Iowa and Iowa State Women Going Dancing, May Face Off in Sweet 16
After competing in their respective conference tournament finals, the Hawkeyes and Cyclones are headed to the Women's NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks, who defeated the Indiana Hoosiers, 74-67, in the Big 10 Tournament Championship, are a two-seed and will take on fifteen-seed and Missouri Valley Champion, Illinois State.
The Redbirds defeated UNI in the MVC title game, 50-48. Their leading scorer is Juliunn Redmond, who averages 17.3 points per game, and second in scoring is DeAnna Wilson with 13.4.
Illinois State entered the tournament the four-seed after finishing with a 19-13 record and going 12-6 in conference play.
After falling to the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Tournament Championship, 82-73 (OT), the three-seed Cyclones will play fourteen-seed UT-Arlington.
The second-seeded Mavericks won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, defeating top-seeded Troy by a final score of 76-61. They finished their season with a 20-7 overall record while going 11-4 in conference play.
Their leading scorer is Starr Jacobs, who averaged 21.1 points per game.
They will each be playing their first round games at home on March 18.
And if things fall right for both teams in their first two contests, they may play each other in the Sweet 16, as they're positioned in the same portion of the bracket, the Greensboro region.
If Iowa makes it past Illinois State, they'll play the winner of seven-seed Colorado vs. ten-seed Creighton. Should the Cyclones top UT-Arlington, they'll play the winner of six-seed Georgia vs. eleven-seed Dayton or DePaul (play-in game).
Last season, the Hawkeye women fell to top-seeded UConn in the Sweet 16, 82-72.
Iowa State lost to second-seed Texas A&M in the second round of the tournament in an overtime loss, 84-82.