*written before 2/22*
On Sunday, February 22nd at 12 pm, two dominant women’s basketball teams will face off in the BIG 10: the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan Wolverines. Throughout the season, both teams have been playing well and winning games. The Wolverines are ranked 6th, while the Hawkeyes are ranked 13th.
Both teams have very key players who have been supporting the teams in Michigan, both Olivia Olsen and Mila Holloway. Olivia Olsen leads the team in not only points but also rebounds. This is important because not only can Olsen score, but she can also get the boards to create 2nd chance opportunities.
While Olsen scores, Holloway can get the ball to anyone; she leads the team and assists. When you watch, you can see how much Holloway scans the court to find opportunities to pass or even take it herself.
The Hawkeyes also have some key players who are gonna create a great game. Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden have shown themselves to be some of the most important players on the Hawkeyes. Stuelke is clearly one of the most dominant rebounders. She is always able to get the ball weather it is on offense or defense, which plays a key role in the Hawkeyes playing style.
Heiden is also super important for the Hawkeyes. She is their leader in points per game and can score in pretty much any situation.
Having both these teams with such great players is truly going to make for a super competitive, high-scoring game. In the end, I think that the final score will be 76-73 with Iowa coming out on top.
Although Michigan is ranked better and has one more win, I still think Iowa will win this one. From what I’ve watched, I think that Iowa will come out stronger and want to win more than Michigan, which is super important when playing. If Iowa wants it more and has more energy than Michigan, I don’t think they will be able to keep up.
While I think Iowa will take a decent lead in the first half, I also think that Michigan will wake up and make the game a super close one in the second half, which is why I predicted the game score to end up being so close.
It will definitely be a heated game, and I think both offenses will be able to produce lots of buckets, but also the teams will have to rely on good defense towards the end if it is as close as predicted. This is definitely a game to watch and will end up being an entertaining game no matter what.
