Hawkeyes are No. 1, so says the RPI computer

Mathematically speaking, the Iowa women's basketball team is No. 1 in the country.

According to realtimerpi.com, the Hawkeyes' RPI was tops in the land Friday. Iowa had been No. 2 on Thursday, but moved up after waxing Iowa State, 62-40, to improve to 9-1.

RPI, a figure that calculates a team's record as well as that of its opponents, is a major factor in which the NCAA Tournament committee selects and seeds its field in March.

Iowa's figure is .7299, followed by heavyweights like Ohio State, Stanford, Duke, Texas A&M and two-time defending national champion Connecticut.

The Hawkeyes have a believer in one Bill Fennelly, the ISU coach and one of 31 voting coaches in the ESPN/USA Today women's basketball poll.

“I voted Iowa 14th this week,” he said after the Hawkeyes dismantled the Cyclones. “Right now, I think they're better than that.

“They're going to get to the NCAA Tournament, and they're probably going to be a 2, 3 or 4 seed. If they can keep Morgan Johnson out of foul trouble, they're going to be hard to beat.”

Johnson was foul-free and dominant Thursday, spearheading an Iowa inside effort that outscored ISU 34-8 in the lane, posting 16 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

“We basically got our butt kicked in the post,” Fennelly said. “That's disappointing.”

Iowa, ranked 19th in both the Associated Press and ESPN USA Today polls, concluded a tough three-game stretch (North Carolina on the road, Kansas State and ISU at home) with two wins.

Up next: Final exams.

“You just don't understand how important (a win) is to them.  It gives them more energy,” said Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder. ”They're enjoying life a lot more when you win than when you lose.  They will do a much better job in finals.”

The Hawkeyes' next game is Dec. 18, at South Dakota State, then they play their final two in-state games (Dec. 20, at Drake; Dec. 22, home vs. UNI) before beginning Big Ten play Dec. 30 at Penn State.

Fennelly's compliments aside, just how good are the Hawkeyes?

“I thought our defense was really good (Thursday); our rebounding was good,” Bluder said. “There are some offensive things we can still get better at.  That excites me.  We can still get a lot better.

“I think the potential is very, very good.  But we also know that there are so many things that can go into a long season.”

Namely, injuries. With athletic wing Theairra Taylor (ACL) out for the season and backup point guard Trisha Nesbitt (foot) out indefinitely, the Hawkeyes can ill afford any more casualties, particularly their five starters.

All five of them - Johnson, Jaime Printy, Kachine Alexander, Kamille Wahlin and Kelly Krei - are averaging in double figures. Krei matched a career record for 3-pointers (five) against Iowa State while Printy set a career record for assists (nine).