The Terps face their biggest road test of the season.
Maryland women’s basketball has little time to enjoy its 13th straight victory over Rutgers, as the Terps get just two days off before they endure their next conference challenge.
Maryland faces by far its toughest road test of the season as it travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on the No. 23 Hawkeyes.
The game will begin at 6 p.m. and broadcast on Big Ten Network.
Iowa Hawkeyes (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten)
In their first season without the biggest star in women’s basketball, the Hawkeyes have been tasked with filling the void left by Caitlin Clark. So far, they have completed the task pretty well, losing only two games, both to ranked teams (No. 21 Michigan State and No. 15 Tennessee).
Head coach Jan Jensen took over after 24 years as associate head coach when longtime head coach Lisa Bluder retired. Jansen has led the program to plenty of success before Clark and is on a mission to prove she can do it again. But her squad is still looking for a win against a team in the current top 25.
Players to watch
Hannah Stuelke, junior forward, 6-foot-2, No. 45 — After playing important roles on two different teams that made it to the national championship, Stuelke is back as a veteran leader this year. She is the Hawkeyes’ primary post threat and is an efficient scorer around the rim, averaging 13.6 points per game on just under 50% from the field. She will be an interesting matchup for Maryland’s front court.
Lucy Olsen, senior guard, 5-foot-10, No. 33 — Olsen was Jensen’s headline transfer portal addition after she spent three seasons at Villanova, capped off by a junior year in which she won Big East Most Improved Player. Olsen, a former teammate of Christina Dalce, has replaced a lot of the field goal attempts left vacant by Clark and been their biggest volume scorer. She is averaging just under 17 points and more than five assists per game.
Addison O’Grady, senior center, 6-foot-4, No. 44 — O’Grady was on both national championship squads and has seen a huge increase in her role in her senior season. From playing mostly as a reserve to becoming the Hawkeyes’ starting center, O’Grady averages 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Strength
Pedigree. Iowa has spent multiple seasons at the apex of women’s college hoops and is unlikely to be phased by anything the Terps throw at it. During that time, it has enjoyed plenty of success against the Terps, going 3-1 in its last four matchups against Maryland.
Weakness
Defense. The Hawkeyes have not been a good defensive team this season, relying on outpacing their opponents to secure victories. Iowa, who is allowing the fifth-most points per game in the conference, could struggle to get stops against a Maryland team with a variety of offensive weapons.
Three things to watch
1. Starting five. Maryland forward Christina Dalce has struggled recently, playing a season-low eight minutes in Maryland’s win over Rutgers. Allie Kubek played much better off the bench and had one of her best games of the season, scoring 17 points. Signs point to Kubek returning to the starting five, but Maryland head coach Brenda Frese will need Dalce’s defensive prowess against Iowa’s bigs.
2. Sellers in attack mode? In Maryland’s Thursday night victory over Rutgers, Shyanne Sellers had her most aggressive offensive performance of the year, putting up 22 points. Whether that trend continues on the road against the Hawkeyes will be something to watch.
3. Can Maryland avoid a sloppy start? In Maryland’s last two true road games against Syracuse and Purdue, it got off to slow starts that it eventually overcame. The Terps will need to avoid that against a team of the Hawkeyes’ caliber, which could put them in a hole too big to dig out of.