The Monday Tipoff: The Keys To Iowa's Second Half
Lisa Bluder understands that leading the Big Ten at the halfway point of the women's basketball season means absolutely nothing.
"I could not be more proud of these young women," the Iowa coach said after Sunday's win over Michigan State that put the Hawkeyes at 17-3 overall, 8-1 in the Big Ten. "I mean, they continue to work hard, get better, fight, not focus on last year, but focus on moving forward. We're moving forward. We don't ever look back.
"We're halfway through. It's great to be where we are. But there's still nine games left."
The Hawkeyes, who moved to No. 18 in the Associated Press poll this week, have built an impressive resumé — they are No. 4 in the NCAA's RPI, and their overall strength of schedule ranks 10th.
Iowa has been here before — the Hawkeyes battled Maryland until a 75-73 loss at Indiana wounded their conference title hopes.
A look at the Hawkeyes' keys for the second half:
Monika Czinano's ankle
The sophomore center, taking over the position vacated by national player of the year Megan Gustafson after last season, has been brilliant in a new role as starter this season.
Czinano averages 15.2 points per game and makes 70.1 percent of her shots, but she hurt her right ankle late in Sunday's 74-57 win over the Spartans.
Bluder said there was no sign of a break in X-rays taken after the game, but Czinano is questionable for Thursday's game at Penn State.
The Hawkeyes can't afford a long-term loss of Czinano's presence. But...
McKenna Warnock keeps improving
The freshman forward, who likely would replace Czinano in the starting lineup if she's out, is coming off a 22-point, 10-rebound game against the Spartans in which she scored 15 points in the fourth quarter. That game helped earn her Big Ten freshman of the week honors on Monday.
Warnock is averaging 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds this season, but she has shown the ability to score inside and outside. And her driving ability was difficult for the Spartans to defend in the fourth quarter.
Doyle's toughness
Senior point guard Kathleen Doyle is building a Big Ten player of the year resumé.
Doyle averages 18.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and she leads the Hawkeyes with 123 assists. She's third in the Big Ten in scoring and leads the conference in assists.
Doyle was off for the middle part of Sunday's game, yet still finished with 20 points, five assists and seven steals.
Bluder said last week that Doyle is willing the Hawkeyes to wins, and that's going to have to continue.
Ollinger's rebounds
Senior Amanda Ollinger averages just seven points per game, but is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in rebounding with 8.6 per game.
Ollinger has found a way to get boards even when it looks like she might not be in position. That's been a big asset for this team.
The schedule
The Hawkeyes have a one-game lead on Northwestern and Maryland, but own tiebreakers over both. They don't play Northwestern again, and they have to play Maryland on the road on Feb. 13.
There's nothing easy about Iowa's road schedule. Besides Maryland (16-4, 7-2), the Hawkeyes have to play at Michigan (13-6, 4-4), Purdue (14-7, 5-4) and Rutgers (15-4, 5-3), as well as at Penn State (7-13, 1-8).
The Hawkeyes, who have won 32 consecutive home games, play Nebraska (15-5, 5-4), Wisconsin (10-10, 2-7), Penn State and Minnesota (12-7, 2-6).
