Carolyn Peck expects Iowa to be ‘rocking and ready to go’ against Indiana after blowout loss to Maryland

IOWA CITY — Carolyn Peck watched Iowa women’s basketball’s 28-point blowout loss to Maryland this week live from her hotel room.

“You can’t miss that,” Peck said of the game between No. 6 and No. 7-ranked teams.

When the former national-championship-winning coach watches Sunday’s Iowa-Indiana game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, she is expecting to see a much different Hawkeyes team.

“After the disappointing game that Iowa had against Maryland, they’re going to come out rocking and ready to go,” said Peck, who will be there as one of the analysts on ESPN’s College GameDay show.

The Terrapins, Peck said, “knew that they had to focus on Caitlin Clark and Monica Czinano, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Clark and Czinano, Iowa’s star players, shot a combined 7-for-18.

As a team, Iowa shot 35 percent from the field and 29 percent from deep — well below its season averages of 51 percent and 37 percent.

“They just didn’t shoot the ball well,” Peck said. “That’s not something you’re going to see on a regular from the Iowa Hawkeyes, and I expect the shots to be getting down on Sunday.”

While a share of the Big Ten regular-season title is no longer on the line, it’s still a top-10 battle between two teams that played last year for the Big Ten tournament championship.

Indiana is No. 2 in the AP Poll, and Iowa is No. 6. The NCAA selection committee similarly ranked Indiana No. 2 and Iowa No. 9 in its latest top-16 rankings.

Indiana winning the first matchup of the 2022-23 season — an 87-78 decision in front of a record crowd at Assembly Hall — “just builds up the drama” for Sunday’s rematch, Peck said.

ESPN’s one-hour College GameDay broadcast will feature Peck along with Rebecca Lobo, Andraya Carter, Holly Rowe and host Elle Duncan live from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The show will begin at 10 a.m., and doors will open at 9 a.m. Fans must have a ticket to the game to attend the show, but can exit and reenter the building between the morning show and 1 p.m. game.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com