Hawkeyes home again? Most likely

IOWA CITY - The last two years, the Iowa Hawkeyes received home court for the NCAA women's basketball tournament via assignment.

If the NCAA comes back to Carver-Hawkeye Arena this week (and all indications are that it will), the Hawkeyes will have earned it.

'I can't imagine how we wouldn't be at home,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said Wednesday.

The NCAA has done away with pre-determined sites for first- and second-round tournament games. This season, sites will be given to top-four seeds in each region.

ESPN.com's Charlie Creme projects the Hawkeyes as a No. 3 seed in his most recent 'bracketology.”

'Iowa's top-4 status is pretty well sewn up,” he said recently via Twitter in a response to a question from The Gazette on the Hawkeyes' standing.

No. 15 Iowa (24-7) surely will be in the NCAA field for the eighth consecutive year when the selections are announced Monday (6 p.m., ESPN).

At 14-4, Iowa finished second in the Big Ten behind league newcomer Maryland. The Hawkeyes reached the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament before falling to Ohio State in overtime.

Their RPI (9) is deserving of a 3 or 4 seed.

Senior point guard Samantha Logic rated the Hawkeyes' chances of a top-four seed at '95 percent or better.

'I feel really good about it,” she said. 'We have a high RPI. If we get to be at home, it would be huge. Our record's not too shabby here.”

Iowa is 16-0 this season at Carver.

If the Hawkeyes are a 3 seed, as Creme projects, they will face a No. 14 seed in the first round, and the winner would meet the 6-vs.-11 victor in Round 2,

If Iowa draws a 4, it would been a No. 13 seed to open, with 5 and 12 seeds also coming to Carver.

With two wins, Iowa would advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1996. Iowa reached the second round in each of the last two seasons at home before running into powerhouses Notre Dame (2013) and Louisville (2014).

'We're in a position that people believe we should be in the Sweet 16,” Logic said. 'That's something we feel we can do.”

Between their loss to Ohio State and their first-round NCAA encounter, the Hawkeyes will have about two weeks without a game.

'I really used to hate this (idle) week (between the Big Ten tournament and NCAA selection),” Bluder said. 'I've learned to embrace it.

'We went hard early this week at practice. It was like October, lots of fundamentals, getting up and down the court.”

Beginning Friday, the Hawkeyes had four days off of practice. They will gather Monday for the selection show, then get down to business.

Iowa's first-round game will be Friday or Saturday.

IOWA'S RESUME

* Record: 24-7

* Big Ten: 14-4 (2nd), tournament semifinalist

* Ranking: No. 15 (USA Today), No. 18 (Associated Press)

* RPI: 9

* Record vs. top 50: 10-6

* Last 10: 7-3

* Key wins: at Rutgers, Dayton, Ohio State, Northwestern (2), Nebraska (3)

* Bad losses: at Illinois.

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