Iowa Women's Basketball Vs. Fairfield Prediction, What To Watch

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IOWA CITY – Arriving with Iowa City’s first significant snowfall this winter is an interesting Iowa women’s basketball foe that is capable of causing problems.

The Hawkeyes (7-0) welcome Fairfield for Iowa’s second Sunday home game of the season. The matchup, scheduled for noon on Nov. 30 on the Big Ten Network, will begin with an abundance of white on the ground, following a pile of several inches of snow beginning on Black Friday evening.

However, it will take more than bad weather to derail the bustling scene at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This is especially true as Fairfield’s consistent NCAA Tournament appearances continue to highlight its mid-major prowess. This should be Iowa’s toughest home test yet.

With that said, here are three things to watch and a prediction for the contest.

Can Iowa value the intangibles against a program that isn’t afraid of big moments?

It can be easy to get into the scheduling routine of taking on local foes to fill the necessary mid-major spots on any Power 4 non-conference schedule. Drake and Northern Iowa are already on Iowa’s slate every season, and there are plenty of others to choose from nearby.

So credit the Hawkeyes for thinking outside the box in this case, and congratulations to Fairfield for accepting the challenge. The first-ever matchup between these two programs has the chance to benefit everyone involved.

So what’s on Staggs’s recent resume? For starters, Fairfield was a No. 13 seed two years ago and a No. 12 seed last season, going 59-7 overall in those two campaigns. They have won bye games at Rutgers, Arkansas and Wake Forest. And while none of this compares to the situation he faces in Iowa, it at least provides a source of confidence in an otherwise challenging landscape.

Fairfield’s top two scorers return for this season in Meghan Anderson (20 ppg) and Katy L’Amoro (18.6 ppg). The current Stags (4-1) have followed their predecessors with a solid start, including wins over Villanova and South Florida as well as a competitive loss to North Carolina. The visit to Iowa is part of an eight-game series where Fairfield will play just two home games.

While a win at Carver-Hawkeye Arena would still be surprising, the Stags should, at the very least, test Iowa better than Southern, Evansville, Drake, Northern Iowa and even Western Illinois. All experiences are good experiences right now for this young hockey team.

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Hear from Taylor McCabe, Eddie Deal after Iowa beats Western Illinois

Can Eddie Deal play another strong game on top of his Western Illinois performance?

Chit-chat Considering Wright (upper body) and Emily Rodriguez (back) are still considered day-to-day, the Fairfield matchup should be another extended run for AD Deal.

The freshman guard broke the first hurdle with a breakout showing against Western Illinois, putting up 17 points, five assists and three rebounds in a season-high 31 minutes. Now is the time to pile up productive days.

For many highly touted newcomers, it is a question of consistency and not ability. Continued strong performances with Iowa will go a long way in helping Deal’s early confidence.

Can Iowa continue its defensive perimeter dominance against a free-shooting Fairfield team?

Currently ranked as the Big Ten’s No. 4 team in 3-point defense (25.4%), Iowa will need to have a complete performance against a Fairfield team that loves to fire.

The Stags rank eighth nationally in 3-point attempts per game (31) and 37th nationally in 3-point percentage (36.8%). Anderson and L’Amoureux are both shooting better than 40% from deep.

This will be another good defensive challenge for the Hawkeyes as that team played well in both of their WBCA Showcase wins.