Although the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball team faced Iowa to open the Big Ten season at the Kohl Center, the team they will face Thursday in Iowa City will have a new look.
Beginning with a Jan. 26 victory over Michigan, the Hawkeyes have featured a three-guard lineup with freshman Kamille Wahlin starting in place of an injured JoAnn Hamlin. Without the services of the 6-foot-3-inch forward, Iowa has developed into a much more perimeter-based team, featuring Kristi Smith, Wendy Ausdemore and Wahlin — all of whom possess strong shooting ability from beyond the arc.
While Wisconsin (15-11, 5-10 Big Ten) will have to adjust to the new-look Iowa lineup, it plays into the Badgers’ strengths for the most part, as they also start a three-guard lineup.
“We match up better size-wise that way,” UW head coach Lisa Stone said. “Ausdemore is probably the toughest matchup because she’s now going to force Tara (Steinbauer) to guard her out on the perimeter and try to come off screens.”
The last time the two teams met, Iowa had just defeated Drake on the road and carried its momentum to the Kohl Center, shooting its way to victory and snapping the Badgers’ 10-game winning streak.
Ausdemore led all scorers in the game with 20 points on 6-of-8 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.
“It will be a challenge,” Steinbauer said of guarding Ausdemore. “I’m used to the inside game and banging around a little bit more, but I have the utmost faith in myself and my coaching staff — they’re going to do the best they can to prepare me to guard her. I know she’s a really good 3-point shooter and I’m going to have to stay out on the wing a little bit more with her.”
In conference play, Wahlin leads the Big Ten with a 2.21 assist-to-turnover ratio. By comparison, Minnesota’s Emily Fox ranks second at 1.59. Also among the Big Ten leaders are guards Kachine Alexander and Smith, who rank third and fifth, respectively.
Alexander is also among the conference leaders in rebounding, ranking third with 9.6 boards per game despite her size as a 5-foot-9-inch guard.
Iowa’s ability to control the ball — the Hawkeyes also lead the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio as a team — has been a major factor in becoming the league’s top scoring offense in conference play with 68.6 points per game.
The Hawkeyes have needed to score nearly 70 points per game because they also rank last in the Big Ten in points allowed in conference games, giving up 65.9 points per game. With defense being what the Badgers depend on for success, it should be an intriguing matchup.
“It’s going to be a big challenge to stop their offense,” UW guard Alyssa Karel said. “They’re really good shooters and they have a pretty good post game as well. We’ve just got to make sure we anticipate stuff and we’re not reacting to them.”
Smith, the Hawkeyes’ 5-foot-6-inch senior guard, has been impressive throughout the entire season, but really excelled in Big Ten play as her team has found its stride, winning eight of 10 going into Thursday’s game.
With an average of 15.6 points per game, Smith ranks fourth in the conference in scoring in league games. Smith also leads the Big Ten from beyond the arc, hitting 2.79 threes per contest.
When you factor in Smith’s scoring ability with Ausdemore’s 3-point shooting and the Hawkeyes’ general ability to take care of the ball, it’s easy to understand why Iowa has been so successful in the Big Ten so far, sitting in fifth place with a 9-5 record in Big Ten play and a 16-9 mark overall.
“They are very, very powerful offensively; you can’t stop any one of them because then somebody else is going to make you pay,” Stone said of the Hawkeyes. “Kristi Smith is one of the best guards in the conference, Skouby is a 6-foot-8 post player, and then you’ve got Wendy Ausdemore who can really shoot it.
“Even if you try to stop them, Kachine Alexander has had a triple-double on two occasions and has been Big Ten player of the week, and then you’ve got Wahlin, who is another shooter.”
