Hawks take another shot at Louisville

IOWA CITY - The way last season ended, it provided a stern, solemn reminder.

Despite a 27-win campaign, the distance between Iowa and elite status hadn't yet been bridged.

'That's the goal that you want to get to that elite status,” Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'We're still a work in progress.”

Louisville walloped the Hawkeyes, 83-53, in an NCAA tournament second-round game last March at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The rematch is Thursday at Louisville's KFC Yum! Center - the 19th-ranked Hawkeyes (6-1) face No. 7 Louisville (7-0) as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Tipoff is 6 p.m. (Iowa time).

'Last year when we played them at home we obviously didn't play our best game,” said senior guard Melissa Dixon. 'We're really looking forward to this opportunity of a rematch.”

Bluder handed off duties of watching film of last year's game to assistant Jenni Fitzgerald.

'We reminded ourselves of how physical they were, how good of a job they did on the boards, their transition offense is extremely effective,” Bluder said. 'But they lost some players from last year as well - key players.”

The biggest loss is Shoni Schimmel, now with the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. Still, the Cardinals are averaging 86.7 points per game and outscoring their opponents by more than 30 points per contest.

On the other hand, Louisville hasn't faced nearly the level of competition Iowa has seen. According to Wednesday's RPI rankings, Iowa's strength of schedule is 48th best in the nation; Louisville is at No. 119.

Ally Disterhoft thinks the Hawkeyes will be better prepared for the Cardinals this time around.

'We know a little bit of what they're going to throw at us. We know what we'll have to focus on and we've been doing that in practice,” she said. 'The preparation is there, we have the extra experience, and we'll be ready to go come Thursday.”

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