Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Wisconsin

WISCONSIN BADGERS (1-5) (8-8) AT #2 IOWA HAWKEYES (6-0) (17-1)

TIME: 8:00pm CT

TV: Peacock ($) – Meghan McKeown and Zora Stephenson

SERIES: 79th Meeting – Iowa leads the series 58-20 – Iowa has won 28 in a row

THE NUMBERS

OFFENSE: IOWA: 90.6 PPG, 50.9% FG, 36.7% 3PT, 14.1 TO WISCONSIN: 65.2 PPG, 41.4% FG, 30.3% 3PT, 17.7 TO

DEFENSE: IOWA: 66.3 PPG, 38.7% FG, 28.2% 3PT, 14.8 TO, +11.1 REB WISCONSIN: 66.7 PPG, 38.7% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 15.3 TO, -1.8 REB MARGIN

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Caitlin Clark	Point Guard	6-0/ Sr.	Averaging team-high 30.9 PPG, 7.2 REB and 7.9 AST. Leads the country in points (557), assists (142) and three-pointers (91). Double-double 30 pts, 11 ast, 5 reb vs Indiana.
Gabbie Marshall	Guard	5-9/ 5th Sr.	Averaging 5.5 PPG and second on the team in made threes (28). 12/20 from 3pt range over the last three games. 12 pts, 2 stl vs Indiana.
Kate Martin	Guard	6-0/ Grad Sr	Averaging 12.1 PPG, 6.1 REB and 2.4 AST. Career-high 12 games in double figures. Shooting career-high 54.0% from the floor. Double-double 10 pts, 12 reb vs Indiana.
Molly Davis	Guard	5-7/ 5th Sr.	Averaging 5.9 PPG, 2.9 REB and 3.1 AST. Registered 3+ assists in 12 of 18 games. Iowa career-high 18 pts, 3 reb vs Indiana.
Hannah Stuelke	Forward	6-2/ Soph.	Averaging 13.2 PPG and 6.9 REB. Second on the team in made field goals (85) and field goal percentage (64.4%). 5 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast vs Indiana.

WISCONSIN BADGERS PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

Ronnie Porter	Point Guard	5-4/ Soph.	Averaging 10.5 PPG, 7.1 REB and 4.6 AST. Second on the team in made field goals (63) and first in steals (39). Double figures in nine games. 8 pts, 3 ast vs Michigan.
Sania Copeland	Guard	5-7/ Soph.	Averaging 8.6 PPG, 2.7 REB and 2.4 AST. Leads the team in made threes (28). Double figures in seven games. 8 pts vs Michigan.
Natalie Leuzinger	Guard	5-8/ Sr.	Averaging 7.6 PPG and 3.0 REB. Shooting a team-high 63.8% from two-point range. Double figures in six games. 5 pts, 3 reb, 4 ast vs Michigan.
Halle Douglass	Guard	6-2/ Sr.	Averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.3 REB. Missed seven games with an injury. 23 pts, 13 reb over the last three games.
Serah Williams	Center	6-4/ Soph.	Averaging team-high 16.5 PPG and 9.6 REB. Double figures in 12 of 14 games played. Leads the team with 45 blocks. Double-double 11 pts, 11 reb vs Michigan.

DECEMEBER 10TH: IOWA 87 WISCONSIN 65

37 days ago these two teams met for the Big Ten opener at a sold out Kohl Center in Madison. The Hawkeyes outscored the Badgers 49-30 in the middle two quarters and came away with an 87-65 win. Caitlin Clark finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists, while Hannah Stuelke added 21 points, three rebounds and three assists. Sydney Affolter led the way on the glass with a game-high 12 rebounds.

On the Wisconsin end, point guard Ronnie Porter finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Serah Williams played just 17:05 due to foul trouble, but still managed 15 points and eight rebounds. The glaring stat was the Badgers shooting just 4/20 (20.0%) from three-point range. The rebounding battle was a close one, with Iowa holding a 40-36 advantage.

WISCONSIN PLAYER TO WATCH: F Serah Williams

The Hawkeyes got pretty lucky in their first matchup against the Badgers. Serah Williams picked up two fouls in the first quarter, her third in the second quarter and her fourth after just 1:16 on the floor in the second half. Despite playing just 17:05, Williams put up 15 points on 6/9 shooting, as well as eight rebounds. On the year, she is nearly averaging a double-double and 29.6 minutes per game. Williams has scored in double figures in 12 games and pulled down 8+ rebounds in 11 games. If she is able to stay out of foul trouble tonight, she is someone that can cause issues for the Iowa defense.

IOWA PLAYER TO WATCH: F Hannah Stuelke

Last time these two teams met, Stuelke was coming off an ankle injury that forced her to miss three games and play limited minutes against Iowa State. She put up a Big Ten career-high 21 points and took advantage of Serah Williams sitting the bench for long stretches. If Williams stays out of foul trouble it will be tougher test for Stuelke tonight. Hannah had just five points and four rebounds against Indiana, but did dish four assists. Her presence in the post will be important on both ends of the floor today.

THE BREAKDOWN

The Badgers come into this matchup with an 8-8 record, including a 1-5 mark in Big Ten play. Since the first meeting in December, Wisconsin has gone 3-4. They defeated St Thomas and Eastern Illinois to finish up non-conference play, while they picked up a win over Illinois a week ago. They followed that win up with a surprising loss to Northwestern and a 76-52 loss on the road against Michigan last time out on Saturday.

In six Big Ten games, the Badgers are scoring just 60.0 points (14th in Big Ten) and allowing 76.0 (10th) points per game. Meanwhile, Iowa is scoring 90.0 (1st) and allowing 67.7 (5th) per game in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes have made 69 threes in Big Ten play (1st), while Wisconsin has made just 33 (9th).

Just two players on the Badgers roster are averagiung in double figures against Big Ten opponents. In Big Ten play, the aforementioned Serah Williams is averaging 22.7 points and 14.1 rebounds per 40 minutes, while she is shooting 53.6% from two-point range. She put up a season-high 27 points and 15 rebounds in the Badgers win over Illinois. Point guard Ronnie Porter is averaging 11.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in conference play. She went for 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in the win over Illinois.

The other name to watch is guard Sania Copeland. She is averaging just 6.8 points per game in Big Ten play, but has attempted 36 three-pointers in six games. Although she shooting just 22.2% from long range over that stretch, Copeland made 20/54 (37.0%) from behind the arc during non-conference play. She has attempted 5+ threes in ten games, so she is not afraid to let if fly.

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

THE PICK

This is a matchup between two programs at the opposite end of the spectrum in the Big Ten. Iowa has 98 wins against Big Ten teams (including the BTT) over the last seven years, while Wisconsin has just 101 Big Ten wins over the last 19 seasons. The Hawkeyes have won three of the last four Big Ten Tournaments and made the Final Four last year. The Badgers have not finished higher than tenth in the conference standings, since they finished ninth in 2011-12.

Iowa has won 28 games in a row in the series and that streak doesn’t look like it will end soon barring a massive upset. The Badgers are allowing 113.1 points per 100 possessions in their five Big Ten losses and that’s not a good sign going up against Iowa. WarrenNolan projects Iowa to win 90-57. The Hawkeyes will win their 29th in a row against the Badgers tonight. IOWA 95 WISCONSIN 63