Megan Duffy passed the first test of her career at Virginia Tech, knocking off UNC Wilmington 99-57 in the season opener, but now she faces a steeper challenge against a power conference in Iowa.
Four basketball powerhouses take the floor in the Ally Tipoff, as South Carolina and NC State face off in a Final Four rematch at 3 p.m., while Iowa and Virginia Tech face off for a second-straight year at 5:30 p.m. after a classic game last year that resulted in an 80-76 Iowa win. Caitlin Clark dropped 44, while Georgia Amoore went for 31 in a battle of the All-American guards.
However, this year's Hokies versus Hawkeyes matchup is a game of uncertainty as both teams lost their superstar talents in Liz Kitley and Amoore for the Hokies and Clark for the Hawkeyes. Tonight, both teams will learn a lot about their young rosters in a game Virginia Tech head coach Megan Duffy called “a measuring stick” for the season.
The Hokies have a much more balanced team than a year ago, as there are a variety of players who can seemingly lead Virginia Tech in scoring on any given night. Without Elizabeth Kitley and Clara Strack, the Hokies find themselves a bit undersized, with 6'2'' Rose Micheaux expected to get the bulk of the center minutes. Iowa center Addison O’Grady, who had 12 points in just 14 minutes in the opener, will have the height advantage for much of her minutes, so it will be a good test for Micheaux as she will be undersized for much of ACC play.
Iowa also boasts a more balanced offensive attack, with six players entering double figures in their 91 to 73 win over Northern Illinois. The Hokies' aggressive defense will have their hands full with Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, who had 19 points and seven assists in the opener. Olsen averaged 23 points per game on her way to an All-Big East First Team appearance last season, and figures to be the Hawkeyes leading scorer this year.
Despite strong starts to both of their seasons, both squads still have more questions than answers. Can Iowa remain on the national scene without all-time women's basketball legend Caitlin Clark? Can Megan Duffy rebuild this Hokies roster and bring them back to the NCAA Tournament in just her first year at the helm in Blacksburg? This game serves as an opportunity for both teams to find out what they’re made of against big time opponents.
Keys to the Game
Three-Point Battle
It is clear that the Hokies are going to look to pound the ball inside this season, but they’re still going to have to spread the floor and on paper, they have the shooters to do so.
Megan Duffy hopes paint touches and three point shooting will go hand in hand for this roster saying, “oftentimes you can get threes off of paint touches.” Against Northern Illinois, Iowa allowed the Huskies to knock down 12 triples, while they made nine of their 29 attempts from long range. If the season opener is any indication, the Hawkeyes will be reliant on knocking down threes, but they also will allow their opponents to get their fair share of three-point opportunities.
If the Hokies shooters like Matilda Ekh, Carys Baker and Lani White can knock down open shots, it will spread the floor and allow them to attack the basket with ease.
Turnover Battle
One weakness of young teams is often their ability to take care of the ball. Ball security was virtually the only problem a dominant Hokies offense experienced against UNCW, giving it away 16 times in that game. While Tech had an impressive 23 assists, they can’t afford to lose possessions against a team like the Hawkeyes.
Iowa gave it away 14 times in their opener, and will certainly be challenged by a Virginia Tech team that now plays aggressive, deny defense with Megan Duffy on the sideline.
Key Matchup: Lucy Olsen vs Samyha Suffren
While this matchup likely won’t be on display at the beginning of the game, as Suffren comes off the bench for the Hokies, Megan Duffy needs to find a way to slow down Olsen, who led the Big East in scoring just a year ago.
When it comes to a perimeter stopper, Suffren likely serves as the best option, as she has the speed and lateral quickness to hound guards 94 feet up the floor. Olsen will attempt to assert herself on this big stage, but Suffren will hope to slow her down and tire her out with deny defense and full court pressure.
Prediction: Iowa 81, Virginia Tech 75
While the Hokies will keep it close behind fast paced scoring and plenty of points in the paint, it won’t be enough as their inexperience will shine through. Virginia Tech doesn’t have the three-point shooting firepower they did last year and will lose a close battle against the Hawkeyes, behind a big night from star transfer Lucy Olsen.
