Iowa asserts itself as epicenter of Big Ten women’s basketball

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The morning started with ESPN’s “College GameDay.” By mid-afternoon, the game was destined for ESPN Classic.

No. 6 Iowa beat No. 2 Indiana 86-85 in arguably the greatest women’s college basketball game played at 40-year-old Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Arguably the best player in America made one of the greatest shots in league history. And arguably the best environment in Big Ten women’s basketball history added another chapter to its indelible legacy.

But as much as the Hawkeyes secured the buzzer-beating win against the Big Ten champion Hoosiers, this victory embodies more than just the outcome. The sport gained just as much from the environment as Iowa did from the final score.

“That was just an unbelievable game for women’s basketball,” Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said. “Two really good basketball teams in an unbelievable environment. It’s exactly everything you want, and obviously, the good guys won in the end.”

With their fifth-ever sellout, the Hawkeyes averaged 10,738 fans per home game this season, crushing the previous conference mark of 10,455 set by Wisconsin in 1997-98. ESPN’s pregame show aired before a live audience for just the third time at a women’s game this season, and it was the first time in Iowa City…