Hawkeyes look to start 'a big finish'

IOWA CITY -- They've been here before.

Teetering on the NCAA women's basketball tournament bubble, the Iowa Hawkeyes are in need of a spark, a surge, a string of victories.

Or, in the words of Morgan Johnson: "We're looking for a big finish."

That start to a big finish might come Thursday. The Hawkeyes (10-8 overall, 2-3 Big Ten) host Wisconsin (5-12, 1-4). Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Each of the last four seasons, Iowa has ridden the NCAA fence in the middle to late portion of the season. Each time, the Hawkeyes have found a way to climb it.

* In 2008, the Hawkeyes were 9-7 overall, 2-3 in the Big Ten. They closed the regular season with an 11-2 rush.

* In 2009, they were 8-7 and 1-3. They won 12 of their final 14 games.

* In 2010, they seemed to be in dire straits at 8-10 and 1-6. They finished with nine wins in 11 games.

* Conditions weren't quite so critical last year, at 17-7 and 5-6. But they took any drama out of the situation by closing the regular season with five straight wins.

"I guess what gives me hope is the kids we have on our team," said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder. "They've done it before.  We've been in this situation before, and our players have rebounded.

"Just having the type of kids that we have on this team, they believe they can do it. To me, that's more than half the battle."

At any rate, a home game against a second-division team is close to a must-win. The Hawkeyes have beaten Wisconsin eight straight times.

"They probably have one of the more deceiving records in the Big Ten," Bluder said. "I think they're a team that has progressively gotten better throughout the year.

"They're certainly a team that we have to play our best basketball in order to get them tomorrow night."

Bobbie Kelsey, a former assistant at Stanford, is in her first season leading the rebuilding Wisconsin program. Morgan Paige, a sophomore from Marion, has started 15 times and is third on the team at 7.7 points per game.

"She's definitely a good player," Iowa's Jaime Printy said of Paige. "She can shoot the 3-pointer and she can get to the rim. She's got an offensive mindset -- she likes the ball in her hands and she likes to score."

WISCONSIN (5-12, 1-4) at IOWA (10-8, 2-3)

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City

Tipoff: 7 p.m.

Radio: WMT-AM (600), KXIC-AM (800)

Scouting report: Iowa has owned this series lately, posting eight straight wins over the Badgers. Junior Jaime Printy leads the Hawkeyes at 17.7 points per game and needs four points to move into Iowa's all-time top 10 in scoring. Morgan Johnson adds 15.2 ppg, Kamille Wahlin 10.6. Bobbie Kelsey is in her first year as Wisconsin's coach. Taylor Wurtz is the Badgers' lone double-figure scorer; she averages 15.6 ppg. Marion native Morgan Paige is a sophomore and has started 15 times. She averages 7.7 ppg. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Kamille Wahlin bobblehead, and all fans are encouraged to wear black.

Next up for Iowa: at Penn State, 2 p.m. Sunday

BIG TEN STANDINGS

Conf.

All

Purdue

5-0

15-3

Ohio State

4-1

17-1

Nebraska

4-1

15-2

Michigan State

4-1

12-6

Michigan

3-2

14-4

Penn State

3-2

13-4

Northwestern

2-3

12-6

Iowa

2-3

10-8

Minnesota

2-3

10-9

Wisconsin

1-4

5-12

Illinois

0-5

6-12

Indiana

0-5

5-13

THURSDAY'S GAMES

Wisconsin at Iowa, 7 p.m.

Nebraska at Ohio State, 5 p.m.

Penn State at Illinois, 7 p.m.

Purdue at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Michigan State at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

Michigan at Northwestern, 7 p.m.

SUNDAY'S GAMES

Iowa at Penn State, 2 p.m.

Indiana at Michigan, 1 p.m.

Illinois at Ohio State, 1 p.m.

Northwestern at Wisconsin, 2 p.m.

Minnesota at Nebraska, 5 p.m.

MONDAY'S GAME

Michigan State at Purdue, 6:30 p.m.