Coatney's Call: Iowa Game Preview

#19 Nebraska (16-3, 5-2) vs. Iowa (11-9, 3-4)
Thursday, Jan. 26, 7:06 p.m. (central)
Bob Devaney Sports Center (Lincoln, Neb.)
Radio: 25-Station Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln); The Wolf 93.3 FM-KTWI (Omaha); 1400 AM-KCOW (Alliance); 94.1 FM-KNEB (Scottsbluff); 1450 AM-KWBE (Beatrice)
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com
Live Internet Video: BTN.com (subscription required) 

Sunday's Nebraska versus Minnesota matchup was a rare game at the Devaney Center in which it was OK to wear blue and cheer for the Huskers.  Sophomore forward Jordan Hooper had plenty of support from people adorned in Alliance Bulldog-blue on 'Hometown Husker Day'. J-Hoop posted her 10th 20-point scoring performance of the season in NU's 64-49 win. 

Freshman Emily Cady continued her excellent play in conference action. She had 13 points, seven rebounds, hit a career-high three three-pointers and added two steals. Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., captured her first Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Tuesday after averaging 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game last week.

In Big Ten play, Cady is averaging 13.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. To make those numbers a little more meaningful, Hooper averaged 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while earning Big 12 All-Freshman honors a year ago. 

Cady's fellow freshman starting forward Hailie Sample added a career-high 10 points while pitching in seven rebounds, as Nebraska improved to 16-3 on the season and 5-2 in conference play.  The Huskers stay home and will try for a regular-season sweep of the Iowa Hawkeyes Thursday night. 

Iowa has lost three of their last four games, including a 77-72 setback to Nebraska in Iowa City on Jan. 8.  The Hawkeyes lost by two points at Purdue, defeated Wisconsin at home 69-57 and lost at Penn State last Sunday 68-52.  Iowa is 9-2 at home this season, but only 1-6 on the road (0-3 in Big Ten games). All four of Iowa's Big Ten losses have come at the hands of top-25 opponents, and the Huskers will be the Hawkeyes' fifth top-25 foe in eight Big Ten games. 

The Hawkeyes led Penn State 50-48 with 6:30 to play, but PSU closed the game on a 20-2 run. The Lady Lions out-rebounded Iowa 53-34 (+19).  The Hawkeyes, who depend on the long ball for a significant portion of their scoring, were just 6-28 from beyond the arc. Jaime Printy and Kelly Krei were a combined 1-for-17 on three-point field goal attempts. 

Iowa leads the nation in team free throw percentage (.822). Printy, a 5-11 junior, leads the Big Ten and is 12th nationally in free throw percentage (108-of-120, .900).  She leads the team in scoring (17.8 ppg), assists, steals and three-pointers (38).  Printy was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2009-10 and was a three-time captain at Linn-Mar High School, the alma mater of Hawkeye Head Coach Lisa Bluder. Printy had a game-high 27 points in the earlier meeting this season with Nebraska. 

Junior Morgan Johnson, a 6-5 center, had a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Huskers. She leads the team in rebounds (6.4 rpg) and blocked shots, while ranking second on the team in scoring (14.3 ppg). Johnson's .795 free throw percentage ranks second nationally among true centers. 

Kamille Wahlin, a 5-8 senior guard, has hit 202 career three-pointers, which ranks first among all current Big Ten players, just ahead of Printy's 190. Wahlin had 12 points in the earlier meeting with the Huskers. She averages 11.3 points per game. 

Freshman point guard Samantha Logic was a WBCA, McDonalds and Parade High School All-Amercian and was the Wisconsin High School Player of the Year last season. She had four points and four rebounds in the first meeting with Nebraska. Logic averages 7.5 points per game and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.

Iowa has used the same starting lineup in all 20 games this season, including 6-2 senior forward Kelly Krei. She averages 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Krei did not score but contributed six rebounds and two steals against NU earlier this season.

Head Cocach Lisa Bluder is in her 12th year at Iowa and is a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.  Under her direction, the Hawkeyes have advanced to 10 postseason appearances (eight NCAA and two WNIT).  She is the dean of Big Ten coaches.  Bluder was a three-time Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year during her tenure as the head coach at Drake.  She is in her 28th season overall as a head coach.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska women's basketball on the Husker Sports Network. Our radio broadcast Thursday begins with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 6:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network, including Lincoln affiliate KBBK 107.3 FM (B107.3), KTWI 93.3 FM (The Wolf 93.3) in Omaha, KCOW 1400 in Alliance, KWBE 1450 in Beatrice, KNEB 94.1 FM in Scottsbluff and available to our entire 25 network stations.  All Husker women's basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker women's basketball via social media.  You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women's Basketball Facebook  page or follow the team on their official Twitter page @huskerswbb.  I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red! 

Matt