Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Missouri Western (Exhibition)

DII MISSOURI WESTERN STATE GRIFFONS AT IOWA HAWKEYES

TIME: 6:30pm CT

TV: BTN+ – Collin Carrithers and Logan Moel

LAST MEETING: 2007 Exhibition – Iowa won 79-56

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED LINEUP

Lucy Olsen	Point Guard	5-10/ Sr.	Averaged 23.3 PPG, 4.8 REB and 3.8 AST at Villanova last season. Scored 25+ points 14 times. Honorable Mention AP All-American.
Taylor McCabe	Guard	5-9/ Jr.	Averaged 3.3 PPG and 8.2 MIN last season. Shot 46.1% from three-point range, including nine games with multiple made threes.
Kylie Feuerbach	Guard	6-0/ rSr.	Averaged 3.4 PPG and 14.5 MIN last season. Shot 42.4% from the floor. Season-high 13 points, 2 rebounds against Minnesota (2/28).
Hannah Stuelke	Forward	6-2/ Jr.	Averaged 14.0 PPG and 6.6 REB last season. Ranked fifth in the country in shooting percentage (62.7%). Scored 15+ points in 15 games.
Ava Heiden	Center	6-4/ Fr.	True freshman. Four-star, #42 player in the country by ESPN. #1 player in Oregon by Prep Girls Hoops.

SCOUTING MISSOURI WESTERN

The Griffons are coming off of a 25-6 season that included a win over Missouri State in a preseason exhibition and a first-place finish in the MIAA standings. However, MWSU experienced a lot of turnover over the offseason, including losing their head coach Candi Whitaker to North Alabama.

First time head coach Ashton Feldhaus takes over the program after spending the last five seasons as an assistant coach at DII Eckerd College. She played her collegiate basketball at Butler and UT Martin. Feldhaus was busy upon arrival on campus, adding five players from the transfer portal, including four players from DI programs. The Griffons were picked 7th in the preseason MIAA Coach Poll and 5th in the Media Poll.

Missouri Western does not return a single starter from last season, but does return sophomore forward Tiani Ellison. As a freshman last season, Ellison was third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Although the Griffons will be sporting a brand new starting five, there is some intrigue surrounding their transfer additions.

Morehead State transfer guard Matilda Soderlund comes to MWSU after averaging 6.0 points per game last season for the Eagles. She knocked down a team-high 47 three-pointers, including seven games with 3+ made threes. The other name to watch is Eckerd College transfer Jessica Ford. As a starter last season, Ford averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while earning Sunshine State All-Tournament Team honors.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. Lucy Olsen in her debut with the Hawkeyes

The highly anticipated debut of Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen is finally here. Yes, this is only an exhibition game, but it’s still the first time that we get to see Olsen play in an Iowa uniform. I’m interested to see how her skillset goes together with the rest of the roster and how the offense as a whole function with a completely different player running the point position.

Two things that I plan to key in on when watching her: three-point shooting and her passing. Lucy shot just 29.4% from behind the arc last season at Villanova. With all the three-point shooting that the Hawkeyes lost, they need her to be a mid-30% shooter from three-point range. As for her passing, she had a 2.08 assist-to-turnover ratio at ‘Nova and I expect her assist numbers to go up with the roster she has around her. It’s not all about court vision and passing ability, but also chemistry with teammates to know when and where they might cut. I want to see how Lucy works with the players on the floor to get open shots.

2. How does Hannah Stuelke look playing outside of the paint?

This could be one of the major keys to the Hawkeyes season. Last year, inconsistent player at center forced Stuelke to become the main post player, despite it not being her natural position. She played well, averaging 14.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, but now will get the opportunity to move back to the power forward spot with freshman Ava Heiden expected to start at center.

The potential is there for Hannah to be a star for the Hawkeyes this season, but she has to take the next step as a ball handler and jump shooter to play the power forward position. She has a good jump shot and knocked down 4/8 from three-point range last year, but it’s all about confidence with her. If Stuelke can flourish in her new role, it raises the ceiling for the Hawkeyes.

It’s also worth mentioning that this will be her first game at full health since the ‘Crossover at Kinnick’ exhibition against DePaul last season. In that game, Hannah tweaked her knee and played the entire season with the injury. She had a procedure done on her knee over the offseason and just being healthy could play a big part in her taking the next step as a player.

3. How do the freshman look in their first ever game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena?

I’ve stated several times that if the Hawkeyes are going to be a team that can compete for a finish near the top of the Big Ten, the freshman class is going to have contribute immediately. Four-star center Ava Heiden is expected to start, while four-star forward Teagan Mallegni will have a large role off the bench. Four-star guard Taylor Stremlow will see some time at a couple of spots, including a shot at point guard with four-star point guard Aaliyah Guyton not yet back to 100% after tearing her ACL In December. Also keep an eye on guard Callie Levin who is from just up the road in Solon.

For all five of them, it will be their first time taking the floor for a game in the black and gold. How do they look? Who impresses? We won’t be able to make any crazy predictions based on an exhibition, but this is their first chance to impress in an Iowa uniform.