Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Wisconsin

#4 IOWA HAWKEYES (9-1) AT WISCONSIN BADGERS (5-3)

TIME: 1:30pm CT

TV: Big Ten Network – Mike Hall and Shimmy Grey-Miller

SERIES: 78th Meeting – Iowa leads the all-time series 57-20 and have won 27 in a row

THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 88.8 PPG, 50.9% FG, 36.1% 3PT, 13.4 TO WISCONSIN: 66.1 PPG, 42..0% FG, 33.0% 3PT, 17.8 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 64.4 PPG, 36.7% FG, 27.1% 3PT, 14.3 TO, +9.1 REG MARGIN WISCONSIN: 61.5 PPG, 34.0% FG, 29.8% 3PT, 17.6 TO, -3.0 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED LINEUP

Caitlin Clark	Point Guard	6-0/ Sr.	Averaging 29.6 PPG, 6.7 REB and 7.6 AST. Eclipsed 3,000 career points vs ISU and leads the country with 296 points. 35 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast vs ISU.
Molly Davis	Guard	5-7/ 5th Sr.	Averaging 5.6 PPG, 3.3 REB and 3.4 AST. Has scored in double figures three times this season. Gulf Coast Showcase All-Tournament Team.
Gabbie Marshall	Guard	5-9/ 5th Sr.	Averaging 4.6 PPG and shooting 30.4% from three-point range. Had a four game streak of making a three-pointer snapped vs ISU.
Kate Martin	Guard	6-0/ Grad Sr	Averaging 11.6 PPG and 5.4 REB, while shooting 59.5% from the floor. Has scored in double figures in five of the last six games. 16 pts and 4 reb vs ISU.
Sharon Goodman	Center	6-3/RS Jr.	Averaging 9.6 PPG and 5.3 REB, while shooting 70.2% from the floor. Has scored in double figures in four games. First career double-double vs BGSU.

WISCONSIN BADGERS PROJECTED LINEUP

Ronnie Porter	Point Guard	5-4/ Soph.	Averaging 10.5 PPG, 7.0 REB and 4.0 AST. Has a team-high 24 steals. Scored a career-high 17 pts vs South Dakota State on 11/14.
Sania Copeland	Guard	5-7/ Soph.	Averaging 10.1 PPG and 3.5 AST. Has made a team-high 15 three-pointers, including four threes against Boston College. Has scored in double figures in five games.
Natalie Leuzinger	Guard	5-8/ Sr.	Averaging 7.9 PPG and 3.6 REB. Has scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 14 pts vs Boston College.
Brooke Schramek	Guard	6-0/ Sr.	Averaging 8.8 PPG and 6.4 REB. Has scored in double figures four times and is second on the team in defensive rebounds (47)
Serah Williams	Center	6-4/ Soph.	Averaging 15.6 PPG and 8.5 REB. Has scored in double figures in six of eight games. 24 pts, 14 reb, 5 blk vs Butler. Big Ten All-Freshman Team last year.

WISCONSIN PLAYERS TO WATCH: C Serah Williams

The Badgers haven’t had a player like Serah Williams in a while. Last season, she became just the fourth player in program history to be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and is looking to become just the fifth Wisconsin player in the last decade to make the All-Big Ten team. Williams has made an impact in every category imaginable this season. She has scored in double figures in six of eight games, including 24 against Butler and 22 against Kansas State. She leads the team in rebounding, including five games with eight or more rebounds. On the defensive end of the floor, Williams leads the Big Ten in blocks per game (3.1) and is second in total blocks (25). Guarding Serah Williams will be the Hawkeyes toughest task today.

KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH: Rebounding battle

The Hawkeyes, on paper, will have a large advantage when it comes to rebounding and if they control the game on the glass, Wisconsin will have no chance to keep the game close. Serah Williams (8.5), Ronnie Porter (7.0) and Brooke Schramek (6.4) are reliable rebounders, but overall, the Badgers have struggled. They are ranked 172nd in defensive rebounding and 338th in offensive rebounding. In the Big Ten, Wisconsin is 12th in rebounds per game and last in rebounding margin. If the rebounding battle goes heavily in favor of the Hawkeyes, it will be a long afternoon for the Badgers.

THE BREAKDOWN

In their third season under head coach Marisa Moseley, Wisconsin is off to a 5-3 start, including wins over South Dakota State and Boston College. Their losses came against #13 Kansas State, Arkansas and Butler who have a combined 22-6 record. This is the third time in four seasons that the Hawkeyes and Badgers will open Big Ten play against each other.

After taking a look at why Serah Williams is the top player in the Wisconsin lineup, we have four other starters to look at starting with sophomore guards Ronnie Porter and Sania Copeland. As a true freshman last season, Porter averaged just 6.8 minutes per game, but through eight games this year, she is playing a team-high 33.6 minutes per game. She is averaging 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, including a career-high 17 points against South Dakota State. Copeland played in 23 games last season and averaged just 2.3 shot attempts per game. This season she has started four games and is averaging 10.1 points per game. She has scored in double figures in five games, including 18 points in a loss to Arkansas. Copeland has knocked down a team-high 15 three-pointers.

Looking at the rest of the starting lineup, Brooke Schramek and Natalie Leuzinger are both in their fourth season with the program. Schramek averaged 10.4 points per game last season, but is the fifth leading scorer for the Badgers through the early part of the season. She is shooting just 36.9% from the floor and after making her free throws at an 85% clip last year, Schramek is just 11/21 (52.4%) this year. She has scored in double figures in four games, but scored just one point in their loss to Butler a week ago. Despite some shooting struggles, Schramek has pulled down 5+ rebounds in seven games.

Rounding out the projected starters is senior guard Natalie Leuzinger. After seeing limited minutes in her first three seasons at Wisconsin, Leuzinger has started all eight games this season. She has scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 14 points against Arkansas.

All of Wisconsin’s starters are averaging 30+ minutes per game, so there is not a lot to talk about when it comes to their bench players. 5’8 true freshman G D’Yanis Jimenez has started in four games this season, but has come off the bench in the last two games. She is averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 28.9 minutes per game, including three games in double figures. Jimenez is the only Badger that averages more than ten minutes per game off the bench.

A deeper look at the stats behind the matchup between the Hawkeyes and Cyclones…

THE PICK

It’s been a long time since the Badgers have taken down the Hawkeyes in a women’s basketball game. Iowa has won 27 games in a row against Wisconsin, while Lisa Bluder is 34-4 against the Badgers has head coach of the Hawkeyes. Over the last decade, these programs have been very different. Iowa has made seven NCAA Tournaments, including an Elite Eight and a Final Four, while Wisconsin has not won more than 15 games in a season. Eventually, the streak will end and it will probably be a suprising loss when it happens, but it’s not happening today. Warren Nolan projects Iowa to win 83-62. The sold out Kohl Center crowd will see Iowa extend their streak to 28 wins in a row over the Badgers. IOWA 92 WISCONSIN 65