What to watch for: Iowa Women's Basketball 'Crossover at Kinnick'

Sunday at Kinnick Stadium is going to be a historic day. Nearly 50,000 people are going to show up to watch Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Women’s Basketball team face the DePaul Blue Demons in an exhibition contest. The crowd will break the NCAA record for largest crowd to ever watch a women’s basketball game. It will be the perfect way to kick off the season for arguably the most popular basketball team in the country.

There is a lot of fanfare surrounding the game and for good reason. Still, this is going to be basketball game against a Division I opponent. Normally, a game like this would be behind closed doors, but all of the money is going to the Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which means fans and media can attend. HawkeyeReport takes a look a the top things to watch as the Hawkeyes and Blue Demons take the court on Duke Slater Field.

1. What is the final attendance number?

Yeah I lied a bit. Of course, we will be keeping an eye on what happens on the court, but the biggest news will be the attendance number. The current attendance record for an NCAA women’s basketball game was set at the 2002 Final Four in San Antonio, when 29,619 fans packed into the Alamodome. As of Wednesday, Iowa women’s basketball announced that 52,000 tickets had been sold, so they are set to blow away the record. The question now is how high does the number climb? Can they hit 55,000? 56,000? 57,000? We will see, but whatever it is, the Hawkeyes will stand alone at the top of the record book.

2. First chance to see year two Hannah Stuelke

Everyone saw what Hannah Stuelke was capable of as a true freshman last season. Her athleticism allows her to make a big impact on the court, whether it is rebounding on both ends of the floor or outrunning the other team for an easy transition layup. That propeled her to the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year award. Now, the coaching staff and fanbase are hoping that Stuelke can take the next step as a sophomore. That would mean showing the ability to consistently attack from the perimeter, both shooting and driving to the basket. It would also mean cutting down on turnovers, fouls and showing improvement at the free throw line. All indications from the coaching staff are that she has improved in all of those areas. If true, Hannah Stuelke has the chance to put together a really good season. Sunday is our first chance to see where she is at in the growth process.

3. The Addi O’Grady era begins

The position that experts think will cause the Hawkeyes the most issues this season is center. Monika Czinano departs after averaging 18.3 points per game over her four years as a starter. Last time the Hawkeyes were in this situation, it was NPOY Megan Gustafson that moved on to the WNBA. Czinano jumped from 1.9 points to 16.0 points per game as a sophomore. Addi O’Grady has averaged 3.1 points over 64 career games and is next in line at center for the Hawkeyes. During the Final Four, O’Grady finished with eight points, five rebounds and four blocks over 28 minutes. She followed that up with 37 points and 19 rebounds, while shooting 75% from the floor during their Europe trip. O’Grady is a different post player than Czinano and Gustafson, so it will be interesting to see how she is used on Sunday.

4. Do the Hawkeyes experiment with some different lineups?

The expected starting lineup for the season opener is Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin, Hannah Stuelke and Addison O’Grady. Three guards, a forward and a center. However, the lineup that has been causing some buzz this offseason is the possibility of a lineup that kicks Stuelke over to the five and puts either Sydney Affolter at the four or another guard on the floor. A lineup that could outrun almost every team in the country. The question would be, how does that group rebound and defend? I’d say the chances are pretty good that we at least get a look at a small lineup like that.

The other question will be what happens with the guards off the bench. Molly Davis, Sydney Affolter, Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe all could stake pretty good claims at solid minutes off the bench. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff uses them and how they look.

5. Who is the player or two that stands out?

Cross Caitlin Clark off of this list, maybe even Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin. We’re pretty certain about what those three bring to the table. 299 starts between the three. They are veterans. We won’t make any spur-of-the-moment decisions based on Sunday’s game, especially since it’s being played outside. If Hannah Stuelke scores 25 points and grabs ten rebounds, we aren’t going to be penciling her in as an All-American already, but it would be a good sign, right? So, who is the one or two that stand out? Stuelke? O’Grady? Affolter? Davis? Someone else?