Wednesday night I was searching for a good women’s basketball game to watch and I knew the B1G wouldn’t let me down. As I got my laptop to pull up B1G+ I checked the slate of games for the night and saw that No. 12 Ohio State was hosting No. 23 Michigan State. I’m not going to lie, I knew Ohio State was going to win that contest at the crib, so I skipped that game and went to tap in with the Iowa vs. Michigan game.
Now if you’ve been following B1G play, you know that both of these teams have been up and down, but they compete hard every night, so I knew I would be in store for a good one.
Coming into the contest, Iowa had just played two Top 10 teams in the country, losing in OT to then No. 8 Ohio State and losing by just two points to No. 3 UCLA. The Hawkeyes have been led all season by Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, who’s a bucket and can hit big shots when the team needs her the most. Joining Olsen are junior Hannah Stuelke and senior Sydney Affolter, forming the Hawkeyes Big 3.
Now for Michigan, the Wolverines are loaded with young talent as three of their top four scorers are in just their first year. Syla Swords, Olivia Olsen, and Mila Holloway have all shown the ability to score from all three levels and show up in big games.
An evenly matched contest was set to start as both teams are battling it out in a deep B1G Conference as the regular season winds down. As the game began, Affolter got off to a HOT start and couldn’t miss, hitting all five of her shots totaling 14 points. In the 2Q, it was the Lucy Olsen show, the senior guard scored 16 of her 20 points in the period helping the Hawkeyes surge out to a 49-32 lead at the half. Michigan wouldn’t go down without a fight, cutting the lead down to 6 points but Iowa was able to hold off the Wolverines and secure the win.
For Iowa, if they want to be successful in March, they will need Olsen, Affolter, and Stuelke to play big. When you look at the Hawkeye team that showed up in the 4Q against Ohio State in the OT loss and the squad in the first half against Michigan, that is the team that needs to show up headed into the B1G Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
Olsen is the head of the snake and gets things going for Iowa, as the senior transfer is averaging 17 points per game and making nearly 3-three pointers per game. Affolter is the do-it-all all guard who showed against the Wolverines that she can get hot. Stuelke will need to stay out of foul trouble and get some early touches to set the tone in the paint for Iowa. If these three can show up on the offensive end, Iowa can be a sleeper team in the B1G Tournament and could make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
With the B1G Tournament around the corner, if I’m a Hawkeye fan I would not doubt that this team can knock off either of the top seeds in USC or UCLA. In the regular season, Iowa knocked off USC 76-69 on Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement day. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a fast start holding an 18-4 lead after the 1Q. In the 2Q, Iowa scored the first five points of the period to take a 23-4 lead but the tide turned as USC held Iowa to just five points in the final 7 minutes of the period. Although the Hawkeyes were able to hold on and pull off the upset, it has been a common theme throughout the season of the squad not being able to put together a full game.
The Magic Number
Iowa is (4-7) in games where they score less than 70 points. On the other hand, the squad is (15-2) in games where they score more than 70 points. In those two losses that came in overtime, the Hawkeyes struggled from beyond the arc when it mattered. Against Nebraska the Hawkeyes shot just 29% from 3. In B1G play, the Hawkeyes are shooting 36% from the three point line, 4th best in the conference. In the contest against Ohio State, Iowa went 0-5 from beyond the arc in OT, only scoring four points in the 5-minute overtime period.
For the Hawkeyes to have success in March, they will need to give themselves a chance by getting over the mark of 70 points and be able to knock down 3s. Additionally, if the game is tight, keep an eye on how the Hawkeyes can do at the free throw line. In B1G play, Iowa shoots just 69% from the free throw line, which is the fourth worst clip in the conference. Olsen, the team's leading scorer, who plays the guard position, shoots just 66% from the free throw line in conference play.
For Iowa to get over the hump and pull off upsets they will need their Big 3 to not only show up and show out but also put together a complete 40 minute game.
As we head into conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament, do you think Iowa’s Big 3 can lead the Hawkeyes to a deep postseason run?