Tuesdays with Torbee

Women’s basketball fans tuning in to ESPN last night eager to watch Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes continue their quest for a second-consecutive Final 4 run may be forgiven for thinking the Leader in Sports, rather than Netflix, was the new home for WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

Head slaps, body slams, hook-and-holds and all manner of other moves more common to a wresting cage match were judiciously employed by the West Virginia Mountaineers in their attempt to slow down the Hawkeye scoring machine.

It almost worked.

The Mountaineers’ felonious, er, make that aggressive, defense held the high-flying Hawks 28 points below their college basketball leading 92-point scoring average. Of course to do so West Virginia needed to commit 27 called fouls (and likely twice as many non-called offenses.) Iowa made them pay for that overzealousness, shooting a scintillating 83% from the free throw line on the way to a bruise-inducing, 10-point victory and into the Sweet 16.

As they shiver in their ice baths today, the Iowa women should feel elated they took a team’s literal best punch and emerged victorious. It is no secret the blueprint to beat Iowa’s high-scoring, fast-paced, often finesse style is to muck it up and turn free flowing games into street fights (apologies to South Carolina coach Dawn Staley if that description offends her delicate sensibilities.)

Monday night in front of a deafening Carver crowd, the Hawkeyes showed a toughness they have sometimes lacked in the past. It was a gut check game proving they have the grit, tenacity and ability to win ugly, physical games if needed. With heavyweights LSU and South Carolina looming further down the bracket, it is a valuable lesson for a team chasing a difficult dream.

It should also be noted that Iowa held West Virginia to 54 points and itself played lockdown defense at times. Unlike the Hawkeye men, the Iowa women have the capacity to clamp down and stop the opponent from scoring, even on nights when their own offense struggles.

Hawkeye haters – and that’s a growing demographic due to the unprecedented and unrelenting publicity the Caitlin Clark Show generates – were quick to whine about the 27 to 12 foul call disparity, insinuating the officiating favored Iowa. What they fail to note is the Mountaineers likely could have been called for 50-plus fouls. West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg employed the old Tom Izzo strategy of physically harassing every opposing ballhandler and daring the officials to call every foul. To their credit, Monday’s crew did call the most egregious ones, while letting minor misdemeanors go for the most part. They also managed to prevent the game from descending into the kind of chippiness that marred recent games, like that between LSU and South Carolina, where a literal basketbrawl erupted.

It is likely every opponent remaining in the tournament will attempt to intimidate, physically harass and bully the Hawkeyes. The good news is Iowa appears not only better equipped to overcome, but to return the favor a bit. There was an edge and feistiness to not only Clark, but teammates like Kate Martin and Hannah Stuelke as well Monday night. It seems to me the Hawks are sick and tired of being pushed around and are willing to mix it up a bit, which will be key down the stretch.

Personally, I prefer the “beautiful game” of crisp passing, freedom of movement and cascade of three pointers. That is also where the Iowa women’s team thrives best. Unfortunately, that free-flowing style is not shared by any of the teams remaining on Iowa’s side of the bracket, so players and fans alike need to strap in and prepare for more bare knuckle basketball.

Or as Ric Flair once said, “If you don’t like it, learn to LOVE IT!”

Follow me on Twitter/X @torybrecht and the 12 Saturdays podcasts @12Saturdays.