Top players to watch in the Iowa City Regional

The field of 68 has been revealed. The regionals have been announced and the opponents are known. Now, it is time for the teams to hit the floor and every team has the same goal in mind. Advance to the next round and eventually complete the ultimate goal of making the Final Four.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena will play host to three games across the first two rounds of the tournament, as the Iowa Hawkeyes were given a 2 seed in the Seattle 4 region. They will face off against Southland Conference Champion and 15 seed Southeastern Louisiana in the first round on Friday. The other matchup is 7 seed Florida State and 10 seed Georgia.

Of course, any team that makes the NCAA Tournament has a bit of talent on their roster, otherwise they would not have made it. HawkeyeReport takes a look at some of the top players that will take the floor in the Iowa City Regional.

1. PG Caitlin Clark (Iowa)

Its not surprise that the National Player of the Year candidate tops our list for best players in the regional. She won the Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Tournament MVP for the second straight season. Her 30 points, ten rebounds and tournament championship record 17 assists helped lead the Hawkeyes past Ohio State. It was her fourth triple-double of the season.

She leads the the country in assists (267) and three-pointers (108), while only trailing Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist for most points per game (27.0). Clark has scored 30+ points in ten games this season, while she has scored 20+ points in 29 of 32 games. No debate that she is the best player in Iowa City this week.

2. G Ta’Niya Latson (Florida State)

The true freshman from Miami has racked up quite a few accolades in her first season with the Seminoles. She was an All-ACC First Team selection and won ACC Rookie of the Year. Latson won an ACC record 10 ACC Rookie of the Week Awards and was recently named National Freshman of the Year by The Athletic.

She ranks tenth in the country in scoring and is averaging 21 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Latson has scored 30+ points in seven games, including a season-high 34 points against Kent State. She is averaging 15.9 shot attempts per game and has made 7+ shots in 17 games.

3. C Monika Czinano (Iowa)

The Hawkeyes land their second player on the list and it is Lisa Leslie Center of the Year semifinalist Monika Czinano. Czinano is averaging 17.3 points on 67.4% shooting from the floor, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. She ranks fourth in the country in field goal percentage.

Her efficiency around the basket is what makes her a special player. Monika has shot better than 60% in 21 of 32 games this season, including five games with more than 80% of shots made. In the Big Ten Championship against Ohio State, Czinano went for 26 points on 11/12 (92%) shooting. She was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

4. G Diamond Battles (Georgia)

UCF transfer guard Diamond Battles has been a force for the Bulldogs on both ends of the floor this season. She was a Second Team All-SEC selection, while also earning a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team. Battles is averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She has scored in double figures 25 times, including six 20+ point games.

Battles was one of three SEC players to rank in the top 15 in scoring, assists and steals. She scored a season-high 24 points against Belmont and has registered 3+ steals in nine games, including a season-high five steals against LSU. Last year at UCF, Battles logged 12 points, four rebounds and four steals in a loss to the Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

5. F Makayla Timpson (Florida State)

The Seminoles land their second player on the list. The 6’2 sophomore forward was a Second Team All-ACC selection and also grabbed a spot on the ACC All-Defensive Team. She also won the ACC Most Improved Player Award. Timpson is ranked 14th in the country in blocks (67) and 20th in blocks per game (2.09). She racked up a season-high six blocks against Virginia and Pittsburgh.

Timpson is averaging 13.4 points, 5.5 defensive rebounds and 3.5 offensive rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures 26 times, including a season-high 25 points on 10/13 (76.9%) shooting against Miami FL. On the glass, Timpson has logged 10+ rebounds in 13 games, including 5+ offensive rebounds in ten games. If the Hawkeyes face the Seminoles in the second round, this will be a tough matchup for Monika Czinano.

6. G Hailey Giaratano (SE Louisiana)

The top player on the first round opponent for the Hawkeyes, Hailey Giaratano was a Second Team All-Southland selection for the Lady Lions. Giaratano averages 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. She has scored in double figures 21 times this season, including 15 points and eight rebounds in the Southland Title game against Lamar. Giaratano was named Southland Conference Tournament MVP.