IOWA CITY — After two road survival efforts, Iowa women’s basketball returns to its friendly confines with a massive stretch upcoming.
After easing into league play with a softer schedule to start, the No. 13 Hawkeyes (14-2, 5-0 Big Ten Conference) will charge into the teeth of their Big Ten slate with confidence that it can continue this strong run. Up next is a Jan. 15 showdown with Oregon (14-4, 2-3) in what is the Ducks’ first trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena as a member of the Big Ten.
With that, here are three things to watch.
Can Iowa counter an Oregon team with two strong weapons up top?
A 10-0 start has given way to a 4-4 stretch over Oregon’s last eight games. That included a nice win at USC but also two dramatic home losses to Michigan and Michigan State. Like Iowa, Oregon is still figuring out just how good it really is.
There’s a strong duo at the top in sophomore guard Katie Fiso and senior forward Mia Jacobs, who transferred over after two strong seasons at Fresno State. The full-fledged return of Kylie Feuerbach — who still didn’t start at Indiana and wasn’t necessarily scheduled for 21 minutes until things got dire — should aid Iowa’s defensive effort even more.
“I’m really good now,” Feuerbach said, “so that’s all that matters.”
The Hawkeyes are surrendering fewer than 60 points per game in Big Ten play. It’s on Iowa to show that number isn’t propped up by pedestrian foes, considering the Hawkeyes have already faced the bottom teams in the current conference standings.
After a grueling week on the road, can Chit-Chat Wright continue an ascension as Iowa’s offensive catalyst?
It’s abundantly clear that Iowa’s offense reaches another level when Wright is flowing with confidence and cohesion.
After two heavy workloads last week that came while battling an illness at Northwestern and offensive struggles at Indiana, Wright knows how valuable her contributions are on a nightly basis.
The Indiana comeback offers a perfect microcosm of how much Wright can dictate what direction Iowa goes. In the first half, the Georgia Tech transfer was 1-for-6 shooting and 0-for-3 from deep as the Hawkeyes fell in a hefty hole. Iowa coach Jan Jensen stormed to the locker room after Wright and Heiden fouled up Iowa’s last possession that led to Indiana sneaking one more basket in before the horn.
“Coming out of halftime — Jan getting on me and my team also uplifting me — that was what I needed,” Wright said. “I knew I needed to stay present.
“I actually liked (Jensen’s fiery halftime speech). It motivated me to go out and do what I came here for. And my team also uplifted me. I want to give a shoutout to my team because I was really down on myself. I knew I needed to stay present in the moment with them.”
In the second half, Iowa charged back with Wright supplying nine fourth-quarter points to complete a 16-point comeback. All three of Wright’s late field goals handed Iowa the lead after previously trailing.
Jensen has talked repeatedly about turning up Wright’s assertiveness and how that spills through the entire roster. The Hawkeyes will need all of that against Oregon and all that comes next.
“When she starts to really own the impact (she has),” Jensen said, “I think she’s going to be lethal and an even better leader for us on both sides of the ball. But I think she can become one of the best in the Big Ten.”
To begin a daunting stretch, can Iowa show the mental maturity to lock in on the next task at hand?
The importance of locking in on one foe at a time usually doesn’t lose significance, even if it’s repeated countless times throughout a long year. It’s especially pivotal for these Hawkeyes given what’s on the horizon.
Peering too far down the road can get a little overwhelming. After Oregon leaves town with a potential resume enhancer, four of Iowa’s next five games are against current top-15 teams.
Showdowns against No. 14 Michigan State (Jan. 18), at No. 11 Maryland (Jan. 22), vs. No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 25) and a Los Angeles swing at USC (Jan. 29) and No. 3 UCLA (Feb. 1) will take Iowa to the end of the month. Then comes toss-up home games versus Minnesota (Feb. 5) and Washington (Feb. 11), followed by a trip to Nebraska (Feb. 16). The Hawkeyes really don’t have another potential breather until Feb. 19 at Purdue
The next month will put the Hawkeyes right in the Big Ten crossfire. One night at a time, beginning with Oregon, is the only way to navigate things successfully.
“Taking it one game at a time, not trying to look past one team or another,” Wright said. “Because every game is going to be a dogfight, especially in the Big Ten. So as a team, just taking it one possession at a time, one game at a time, one trip at a time.”
Iowa women’s basketball vs. Oregon prediction
The Hawkeyes get another tight challenge as they wade into deeper Big Ten waters. But the Hawkeyes find enough defensive stops late and ride the home wave to a sixth straight conference win.
Iowa 72, Oregon 66.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa women’s basketball vs. Oregon prediction, 3 things to watch
Reporting by Dargan Southard, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
