Hawkeyes is senior guard Lucy Olsen. Olsen averages 17.1 points per game on 42.3% shooting from the floor. She also leads the team in assists with 64, an average of 4.9 per game.
Iowa’s frontcourt is one of the stronger ones in the Big Ten. Senior forward Addison O’Grady and junior forward Hannah Stuelke put up double-digit points on a nightly basis; O’Grady and Stuelke average 13.2 and 12.9 points per game, respectively. O’Grady’s 68.2% shooting from the floor is the best in the Big Ten.
Season-ending injuries
During its two-game losing streak, Illinois has missed Cook and a key bench piece, sophomore guard Gretchen Dolan. On Wednesday, both players were ruled out for the remainder of the season, which is a huge blow for the Illini.
Cook’s past success against the Hawkeyes would have been crucial to an Illini win. Without Cook, Illinois lacks a true point guard. While Bryant is a great scorer, she doesn’t lead the offense as well as Cook.
Dolan was also important to the team’s early success. She averaged 10.5 points per game off the bench. In her lone start this season, she scored 13 points and tallied four assists. With Dolan not returning this year, the rest of the bench must step up to fill the void.
Familiar territory
Iowa will be the fourth ranked team Illinois faces this season. Illinois is 1-2 in such matchups, beating No. 19 Florida State (13-2) and losing to No. 14 Kentucky (13-1) and No. 12 Ohio State (14-0, 3-0).
Despite the losing record, Illinois is no stranger to playing ranked opponents. Its familiarity with tougher opponents can give it an advantage. Add in their impressive record at home, and the Illini have a good chance at another upset against the Hawkeyes.
@ben_some16
