Iowa women’s basketball vs. Nebraska prediction, 3 keys to the game

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Iowa women's basketball vs. Nebraska prediction, 3 keys to the game

Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after Hawkeyes beat Washington

IOWA CITY — Circling back for its only two-play of the Big Ten season, No. 12 Iowa women’s basketball is locked in on extending Nebraska’s misery.

The Hawkeyes (19-5, 10-3 Big Ten Conference) and Cornhuskers (16-9, 5-9) are set to collide for a President’s Day matinee at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. The 11 a.m. CT showdown sees Iowa and Nebraska link back up after the Hawkeyes picked up an 86-76 home win on New Year’s Day.

With that, here are three things to watch for round two.

Can Iowa avoid playing good sport in another spot where a struggling foe needs to get right?

Since colliding in Carver-Hawkeye Arena some six weeks ago, these teams have largely trended in opposite directions. Iowa has eyes on hosting NCAA Tournament games. Nebraska is trying to hang on to a bubble spot.

Which makes this a perfect representation of what Iowa faced when it played at USC on Jan. 29, a game where the Hawkeyes suffered an 81-69 loss to give the Trojans life for the first time in a while. Nebraska has dropped four straight, seven of nine — and desperately needs something positive. A huge rivalry upset would certainly do the trick.

After dropping three straight, including a stunning home loss to Minnesota, the Hawkeyes seemed to mentally recalibrate with their Feb. 11 win over Washington. Remaining dialed in like that is the best way to navigate through any upcoming upset vibes in Lincoln.

Hear from Hannah Stuelke, Chit-Chat Wright after Iowa women’s basketball beats Washington

After re-discovering defensive stability vs. Washington, what kind of resistance can Iowa put up vs. Britt Prince?

Iowa took a circuitous route to “limiting” Britt Prince in the first matchup. The Hawkeyes watched as Prince delivered a game-high 27 points on 10-for-18 shooting, but Jan Jensen’s squad held her to nothing over the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter. That allowed Iowa to pull away down the stretch.

Perhaps most significant is that unlike the first matchup, the Hawkeyes will have Kylie Feuerbach to deploy on defense. The veteran guard was out with an ankle injury for the first meeting and should be able to provide more defensive consistency than what Iowa showed the first time.

Still, Prince is able to rise above all Iowa throws at her. She’s averaging 18 points per game in three career matchups against the Hawkeyes, with the potential to erupt at any point.

Does Taylor Stremlow’s role continue to grow in what could be another tight affair on the road?

Coming off playing the most minutes since Iowa’s first Nebraska meeting, Stremlow seems lined up to make a second consecutive start in place of Addie Deal. Stremlow played 32 minutes against Washington in what was her first start since Jan. 11 at Indiana.

With Iowa needing defensive intensity down the stretch to put Washington away, Stremlow’s productivity was the first sign of success post-Taylor McCabe. The Hawkeyes will need their sophomore sparkplug to deliver more of that in what could be another tense affair away from home.

Little has come easy on the road since Iowa’s 43-point drubbing at Rutgers on Dec. 6. The Hawkeyes are 3-3 in true road games since — with the wins being a grueling effort at Northwestern (67-58), a 16-point comeback at Indiana (56-53) and an OT survival effort at Maryland (85-78). So don’t expect everything to run smoothly at Nebraska.