Hawks brace for Huskers, with or without Theriot

IOWA CITY - There are two Theriot scenarios, and the Iowa Hawkeyes are bracing for both.

'I don't want to be surprised or shocked either way when we can prepare for Plan B,” said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder.

No. 13 Iowa (19-4 overall, 10-2 Big Ten) visits No. 20 Nebraska (17-6, 7-5) in a women's basketball encounter Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. Tipoff is 8 p.m.

The burning issue is the availability of Nebraska Rachel Theriot, the Huskers' leading scorer (16.5 ppg) who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.

Nebraska has suffered offensively without her, scoring just 90 points in the past two games - road losses against Rutgers and Maryland.

'We fully expect her to be back,” Bluder said. 'That's a great team with tough matchups for us.”

And it's a team that had Iowa's number until earlier this season.

Whitney Jennings hit the second of two free throws with 1 second left in regulation, then Iowa controlled overtime in a 78-72 win Jan. 26 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for its first win against Nebraska since the Huskers joined the Big Ten.

'They'd been a thorn in Iowa's side,” said Jennings, the Hawkeyes' freshman guard. 'Now we want to sweep them.”

Thursday's game is the first leg of a three-game NBA-type spree. Iowa returns to Carver on Sunday for a meeting with Indiana, then plays at Minnesota on Tuesday.

'It's a marathon week,” Bluder said.

Six games remain in the Big Ten season, and though the regular-season league title appears to be a stretch, the Hawkeyes have put themselves in prime position for a top-four league finish, which would mean a bye into the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

In addition, Iowa owns an RPI of 7 and is projected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament by ESPN's Charlie Creme. The top four seeds in each region will host first- and second-round games.

'We want to be a team that's talked about as one of the top 16,” Bluder said. 'That's something we talk about. It's something to be celebrated.”

Iowa's Melissa Dixon ranks second in the nation in 3-pointers per game (3.7) and fifth in 3-point percentage (.470). Samantha Logic is fifth in assists per game (7.3).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com