Hawks face hot team, hostile gym

SPOKANE, Wash. - It has been more than two months since anyone has taken Gonzaga to the wire.

The 20th-ranked Bulldogs (28-4) have rattled off 18 consecutive wins, the vast majority of which have been of the lopsided variety.

“That's definitely a concern,” said Gonzaga Coach Kelly Graves. “We haven't had a lot of meaningful late possessions in which we've got to get a stop or we need to run our best play and get a basket.”

Gonzaga hosts No. 25 Iowa (22-8) in a first-round NCAA women's basketball tournament game. Tipoff is 3 p.m. (Iowa time) today from sold-out McCarthey Athletic Center (capacity, 6,000) in a game televised by ESPN2.

From all indications, this ought to be one of the best first-round games in the bracket. It's the only contest that pits two teams ranked in the final Associated Press poll.

“It's a good matchup for us,” said Iowa's Kachine Alexander. “They start four guards, and our ‘4' (Kelly Krei) is like a guard.”

Gonzaga leads the nation in scoring at 86.1 points per game and has surpassed the 100-point mark eight times.

“We've got to slow them down,” Alexander said. “They are a very good transition team. It's going to come down to who is better in the half-court game.”

The last time Gonzaga was taken to the wire was Jan. 15. The Bulldogs are 2-3 in games decided by six points or less; Iowa is 7-1.

Since the brackets were released Monday, the Hawkeyes have voiced their displeasure about traveling to a lower seed's gym. That continued Friday.

“I would absolutely rather be playing on a neutral court,” Bluder said. “I think the selection committee got Idaho and Iowa mixed up.”

Instead, Gonzaga will be playing in front of 6,000 friendly faces.

The Bulldogs are a curious No. 11 seed. They made the Sweet Sixteen last year and they're ranked in the top 20.

“I think the 11 fits us perfectly,” said Courtney Vandersloot, one of the nation's top point guards. “We're just grateful to be playing at home.

Vandersloot averages 18.6 points and 10.2 assists per game. She needs 44 points to become the first player in women's basketball Division I history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in a career.

“I've run out of adjectives to describe her,” Graves said. ”To appreciate her, you have to watch her. She's mesmerizing.”

Like Gonzaga, Iowa has four double-digit scorers. And the Hawkeyes one bit of history on their side - the Bulldogs are 0-5 all-time against Big Ten teams.

Saturday's winner advances to face No. 8 UCLA (27-4) or Montana (18-14) on Monday.

Today's game: Iowa (22-8)vs. Gonzaga (28-4)

Where: McCarthy Athletic Center, Spokane, Wash.

When: 3:10 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 on cable, 731 on DirecTV, 146 on Dish Network

Radio: WMT-AM (600), KXIC-AM (800)

Notes: Hawkeyes are ranked 25th and the No. 6 seed, 20th-ranked Bulldogs are seeded 11th ... Gonzaga has won 18 in a row and has an RPI ranking of 42 ... Iowa ranks 17th in RPI ... Gonzaga averages 87.5 points per game, Iowa allows 63.

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