For Hawkeyes, more work remains

IOWA CITY — So, what now?

The Iowa Hawkeyes have climbed their Mount Everest. They've scaled to the peak, and discovered there are still taller mountains to climb.

'They've reached a goal,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said in a jubilant locker room Sunday after the 15th-ranked Hawkeyes handled Miami (Fla.), 88-70, for their first Sweet 16 since 1996. 'We'll give them the day off (Monday), then Tuesday, we'll reset our goals.'

The mountains keep getting taller.

Iowa (26-7) moves on to Oklahoma City for Friday's NCAA tournament regional semifinal opposite No. 6 Baylor (32-3).

Since Media Day in October, the Hawkeyes have made no bones about their primary mission this season — the Sweet 16, an elusive level throughout Bluder's tenure.

Until Sunday.

'I think it has not even completely hit me yet,' Samantha Logic said. 'Going to the Sweet 16 is something we've wanted to do since we've gotten here. Obviously, it took four years, but we're happy to do it right now.'

So happy, in fact, that after they conquered the Hurricanes, they cut the Carver-Hawkeye nets.

But now that they've advanced, what's next?

'We want to keep going,' Logic said. 'We love playing together, and we don't want it to be over. We have the potential to go even further.'

In Baylor, the Hawkeyes probably will be facing their toughest opponent to date (with the possible exception of Maryland).

The Bears put a whipping on Arkansas, 73-44, in the second round Sunday. They don't have Iowa's balance, but they have Nina Davis, a 5-foot-11 sophomore forward who averages 20.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Iowa's primary weakness coincides with Baylor's greatest strength. The Bears rank No. 5 nationally in rebound margin at plus-12.1. Iowa is at minus-4.4, but did outboard Miami, 44-35, Sunday.

Baylor's three losses all came on the road — at Kentucky, Oklahoma and Iowa State.

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