Iowa at Indiana women’s basketball: The Big Ten’s first top-5 encounter in 30 years

IOWA CITY — What happens in the post might determine what happens in Thursday’s Big Ten women’s basketball game of the year (so far).

Two of the nation’s best posts — Monika Czinano and Mackenzie Holmes — will be the centers of attention when fifth-ranked Iowa (19-4 overall, 11-1 Big Ten) and No. 2 Indiana (22-1, 12-1) lock horns.

Tipoff is 5:30 p.m. (CT) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.

“I’m sure (Indiana Coach) Teri (Moren) would tell you that Mackenzie is the No. 1 post, and I would say that Monika is,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said.

Thursday's matchup is the first regular-season Associated Press top-five matchup between Big Ten opponents since Iowa faced Ohio State on March 7, 1993.

And it’s the first of two titanic meetings between the league’s top two contenders; they’ll close out the Big Ten slate Feb. 26 at Iowa City in a game that already is sold out.

“We’re excited to play anybody this time of season,” Iowa senior Kate Martin said. “It doesn’t matter what the rankings are.

“We respect them. They’re a good team. I like the way they play the game.”

The Hoosiers might not feel the same warm fuzzies toward the Hawkeyes. Iowa defeated Indiana three times last year, including a 74-67 verdict in the Big Ten tournament final.

Indiana is enjoying its best season, and its highest ranking, in program history. The Hoosiers have won 10 in a row.

“Obviously, they’re a very, very good basketball team,” Bluder said. “They’re a better 3-point shooting team than they were last year. That was their Achilles heel.

“The addition of 3-point shooters has helped Holmes. She’s certainly incredibly accurate.”

Which brings us back to the Holmes-Czinano encounter.

A 6-foot-3 senior, Holmes ranks No. 2 in the nation in field-goal percentage at 69.6 percent. The most accurate shooter in America in 2021 and 2022, Czinano is third this year at 67.3 percent.

Holmes averages 22.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game; Czinano is at 18.3 and 6.3. Both are All-America material.

“Monika vs. Mackenzie Holmes ... I love that matchup,” said Martin, Czinano’s teammate and roommate.

Iowa, which leads the nation in scoring at 88.0 points per game, has been particularly fast and particularly potent lately.

In their eight-game winning streak, the Hawkeyes are scoring at a 91.6-point clip while allowing 72.3 per game. The most recent triumph was a 95-51 road whipping of Penn State in which Iowa’s pace, particularly early, was dizzying.

The Hawkeyes are playing fast, without playing reckless.

“That’s always the challenge,” Bluder said. “You don’t want to throw the ball into the ninth row. This is a veteran group with good chemistry.”

For 6-foot-3 and sturdy, Czinano gets up and down the floor quickly. Hannah Stuelke operates at even a faster gear.

“We knew Hannah was an exceptional athlete, a tremendous recruit,” Bluder said. “She is just touching the tip of her iceberg. I think she’s a crowd favorite.”

Bluder and her staff keep tabs on prospective posts’ pace during the recruiting process. And when they get on campus, “We’re encouraging it. We’re enforcing it.”

After last year’s run to the Sweet 16, this Indiana team figured to take a slight step back this season. But Grace Berger came back for her fifth year of eligibility, and Sydney Parrish (Oregon) and Sara Scalia (Minnesota) came aboard via the transfer portal.

Add Yarden Garzon, a 6-foot-3 freshman long-range sniper from Israel, and the Hoosiers are a handful.

But the Hawkeyes took down another No. 2-ranked team in Ohio State on Jan. 23, and they’re not going to wilt in front a massive, loud crowd, which certainly awaits.

“I think they like it, they enjoy it,” Bluder said. “They’re used to a loud environment at Carver. A hostile environment, I think it brings out the best in Caitlin (Clark).

“Who can handle the environment, who can avoid turnovers, who can stay out of foul trouble, that team is going to have an advantage.”

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com