Go Iowa Awesome – Preview: No. 2 Seed Iowa WBB vs. No. 3 seed Maryland

WHO: #3 seed Maryland Terrapins (25-3, 16-3 Massive Ten)
WHEN: Saturday, March 4 — approx. 4 PM CT (25-Half-hour after finish of Indiana-OSU)
WHERE: Goal Middle (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
TV: Massive Ten Community
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Community | Sirius/XM 109 or 196
MOBILE: www.foxsports.com/cellular
ONLINE: www.foxsports.com/stay
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaWBB | @IowaonBTN

Maryland is perhaps the most popular staff within the nation. On January twelfth the Terps misplaced a detailed sport at Indiana. Since then, Maryland is 12-1 with the one loss at Iowa on February 2. Up to now month, the Terps have two wins over Ohio State, two wins over Illinois, and the blowout win over Iowa final week.

So how can the Hawkeyes beat one of many hottest groups within the nation and a staff that beat them 96-68 lower than two weeks in the past? Let’s dig in.

Frankly, so much went proper for Iowa in its 96-82 win over Maryland in early February. In that sport Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano, and Hannah Stuelke had among the best possible video games of their respective careers.

Clark scored 42 factors, dished 8 assists, and shot 13-19 from the ground. Czinano scored 28 factors on 14-18 taking pictures. Stuelke was an ideal 5-5 from the ground and had 13 complete factors.

A big a part of Iowa’s offensive success was scoring in transition. Significantly within the first half, Iowa was capable of get stops, push the ball up the ground, and get simple buckets as a rule. The rationale Iowa acquired so many stops was that Maryland shot terribly from three-point vary within the sport. The Terps have been simply 2-18 from three, together with 5 separate gamers going 0-2.

Maryland additionally battled foul bother all through the sport. Six completely different Terps ended the sport with 4 fouls, and star Diamond Miller performed 5-6 fewer minutes than she usually would have on account of foul considerations.

Fouls are a giant deal for Maryland and Miller particularly. Maryland has 5 losses this season. In 4 of these loses Miller had 4 fouls or extra. Within the fifth (an early season loss to #1 South Carolina) Miller was unavailable to play on account of harm.

The second sport at Maryland was like a polar reverse of the primary sport. The Terps had simply 14 fouls as a staff, and no participant had greater than three. Maryland was additionally on hearth from distance, ending 14-26 (53.8%) total. Within the decisive second quarter, when the Terps went from down one initially of the quarter to up 18 at halftime, Maryland shot 7-11 from three, whereas Iowa shot a horrible 0-10.

However essentially the most decisive distinction was Maryland’s protection. The Terps spent many of the sport in a field and one. Down low, the participant closest to Czinano fronted her many of the sport, whereas the help-side defender performed behind Czinano for so long as potential. Consequently, Czinano was sandwiched in double protection for many of the sport and there was no area to get her the ball. Czinano completed the sport simply 2-5 from the ground with solely 4 complete factors.

Maryland used the one player-to-player defender to protect Caitlin Clark, which frequently meant that Clark too was being doubled by that participant plus the closest zone defender. Like Czinano, Clark struggled, taking pictures simply 5-13 from the ground and ending with 18 factors.

With so many defensive assets dedicated to Clark and Czinano, Iowa wanted its position gamers to step up and carry an even bigger offensive load. That largely didn’t occur. Gabbie Marshall and Sydney Affolter performed properly, however Iowa’s different position gamers mixed to shoot 6-26.

In my preview of the second Maryland sport I cautioned that so much went proper for Iowa within the first sport that it shouldn’t count on to occur once more.

The identical factor is true for Maryland on this sport. The Terps are a good taking pictures staff, however they aren’t prone to replicate that 14-26 taking pictures efficiency from three. Iowa position gamers like Stuelke, Kate Martin, McKenna Warnock, and Molly Davis in all probability aren’t going to mix to go 6-26 from the sphere both.

This sport can be a clean slate. Iowa acquired shellshocked by that huge second quarter and began to drive issues early within the third. When the Hawks weren’t capable of reduce into Maryland’s lead they misplaced focus and the sport snowballed from there, resulting in the blowout loss. Had the Hawkeyes been capable of keep their focus, the rating in all probability wouldn’t have gotten fairly as out of hand even with Maryland’s sizzling taking pictures.

Resolve Maryland’s field and one protection. The field and one is called a “junk” protection for a cause. It may be very efficient briefly spurts, however has obvious weaknesses groups can exploit with good ways and execution.

Martin, Marshall, and Warnock have to be able to take and hit open threes in tomorrow’s sport. If they’ll hit these photographs—particularly early within the sport—Maryland must get away of the field and one and that can unlock area for Clark and Czinano to shine once more.

Late Friday evening, Stanford was upset within the semifinal of the Pac 12 Match by UCLA. Stanford was projected as a 1 seed and #3 total previous to the loss by ESPN. ESPN had Maryland as a 1 seed and #4 total in the identical projection.

Based on Creme and ESPN, Maryland is now the #3 total seed and Stanford is a susceptible #4 total seed. Utah is probably going nonetheless fifth total, however can not enhance its resume additional.

All that’s to say that Iowa has an enormous alternative in entrance. If the Hawkeyes can win the Massive Ten Match, it appears very believable that they may earn a #1 seed within the NCAA Match for simply the third time in program historical past (after 1988 and 1992).

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