Iowa visits Drake in Big Ten tune-up

IOWA CITY - Final exams are finished. Now, the final pre-conference test awaits.

No. 24 Iowa hits the floor for the first time in 10 days when it faces Drake on Sunday at the Knapp Center in Des Moines.

Tipoff is 2 p.m.

The Hawkeyes (8-2) aim to complete a sweep of their three in-state rivals (they've already conquered UNI and Iowa State) and defeat Drake (5-5) for the 13th straight time.

'One of our goals is to be state champions,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'That will help (keep us focused).”

When Iowa meets Drake, the storylines are numerous.

* Bluder coached at Drake for 10 seasons, compiling a 187-106 record there before leaving for Iowa in 2000.

* Assistant coaches Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald played at Drake, coached there under Bluder, then followed her to Iowa City.

* Missy (Slockett) Disterhoft and Shelley (Bardon) Till also played at Drake. They are mothers of Iowa players Ally Disterhoft and Claire Till, respectively.

'I've seen a few clips (of their Drake days),” Ally Disterhoft said. 'They played with a lot of passion.

'But now, Mom wants to see her daughter do well, and her team.”

* And, of course, Drake Coach Jennie (Lillis) Baranczyk played at Iowa from 2000 through 2004 and ranks No. 5 all-time in scoring.

Baranczyk is in her third year at Drake, and her team has won five of its last seven games despite the loss of Kyndal Clark to a torn ACL in the opener.

When Baranczyk took over at Drake, there wasn't an Iowa native on the Bulldogs' roster. Now there are three - Caitlin Ingle of Southeast Polk, Cortni Rush of Mason City and Paige Greiner of Williamsburg.

This is Iowa's second true road game. The first one didn't go so well; Louisville thrashed the Hawkeyes, 86-52, Dec. 4.

Iowa can wrap up its sixth mythical state title in the last 13 seasons. Iowa State and UNI were unable to set a date this season, but Bluder said the in-state series is important to her.

'It gets the fans excited,” she said. 'They would rather see us play Iowa State, UNI and Drake than, say, Robert Morris.”

Basketball took a backseat after the Hawkeyes beat Iowa State on Dec. 11. Since then, for example, Samantha Logic wrote three papers for finals and took a final exam.

And she let her knee rest and recover somewhat.

'All the schoolwork makes you want to be out there on the court that much more,” Logic said. 'But the rest is probably good for our bodies. Being able to rest before the Big Ten season ... then it all gets crazy.”

Iowa's Big Ten opener is Dec. 28 at home against Penn State.

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