IU, Iowa to tangle in second round

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - Lisa Bluder still has Kathi Bennett's number.\nBetween the two coaches, whose career paths have moved in similar directions, Bluder's teams have beaten Bennett's.\nA third change in prominence -- with both coaches moving to the Big Ten -- didn't change much. Bluder's Hawkeyes smashed the Hoosiers 83-56 Feb. 4 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.\nLooking to break the funk, Bennett will bring the seventh-seeded Hoosiers to a rematch with No. 2 Iowa at 6 p.m. tonight in a quarterfinal game in the Big Ten's Women's Basketball Grand Tournament. The winner advances to the semifinals Saturday night.\n"We're the underdog," said senior guard Rainey Alting of the match-up. "We have nothing to lose."\nBluder, in her first season in Iowa City, took the Hawkeyes to a 17-9 record, with a 12-4 Big Ten mark. For her efforts, Bluder was named Big Ten Coach of the Year Tuesday by both the media and the coaches.\nBluder sat courtside for IU's 78-56 win against 10th-seeded Minnesota.\n"They're a different team basically," said Bluder of the Hoosiers. "Indiana played with a lot of intensity." \nAn extra day of rest won't help the Hawkeyes, Bluder said. In fact, she said her team's practice Thursday in Iowa City was more taxing than IU's rout of the Gophers.\n"We probably practiced harder than they had to play," Bluder said. "It's almost an advantage of them. They've had an extra shoot-around. They know the gym. It wasn't a tough game for them physically or emotionally either."\nThe Hawkeyes line up with one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten. Junior Lindsey Meder, a first team All-Big Ten selection, and senior Cara Consuegra, a first-team coaches pick for All-Big Ten, combine for 27 points per game.\nAgainst IU, the two were on their averages; Meder scored 17 and Consuegra pumped in nine. But the big problem for the Hoosiers in the first meeting was the inside duo of Randi Peterson and Jennie Lillis. Peterson, a first-team media All-Big Ten selection, abused IU junior forward Jill Chapman for 13 points and 10 rebounds. Lillis, a freshman, added 16 points and rebounds against IU.\nUndersized, the Hawkeye duo was able to use its quickness against Chapman and the trio of post players IU presented Iowa.\n"We were able to get Chapman in foul trouble and that helped our offense," Bluder said. "She can control a game, so it was important to have that happen. It will be important again tomorrow."\nWhile Bluder has had the luxury of watching IU tape all week, Bennett hasn't seen any Hawkeye action since the last time the two teams met. Bennett said she will be up late getting her team ready for the No. 23 Hawkeyes.\n"We haven't seen a thing on Iowa," Bennett said. "We've been busy worrying about Minnesota. We'll go back and spend a lot of time looking at tapes of Iowa. Iowa's a very good, quick transition team"