Women's NCAA tournament 2022 - How the Creighton Bluejays upset the Iowa Hawkeyes and Caitlin Clark

IOWA CITY, Iowa — It's somewhat rare to hear coaches acknowledge they would rather be facing a different opponent, but Iowa Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder said just that before taking on the Creighton Bluejays in the second round of the 2022 NCAA women's basketball tournament.

«I was actually hoping to play Colorado,» Bluder said Saturday of the No. 7 seed, which fell to the No. 10 Bluejays in the first round. «I thought we matched up with Colorado a little bit better, because with Creighton playing a five-guard offense, basically, it's harder for us to defense them.»

That statement proved prescient, as things played out like a nightmare scenario for No. 2 seed Iowa in Sunday's 64-62 second-round loss to Creighton. The teams have played each other in preseason scrimmages the past several years and knew what to expect from each other Sunday. But Creighton got the best of the Hawkeyes for most of the game.

Iowa struggled to defend and rebound in the upset, and also had a difficult day offensively, getting its lowest point total in star guard Caitlin Clark's two seasons in Iowa City. What went wrong for the Hawkeyes? What went right for Creighton? And what's next for both?

The Hawkeyes got smoked there, and it was a major factor in the game. The smaller Bluejays run a five-out offense and are used to the long rebounds that often produces, plus they do a terrific job of tipping rebounds to teammates.

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«Rebounding is a huge focus, not in just this game but in every single game throughout the year,» Creighton's Payton Brotzki said. «Even this morning, we talked about it a lot. Super proud of us for getting that done.»

The Bluejays