Hawkeyes Blast Badgers in 1st Round of B1G Tourney
Last night, I saw a different Lucy Olsen than what I’m accustomed to seeing night after night sitting on the hardwood. The familiar smile was there. The joy she plays with was certainly there. But tonight, Lucy Olsen looked like she was truly on a mission. Big shots, especially in the first half, didn’t come with that familiar smile. They came with a vengeance. Her teammates followed suit - all the way to the bench. Callie Levin was especially animated on the bench, leaning into every single play with aggressive cheering and support of her teammates. The assistant coaches were noticeably more vocal than I’ve ever heard, especially Sean Sullivan. That bench was hype!
It was especially fun to see Levin enter the game and start packing the stat sheet with assists. Every single healthy Hawkeye got some minutes in the game, which will certainly be helpful to preserve the legs of the starters seeking to make a deep run.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out in round 2 against Michigan State. Obviously, there is a revenge factor from the only matchup of the season going in favor of Sparty.
The Hawkeyes, who blasted Wisconsin 81-54, were never threatened like they were in the final game of the regular season at Carver-Hawkeye. This team seems poised to do some serious damage in this tournament.
