Indiana vs. Iowa: A women’s basketball showdown for first place in the Big Ten ... if weather allows

IOWA CITY — At this point, it’s all fluid.

Third-ranked Iowa is scheduled to host No. 14 Indiana in a much-awaited Big Ten women’s basketball showdown at 7 p.m. Saturday.

That’s assuming the Hoosiers can make it here. And at this point, that’s a heavy assumption.

“Hopefully we have a game tomorrow,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said Friday. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

The Hoosiers were scheduled to fly westward mid-afternoon Friday, but blizzard conditions in Iowa nixed that. The plan now is for a Saturday departure for 9 a.m. (CT).

“We cannot control the weather and what it's going to do, so we'll do what we have to do,” Indiana Coach Teri Moren said Friday. “But what we will not do is get in any aircraft that is unsafe.”

If the game is postponed, Bluder said, “The way I understand it, the two schools have 48 hours to come up with a solution. If they can’t, the Big Ten will make it.”

There does appear to be a window in the Jan. 23-25 range for potential rescheduling. Iowa plays Jan. 21 and Jan. 27; Indiana is scheduled for Jan. 21 and 28.

For now, let’s pivot and assume the game is played. It’s the biggest test thus far between a pair of teams carrying matching 13-game winning streaks.

Indiana (14-1, 5-0) is the reigning Big Ten regular-season champion. Iowa (16-1, 5-0) followed with the Big Ten tournament title and reached the NCAA final.

Moren was the 2023 national coach of the year; Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the national player of the year.

“Two really, really great teams and, my sense is that it's going to be another great battle between two really good teams,” Moren said.

The teams split regular-season battles last season, with Clark’s dramatic 3-pointer at the horn winning the Iowa City encounter, 86-85.

“That was crazy,” Bluder recalled. “We had a play set up for her. It wasn’t a great pass. She had to reach for it. I thought we had a stop on the other end; I thought (IU’s Mackenzie Holmes) traveled.”

Holmes hit two free throws for an 85-83 Indiana lead. Iowa called time advanced the ball, then Clark delivered.

“It worked out,” Bluder said.

Some of the faces from last year — Monika Czinano and McKenna Warnock of Iowa, Grace Berger of Indiana — have moved on. But much of both casts return.

“Obviously, it’s an incredibly difficult challenge playing Indiana. They’re an incredibly experienced team,” Bluder said. “They have one of the best players in Holmes, one of the very best centers.”

“(Sydney) Parrish shoots the 3 really well. (Sara) Scalia shoots the 3 really well. Chloe Moore-McNeil is playing a bigger role.

“You’ve got to pick your poison. Three is greater than two, so we’ve got to focus on that. They shoot 38 percent from 3, and that’s really good.”

Holmes is averaging 19.7 points per game and shooting 67 percent from the field.

“Hannah (Stuelke) and Sharon (Goodman) are going to have to go against one of the very best posts in America,” Bluder said. “This is their biggest challenge of the year.”

Stuelke’s athleticism and speed presents challenges of their own.

“(Iowa has) always had great post play,” Moren said. “Stuelke is a great athlete. And so her rim running, you know, something that we're gonna have to be prepared for.

“She probably has better ball skills than Czinano had when you bring her out on the perimeter. So our ability to be able to sit down and guard her off the bounce from the high post area ... we’ll have do it without fouling.”

So here we go. Indiana and Iowa. The Big Ten lead is on the line Saturday.

Maybe. It’s all fluid.

“Hopefully they get here, the fans get here and it’s a great atmosphere,” Bluder said.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com