Speedy Lady Lions are first Big Ten act for Iowa

IOWA CITY -- The dress rehearsals are done. It's time to reset.

Farewell, 12-1. Hello again, 0-0.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are set to embark on their 16-part Big Ten women's basketball journey. Act 1 will have a theme of speed.

No. 14 Iowa (12-1) meets high-scoring, hot-shooting Penn State (10-3) at 6 p.m. Thursday at State College, Pa.

"It's going to be a good test right away," said Iowa point guard Kamille Wahlin.

The Lady Lions are eighth in the nation in scoring offense (84.8 points per game), and their 44.9-percent success rate from 3-point range leads the nation.

"They have the best transition game I've seen," said Kachine Alexander. "We have to crash the boards, and we have to send people back (to defend)."

Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said the Hawkeyes are ready for whatever Big Ten opponents throw at them.

"I think we've prepared ourselves well," she said. "We've played against athletic teams. We've played against fast teams.

"You look at our schedule, and this first one is key. If we want to finish at the top of the conference, these are road games we've got to win."

The Hawkeyes do want to finish at the top of the conference, and are equipped to contend. All five starters return from a team that started 1-6 in Big Ten play, then recovered to finish in a third-place tie.

Dating back to that low point last season, Iowa has won 24 of 29 games.

"We need to take everyone seriously, because everybody's going to be ready for us," Wahlin said.

Ohio State has won six consecutive regular-season titles.

"I think they're the team to beat again," Bluder said. "They're the definite leader. Michigan State, they've been playing some very good basketball."

To make a title push, Bluder said, the Hawkeyes are going to need more from their bench, particularly at the offensive end. The starters (Wahlin, Alexander, Jaime Printy, Morgan Johnson and Kelly Krei) account for 78 percent of the minutes and 87 percent of the points.

"I'd like to see us score a few more points (from our reserves)," she said. "Hannah (Draxten), Kelsey (Cermak) and Kalli (Hansen), they're definitely candidates in that area.

Draxten missed most of the Northern Iowa win on Dec. 22 after spraining an ankle. She's ready to go.

"It definitely helped to have four or five days away," she said. "I stayed almost completely off of it. My dad and I went outside one day to shoot, just to test it out."

Backup point guard Trisha Nesbitt missed the first 13 games due to plantar fasciitis. Time is running out for Bluder to determine whether she will try to play Nesbitt -- a sophomore from Ames -- this season, or shut her down and red-shirt her.

"She's in all our shooting drills and half of our defensive drills, but she hasn't scrimmaged yet," Bluder said. "I definitely think Trisha can help us win games. But what are the chances of losing her again?"

If Nesbitt plays after Sunday, she is ineligible for a redshirt, even if she is reinjured.

Iowa hosts Michigan on Sunday.