Indiana women’s basketball begins its last week of regular season play by playing No. 22 Iowa at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Indiana is 19-4 on the season and 7-0 at home in conference play after its win over Northwestern Thursday night.
Iowa is 16-7 overall and 10-4 in conference play, most recently losing to No. 15 Maryland on Monday. Iowa is home to sophomore guard Caitlin Clark, who leads the NCAA in scoring, averaging 27.2 points per game. Clark also leads the league in assists with eight per game.
Saturday marks Indiana’s last home game of the regular season. The team will honor junior guard Grace Waggoner, senior forward Aleksa Gulbe and graduate student guards Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and Ali Patberg for Indiana’s senior day.
Junior forward Mackenzie Holmes returned to the floor against Northwestern for the first time since Jan. 5, playing for 23 minutes and grabbing six rebounds. Her presence was a big influence on Northwestern’s defensive strategy, and the same could be seen in Iowa’s approach on Saturday.
Both teams will have their hands full, as multiple players average double-digit points per game. Iowa scores an average of 84.6 points per game and holds opponents to 69.1 points. Indiana averages 71.8 points per game while holding opponents to 59.3.
If the Hoosiers are able to contain Clark’s offensive production, the duty will fall on the rest of the Hawkeyes to produce — something they have struggled with in the past. The results of Saturday's game will influence the Big Ten standings and postseason picture for both teams, and neither team will go down without a fight.
The game will tip off at 4 p.m. on BTN+.
