Wildcats a surprise, but not to Bluder

IOWA CITY - Surprised? Not completely.

'Northwestern is a team I really thought could make a run, based on who was returning,” Iowa women's basketball coach Lisa Bluder said Sunday. 'They were so dangerous last year.”

The Wildcats (13-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) visit Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Wednesday for a key contest with No. 21 Iowa (12-3, 3-1).

Tipoff is 7 p.m.

Yes, it's early. But as of right now, the Wildcats are contenders.

'They're playing very confidently,” Bluder said. 'We know what they have in store for us.”

Namely, defense.

Northwestern leads the Big Ten in points allowed (56.8 per game) field-goal defense (33.8 percent) and steals (12.3 per game).

So that makes this a nice study in contrasts. Iowa is humming along at nearly 80 points per game. When the Hawkeyes get into the 70s or better, they're 12-0.

The last two NU-Iowa games at Carver have gone down to the wire. The Wildcats pulled a shocker two years ago on a last-second basket, then Iowa prevailed, 90-84, last season.

'Joe (McKeown) is a great coach. He has done a great job recruiting there,” Bluder said. '(Nia) Coffey is a handful.”

Coffey paces the Wildcats at 15.6 points per game.

Northwestern is coming off a 77-70 win over Michigan State on Sunday.

The Hawkeyes handled Purdue 73-61 Sunday, shaking off their head-scratching free-throw difficulties for at least one day. Iowa made 17 of 19 from the stripe.

'I'm glad that's coming around,” Bluder said. 'That's been a little Achilles heel for us.”

Melissa Dixon continues to lead the nation in 3-pointers, with 4.2 per game. She ranks ninth in 3-point accuracy, at 47.4 percent and averages a team-high 16.3 points per game.

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