Hawkeyes' next mission: Stop the 'swag'

IOWA CITY -- It's a 21st Century term that has crept into the lexicon of Lisa Bluder.

Swag.

She used it Friday night, not in reference to Iowa's 86-55 rout of Northwestern in a Big Ten women's basketball opener, but instead to define the Hawkeyes' next opponent.

Ohio State. More specifically, Samantha Prahalis.

"She's got swag. She knows she's good, and she brings that out on the floor," Bluder said. "She knows she's good, and she's going to rub it in your face."

The Hawkeyes (9-5 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) take aim at the flamboyant Prahalis and the ninth-ranked Buckeyes (14-0, 1-0) at 11 a.m. Monday at Value City Arena in Columbus.

It's the only regular-season meeting between the teams; Iowa fans won't have the opportunity to ride Prahalis, as they did last year in an Iowa win.

"It's always a lot of fun to play Ohio State," said Iowa's Jaime Printy. "Ever since my freshman year, I've looked forward to playing them."

Prahalis averages 17.9 points per game. Tayler Hill leads the Buckeyes at 21.2 points per contest.

Iowa-Ohio State has been one of the Big Ten's featured matchups since the 1980s. In 1985, 22,157 fans packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch the teams play.

"It's amazing, the rivalry between Iowa and Ohio State," Bluder said. "It goes back to (former coach C.) Vivian (Stringer) and the 22,000 at Carver. There is definitely a rivalry there."

Iowa opened the Big Ten with a yell, hitting 8 of its first 10 3-point attempts and rolling past Northwestern. The Buckeyes led Wisconsin by just one point at halftime before pulling away for a 77-61 win at Madison.

"I think our boxscore will get their attention," Bluder said.

The Buckeyes' win was Coach Jim Foster's 250th triumph at Ohio State.

Monday's game is Iowa's only road game in its first four Big Ten games, so a win Monday could vault the Hawkeyes into a good early position in the league race.

Iowa has made 26 3-pointers in the last two games, including a school record 14 on Dec. 22 against Mississippi Valley State.