Hawkeyes' long wait nears an end

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Two weeks and two days.

For Lisa Bluder, that's too long.

Sixteen days after their most recent game, the Iowa Hawkeyes take their game uniforms out of mothballs Sunday for a NCAA women's basketball first-round contest with California.

Tipoff is 11:10 (Iowa time) at the Joyce Center on the University of Notre Dame campus.

"I've never liked where the Big Ten women's tournament sits, and this is a prime example of why," Bluder said Thursday.

The Hawkeyes (19-11) were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament on March 2, a loss to Nebraska that ended an eight-game winning streak.

Since then, it's been a steady routine of fundamentals and scrimmaging.

"We've scrimmaged a lot against the Gray squad. It has prepared us well," center Morgan Johnson said. "I feel like we're ready."

Bluder allowed the Gray squad -- comprised of men -- to be more physical with the Hawkeyes, because that's what expected in March.

"You need to be prepared for physical play," Bluder said. "It seems like you get to the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament, and not near as much is called.

"And that may not be good for us in this particular game, because I think California can be a physical basketball team. But I think we need to be prepared for, don't let it bother you if something is not called."

California (24-9) is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation; the Golden Bears' plus-13.2 rebounding margin ranks third in Division I.

The Pac-12 tournament is played a week later than that of the Big Ten, so the Golden Bears' idle stretch hasn't been nearly as long. Cal's last game was March 10, a 77-62 loss to No. 2 Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament final.

Practice is 12:10-1:40 p.m. Saturday for the Hawkeyes. Cal's practice is 10:30 a.m.-noon.

Top-seeded Notre Dame (30-3) faces Liberty (24-8) in Sunday's second game. The winners play Tuesday.