NCAA or WNIT? Hawkeyes learn Monday, in private

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes will view the NCAA women's basketball tournament selection show in small company.

There will be no media presence. No cameras.

The Hawkeyes are smack-dab on the NCAA/WNIT bubble, and they'll rejoice or suffer in private during Monday's judgment (6 p.m., ESPN).

'We just want to be with our basketball family,' Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder said. 'We figure, we really don't know what is going to happen, so we'll just talk to (the media) the next day.'

The Hawkeyes have qualified for eight consecutive NCAAs, including last season's Sweet 16 run. Another trip, which seemed extremely unlikely two weeks ago, is now a virtual 50-50 proposition.

ESPN.com bracketologist Charlie Creme tabs Iowa as the last at-large team in his projected field of 64. He has the Hawkeyes (19-13) tabbed as a No. 12 seed and bound for Tallahassee, Fla.

Bluder, naturally, feels the Hawkeyes should be in.

'I really do,' she said. 'I think we have a good case. Our strength of schedule (No. 31 in the nation) and our record against (RPI) top-100 teams (10-10) are outstanding.'

On the other hand, Iowa finished in a ninth-place tie in the Big Ten with an 8-10 league mark. The Hawkeyes' RPI of 58 is pedestrian for a Power Five conference member. There aren't any eye-popping victories, and the two losses to Penn State are ugly.

Bluder was asked what her top piece of evidence would be in arguing Iowa's NCAA case.

'Probably the fact that the Big Ten schedule is skewed,' she said. 'Look at Indiana. They played the bottom three teams (Northwestern, Wisconsin and Illinois) five times. We played them three times.

'We don't have a top-25 win, but our game against George Washington (in November), we should have won. We have a statement from the coordinator of officials that a mistake was made (on a foul in overtime).'

For the second straight year, the first two rounds of the NCAA will be played on campuses of top-four seeded teams. Iowa was a No. 3 seed last year, and won two games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena before bowing to Baylor in the Sweet 16 at Oklahoma City.

First-round NCAA games are Friday and Saturday.

If Iowa is a member of the 64-team WNIT, it would likely be a multi-round host. The first round of the WNIT begins Wednesday.

'We know we'll be playing somewhere,' Bluder said. 'Right now, it's a matter of waiting. We've had really good practices this week. We'll be ready to go.'

NCAA TOURNAMENT RESUME: Iowa women

* Record: 19-13

* Big Ten: 8-10 (T-9th)

* Big Ten tournament: Quarterfinalist (defeated Michigan, 97-85; lost to Maryland, 75-55)

* RPI: 58

* Strength of schedule: 31

* Last 10: 4-6

* W-L vs. RPI top-50: 1-7

* W-L vs. RPI top-100: 10-10

* Good wins: Indiana (H), Rutgers (H), Purdue (H)

* Bad losses: Iowa State (A), Penn State (H), Penn State (A)

* ESPN.com bracketologist Charlie Creme says: Iowa is the last team in the NCAA, as a 12 seed, headed to Tallahassee, Fla., to face 5-seed Mississippi State in the first round.

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