It’s hard to beat Caitlin Clark when she goes off for 42, seven and eight, like she did in the No. 6 Iowa Hawkeyes’ 96-82 win over the No. 7 Maryland Terrapins on Feb. 2 in Iowa City. But the Terps had Clark’s number the three times before that and should feel confident that they can get revenge Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in the Red Rush game at Maryland.
On the other side, the Hawkeyes certainly don’t want to slip up, as every game remaining in the regular season and Big Ten Tournament is precious with a No. 1 seed on the line. Both Iowa and Maryland were No. 2 seeds in ESPN’s Friday Bracketology and both could use a win in Tuesday’s game on their resume come Selection Sunday.
You have to like Maryland’s fight this year. Losing Shakira Austin and Taylor Mikesell after 2019-20 via transfer was one thing. After that you knew you still had Ashley Owusu, a rising sophomore in Diamond Miller who had yet to show her full potential and the incoming No. 2 recruit in Angel Reese. Plus you brought in key transfer additions in Chloe Bibby and Katie Benzan. Yes, the 2020-21 Terps were a bit of a surprise and Brenda Frese won National Coach of the Year because of it. But it wasn’t until the departures of Reese and Owusu this past offseason that it truly looked like Maryland…
