Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Rutgers

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS (10-14, 2-11) AT IOWA HAWKEYES (17-7, 7-6)

TIME: 6:30pm CT

TV: BTN+ – Announcers TBA

SERIES: 17th Meeting – Iowa leads the series 13-3 – Hawkeyes are 12-1 since Rutgers joined the conference

BY THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 75.2 PPG, 46.6% FG, 33.9% 3PT, 16.4 TO RUTGERS: 69.0 PPG, 40.3% FG, 29.3% 3PT, 15.5 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 65.9 PPG, 39.4% FG, 34.2% 3PT, 15.7 TO, +7.6 REB MARGIN RUTGERS: 71.5 PPG, 40.6% FG, 29.9% 3PT, 15.8 TO, -0.5 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Lucy Olsen	Point Guard	5-10/ Sr.	Averaging team-high 17.0 PPG, 3.6 REB and 5.1 AST. Leads the team in assists (113) and made field goals (142). 32 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast vs Nebraska
Taylor McCabe	Guard	5-9/ Jr.	Averaging 7.3 PPG and 2.3 REB. Leads the team in made threes (52). Registered nine games with 3+ made threes. 17 pts, 5/8 3PT vs Nebraska
Kylie Feuerbach	Guard	6-0/ rSr.	Averaging 6.0 PPG and 2.3 REB. Third on the team in made threes (23). Recorded six steals against NIU. Second on the team in steals (26).
Syd Affolter	Forward	5-11/ Sr.	Averaging 7.7 PPG and 7.6 REB. Big Ten All-Tournament Team last season. Grabbed 5+ rebounds in 21 of 23 games. 13 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast vs Nebraska
Hannah Stuelke	Center	6-2/ Jr.	Averaging 13.2 PPG and 8.0 REB. Leads the team in offensive rebounds (54) and total rebounds (175), third in made field goals (98). 4 pts, 10 reb vs Nebraska

RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTs PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Kiyomi McMiller	Guard	5-8/ Fr.	Five-star freshman. Averaging team-high 18.7 PPG, 4.7 REB and 3.0 AST. Leads the team in made field goals (158), made threes (43) and assists (63). Did not play against Purdue.
Awa Sidibe	Guard	5-11/ Grad Sr.	Averaging 5.7 PPG, 3.2 REB and 1.9 AST. Made her season debut on Dec 21 vs Lafayette. Recorded a season-high 10 points against Nebraska. 6 pts. 5 reb vs Purdue
JoJo Lacey	Forward	6-1/ Grad Sr.	Boston College transfer. Averaging 9.2 PPG, 5.3 REB and 1.7 AST. Second on the team in made threes (32), third in total rebounds (126) and made threes (32). 22 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast vs Purdue
Destiny Adams	Forward	6-3/ Sr.	Averaging 17.9 PPG and 9.9 REB. Leads the team in total rebounds (237), second in made offensive rebounds (84) and made field goals (157). 20 pts, 11 reb, 3 ast vs Purdue
Zachara Perkins	Forward	6-3/ Fr.	True freshman. Averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.3 REB. Recorded a season-high 11 points against Manhattan. 7 pts, 1 ast vs Purdue

RUTGERS PLAYER TO WATCH: Forward Destiny Adams

Both a scorer, a rebounder and the team-leader in steals, Destiny Adams can affect the game in several ways, which is what makes her the player to watch for the Scarlet Knights. Averaging 17.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, Adams has recorded 12 double-doubles this season, with eight of them coming in Big Ten play. She has put together some pretty impressive stat lines against good competition, including 31 pts, 17 reb against Ohio State and 28 pts, 12 reb vs Minnesota. Although she’s not an elite jump shooter, Destiny keeps opponents honest, shooting 28.3% (17/60) on midrange jumpers and 27.9% (12/43) from three-point range. In the paint, Adams shoots 59.2% (90/152) within 4.5 feet of the rim and 35.2% (38/108) on non-rim paint shot attempts.

IOWA PLAYER TO WATCH: Guard Kylie Feuerbach

Over the last few games, Kylie Feuerbach has drawn some tough assignments, with matchups against JuJu Watkins and Britt Prince. Of course, Kylie hasn’t been the only one guarding those two, but she has been instrumental in helping hold both of those players to off nights. In the Hawkeyes win over USC, she helped hold Watkins to 8 of 22 (36.3%) shooting, including 1/6 shooting in the first quarter. Then, in Iowa’s most recent win against Nebraska, Feuerbach helped hold Britt Prince to a season-low 5 points on 2/6 shooting. After she made a season-high five threes in the first meeting, Prince managed just one three-point attempt in the rematch. Kylie figures to draw the assignment of guarding freshman Kiyomi McMiller who is averaging a team-best 18.7 points per game for Rutgers.

KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH: Battle for second chance points

It’s really rare that you find a team that excels at grabbing offensive rebounds and creating second chance opportunities but can’t match that intensity on defense. That’s what the Hawkeyes will be facing, going up against this Rutgers team. The Scarlet Knights are tied for the lead in the Big Ten in offensive rebounds per game (14.5), led by Chyna Cornwell (96) and Destiny Adams (84), who have combined for 180 offensive boards this season. It will be a tough matchup, but the Hawkeyes rank 10th in the country in defensive rebound percentage (75.9%).

As exceptional as Rutgers is on the offensive glass, for some reason, that effort has not translated to the defensive end. The Scarlet Knights rank 304th in the country in defensive rebound percentage (65.1%) and are giving up 13.8 offensive rebounds per game, including ten games where the opponent has totaled 15+ offensive boards. Iowa ranks 130th in offensive rebounds percentage (32.3%), led by Hannah Stuelke (54), Addi O’Grady (43) and Syd Affolter (36).

If Rutgers wants any chance at pulling off the upset, they must put together a solid rebounding effort on both ends of the floor and not just on the offensive end. As for the Hawkeyes, they just need to keep doing what they have been doing all season, which is clearing the defensive glass at an elite level.

BREAKING DOWN THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

At one time, under then head coach C. Vivian Stringer, Rutgers was one of the top programs in the country. They had six Sweet 16 or better finishes between 2000-09, including two Final Four appearances. The Scarlet Knights last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021, but have struggled under third-year head coach Coquese Washington, combining for a 30-58 overall record. Rutgers comes into this game with a 10-14 overall record and a 2-11 mark in Big Ten play.

*Kiyomi McMiller missed the Scarlet Knights last game against Purdue and a source tells HawkeyeReport that she could miss tonight’s game against Iowa. That would drastically change the matchup, with McMiller ranking fourth in the Big Ten in points per game*

The Scarlet Knights rely heavily on the Kiyomi McMiller-Destiny Adams duo, with the two averaging 33.2 shot attempts and 36.6 points per game. The rest of the team averages 30.2 shots and 32.3 points per game. The true freshman, Kiyomi McMiller, is averaging a team-best 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, totaling ten games with 20+ points this season, including a season-high 33 points against Nebraska. McMiller is a three-level scorer, leading the team in made threes, shooting 33.3% (43/129) from behind the arc, 42.7% (53/124) on midrange two’s and 48.4% (62/128) on paint two’s. She has had some troubles with turnovers, owning a 0.88 assist-to-turnover ratio, including five games with 5+ turnovers in Big Ten play.

The other name to know in the Rutgers starting lineup is 6’1 Boston College transfer forward JoJo Lacey. Averaging 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, Lacey gives the Scarlet Knights a third scoring option alongside McMiller and Adams. She has scored in double figures in ten games, including putting up 27 points against Michigan and 22 points against Purdue. Lacey is second on the team in made threes (34) and leads the team in three-point percentage (33.7%). Inside the arc, she shoots at, or below in most areas, including 35.1% (13/37) on midrange two’s and 47.9% (34/71) on shot attempts in the paint.

Head coach Coquese Washington brings a couple of notable contributors off the bench and both have racked up a decent amount of starting experience during their careers. 6’3 senior Chyna Cornwell has been a high-level offensive rebounder for much of her Rutgers career, totaling 446 offensive boards over 122 career games. This season, Cornwell is averaging 6.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 21.7 minutes per game, including eight games with 10+ rebounds. She is exclusively going to score in the paint with all 62 of her made field goals coming in the paint, where she shoots 59.0% (62/105).

The other name to know off the bench for the Scarlet Knights is 5’9 guard Mya Petticord, who is averaging 6.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 22.8 minutes per game. She has scored in double figures in two of her last four games, including putting up a season-high 17 points against Purdue with Kiyomi McMiller out of the lineup. She’s third on the team in made threes (24), and is decent midrange scorer, shooting 48.8% (21/43) on non-paint twos.

Shooting Heat Maps (CBB Analytics): Iowa and Rutgers

A deeper look at the advanced stats behind the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Scarlet Knights…

THE PICK

Warren Nolan Projection: IOWA 85 RUTGERS 59

Bart Torvik Projection: IOWA 82 RUTGERS 60

After going on the road and taking down both Minnesota and Nebraska, the Hawkeyes return to Iowa City looking to extend their winning streak to six games, after enduring a five-game losing streak. Iowa has had plenty of success against Rutgers since they joined the Big Ten, winning 12 of the 13 meetings and they will be heavily favored in this one.

The biggest keys to an Iowa victory are pretty simple. Continue to play the basketball that has led to the winning streak they are riding. That means playing solid defense, rebounding at a high-level, and putting together a consistent offensive attack. Over the last five games, the Hawkeyes are averaging 1.095 points per possession on offense and holding opponents to 0.944 points per possession. Jan Jensen has her team playing their best basketball of the season and that won’t be derailed by a Rutgers team that is just 2-11 in Big Ten play. IOWA 83 RUTGERS 62