Women's Basketball Breakdown: Iowa vs. Minnesota
Breaking down Thursday's women's basketball game between Iowa and Minnesota.
Game facts
Time and place — 6:30 p.m., Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City
TV — BTN-Plus (online)
Radio — Hawkeye Radio Network
Records — Iowa 22-5 (13-3 Big Ten), Minnesota 15-12 (5-11)
Rankings — Iowa is No. 18 in the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls.
Series — Iowa leads 52-27.
Earlier this season — Iowa won, 76-75, on Jan. 16 in Minneapolis.
The lineups
Iowa — Amanda Ollinger (F, 6-1, Sr., 6.8 ppg.), Monika Czinano (C, 6-3, Soph., 15.7 ppg.), Makenzie Meyer (G, 5-9, Sr., 14.3 ppg.), Kathleen Doyle (G, 5-9, Sr., 18.4 ppg.), Alexis Sevillian (G, 5-9, Jr., 6.5 ppg.)
Minnesota — Taiye Bello (F, 6-2, Sr., 12 ppg.), Jasmine Powell (G, 5-6, Fr., 12 ppg.), Sara Scalia (G, 5-10, Fr., 11 ppg.), Jasmine Brunson (G, 5-8, Sr., 9.3 ppg.), Gadiva Hubbard (G, 5-9, Jr., 10.9 ppg.)
What to watch
It's the last regular-season home game for the Hawkeyes and their seniors, but they're hoping for more games as a host for the NCAA tournament.
"I think that's definitely motivation," Meyer said.
The Hawkeyes have already locked up a double-bye for next week's Big Ten tournament, and are only a game out of first place with two to play.
Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said it's a long shot that both Maryland and Northwestern, the two teams ahead of the Hawkeyes, lose in this final week, so this is about closing the regular season strong and hoping someone can help out.
Minnesota is a young team, starting two freshmen, and it shows in the Gophers' record. But Bluder knows just how difficult of a matchup this is, considering the first game between the two teams in January.
The Gophers have lost their last four games, and Iowa has a 35-game home winning streak, the second-best active streak among NCAA Division I teams.
Iowa's seniors hope to be back at Carver-Hawkeye for the NCAA tournament. Winning this game helps that cause.
