Hawkeyes In Position To Be NCAA Tournament Host
Iowa was 13th on seeding list revealed by the NCAA women's basketball tournament selection committee on Monday night.
That projects to the highest No. 4 seed in the tournament, which would mean the Hawkeyes would be a host for the first weekend of the 64-team tournament.
The Hawkeyes take a 23-6 record to this weekend's Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, an event they won last season. Winning three games in three days this time would solidify them as being a first-weekend host.
Winning one game wouldn't hurt, winning two would be a big help.
But Iowa coach Lisa Bluder thinks the Hawkeyes' resumé has already made its point.
"I would hope that the NCAA selection committee would look at our body of work over 29 games, and not just focus on the Big Ten tournament," Bluder said. "I think a good showing in the Big Ten tournament could even get us up to a '2' seed. You hate to think of the other way around."
Iowa was 12th in the NCAA's RPI, the ranking formula used by the selection committee, on Thursday. The Hawkeyes are 6-1 against teams in the top 25 of the RPI, including a 66-61 home win over Maryland, No. 3 in the RPI, earlier this season.
"I think it's one of the top in the country," Bluder said, and she's right.
South Carolina and Oregon, 1-2 in the RPI, are also 6-1 against top-25 RPI teams. Maryland is 6-4.
"It's pretty amazing," Bluder said. "You've got to look at those things, too, and not just at the last game."
There are more chances to add to that resumé. Ohio State, Iowa's likely opponent in Friday's quarterfinal, is at 22 in the RPI. Northwestern, No. 8 in the RPI, is a possible semifinal opponent.
As a host last season, the Hawkeyes drew the only five-figure attendance numbers for the first two games — 10,720 for the first round and 12,376 for the second round, an NCAA record for the first weekend.
