Beastly Big Ten stretch starts immediately

IOWA CITY — The beginning of the Big Ten women's basketball schedule is a beast. And it begins Thursday.

'It's a tough first four games, definitely,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'We have a lot of road games to begin with. The back end (of our schedule has got to be better. We hope we have a reprieve at the end to build confidence into tournament play.'

No. 25 Iowa (10-2) opens with a 1 p.m. tipoff against Nebraska (9-2) at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln.

Here's the Hawkeyes' foray into conference play: at Nebraska, home against Rutgers, at Michigan, home against No. 5 Maryland. Then it's road games against Wisconsin and No. 22 Michigan State before the schedule lightens up somewhat.

The Huskers owned this series upon their arrival into the conference in 2011, winning the first eight meetings. Iowa shattered that string of dominance last year, winning all three games, including one in the Big Ten tournament.

'It was an important step for this program to take,' Bluder said. 'But we're a different team this year, and they're a different team.'

The Huskers picked up a freshman gem in 6-foot-4 Jessica Shepard, who is shooting 58 percent and averaging a team-high 19.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in just 25.1 minutes per contest.

'She has a big body, and she knows how to use it,' said Iowa sophomore Chase Coley, who will get the matchup against Shepard to start. 'She likes to drive the baseline, so we'll try to jump on that side.'

Rachel Theriot has returned with a vengeance after missing the last 11 games of last season with an ankle injury. The Huskers were 17-4 with her, 4-7 without her in 2014-15. Theriot leads the Big Ten and ranks seventh in the nation with 7.0 assists per game (to go with 12.5 points).

Iowa counters with three players in double figures — Ally Disterhoft (17.3 ppg), Alexa Kastanek (12.6) and Coley (10.2).

Kastanek, a junior, attended Southeast High School in Lincoln. This will be her first game against the hometown Huskers as a starter.

Nebraska offered her a scholarship, but she chose the Hawkeyes.

'I just wanted to get away,' she said. 'I found Iowa, and there was no better fit for me.'

So here we go. Iowa was the Big Ten regular-season runner-up last year, then lost starters Samantha Logic, Melissa Dixon and Bethany Doolittle to graduation.

'We're excited to go and make some waves,' Disterhoft said. 'I don't think others expect as much of us this year.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com