Iowa Hawkeyes
Overall Rank: #10
Conference Rank: #3 Big Ten
Over the last few years Iowa has turned into one of the best programs in the Big Ten. Last year the Hawkeyes fell to fifth in the Big Ten, but still made a nice NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to top seeded Connecticut. That was a pretty young team though and now this more experienced Iowa team returns their top seven scorers. That should set them up nicely to compete for a Big Ten title in 2021-2022.
2020-21 Record: 20-10. 11-8
2020-21 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Lisa Bluder
Coach Record: 436-232 at Iowa, 773-363 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Megan Meyer, Guard, 2.3 ppg
Alexis Sevillian, Guard, 1.6 ppg
Lauren Jensen, Guard, 1.3 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Caitlin Clark, Sophomore, Guard, 26.6 ppg
Monika Czinano, Senior, Forward/Center, 19.3 ppg
McKenna Warnock, Junior, Guard/Forward, 12.0 ppg
Gabbie Marshall, Junior, Guard, 9.1 ppg
Kate Martin, Junior, Guard, 7.0 ppg
Sharon Goodman, Sophomore, Center, 3.7 ppg
Tomi Taiwo, Senior, Guard, 3.7 ppg
Logan Cook, Senior, Forward, 2.0 ppg
Key New Players
Sydney Affolter, Freshman, Guard
AJ Ediger, Freshman, Forward
Kylie Feuerbach, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Iowa State
Addison O’Grady, Freshman, Forward/Center
Projection:
Caitlin Clark took over this team during her amazing freshman campaign. She averaged 26.6 points, 7.1 assists and knocked down an impressive 116 three-pointers. Clark led the nation in assists, field-goals made, points, points per game, three-point attempts and three-pointers made. That is quite the way to start off a collegiate career. Kate Martin is also a very good ball handler and added 4.0 assists per game on top of her 7.0 points. The backcourt welcomes the return of fellow junior Gabbie Marshall as well. She was second on the team last year with 57 made three-pointers. Wing McKenna Warnock is a very good shooter too. The 6-1 junior is also the team’s top rebounder. Monika Czinano hangs out in the paint and the 6-3 senior averaged 19.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. She has developed into an extremely consistent interior scorer and shot an impressive 68.0 percent from the floor. All five of the starters averaged at least 29.6 minutes per game, so expect Coach Lisa Bluder to rely very heavily on her starting lineup once again this season. However, Sharon Goodman proved to be effective backing up Czinano and Tomi Taiwo is a decent shooter off the bench. The addition of Kylie Feuerbach adds a bit more experience to the roster. She started 24 games at Iowa State as a freshman and averaged 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. A solid recruiting class, highlighted by top 50 forward AJ Edidger, will add some more options down the bench, and that depth will come in handy during the grind of the Big Ten.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 86.1 (2nd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 80.3 (336, 14)
Field-Goal Percentage: 51.3 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 44.5 (315, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.6 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 40.8 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 80.0 (3, 1)
Rebound Margin: -0.1 (160, 7)
Assists Per Game: 20.1 (5, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.5 (94, 8)
Madness 2022 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#24 Monika Czinano
Madness 2021 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#41 Allison Ediger
#118 Addison O'Grady
