December 6, 2012: Cheerleaders and pom squads from both sides perform before the Iowa-ISU women’s basketball game.
In 2010, with some decent hopes for the 16th-ranked ISU women’s basketball team, I went to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time to see the in-state matchup with the 19th-ranked Hawkeyes.
The Cyclone women put up their lowest point total of the season in a 62-40 blowout, languished in the 20s in the polls for most of the rest of the season, and flamed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Marist.
In 2012, after a successful defense of Hilton Coliseum the previous year, I went over to Iowa City again. But Chelsea Poppens was out from a concussion, and the women again put up their lowest point total of the season in a 50-42 loss that could charitably be described as “sloppy”.
I wasn’t going to go this year, but now that I’m embedded in Hawkeye country (and you weren’t before? -Ed.), it’ll be easier to attend, and I can do that much. If it’s another eventual season-low score, though, I may have to stay away in the future, for the good of the team.
The home team has won this matchup 12 of the past 13 years. This year, the Hawks are ranked 24th and ISU isn’t even receiving votes.
Did you notice the ISU women are not playing UNI this season? Bill Fennelly has been on record as favoring in-state matchups, so it’s a very curious omission.