Caitlin Clark, Iowa set for top-10 tilt with Virginia Tech on Thursday at Spectrum Center

Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder remembers being approached about playing an early-season contest at Spectrum Center.

She committed to playing in the Ally Tipoff before knowing who the Hawkeyes’ opponent would be. Once their date with Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. on Thursday was confirmed, Bluder said the matchup between two of last spring’s Final Four teams will pose an opponent that mirrors them.

“I think they’re better than they were last year,” Bluder told reporters in Iowa City on Wednesday. “I was ready to play this game against what we knew was going to be a great opponent, no matter who it was. I think we got the best of the crop that they were talking about when they signed Virginia Tech.”

No. 3 Iowa (1-0), which lost to LSU in last season’s national championship game, is led by reigning national player of the year Caitlin Clark.

The star shooter became the first Division I women’s basketball player to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season. She also broke a bevy of records in the tournament, including becoming the only player in NCAA women’s tournament history to record back-to-back 40-point games, along with nailing eight 3-pointers in the title game.

“We get to go out here and compete against really great teams,” Clark said Monday. “We’re gonna see where we are with Virginia Tech, a team that I think is very similar to where we are and the way we play basketball. Very up-tempo, offensive-minded team. It’s gonna be a great challenge for us.”

A key matchup Thursday night will be in the post, with Iowa’s Sharon Goodman going up against No. 8 Virginia Tech (1-0) graduate student Elizabeth Kitley.

Goodman missed the 2021-22 season with a torn ACL and saw minimal action last season behind Monika Czinano. The redshirt junior made her first start since high school Monday and scored 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the Hawkeyes’ 102-46 blowout of Fairleigh Dickinson.

Kitley, a two-time ACC player of the year, started the Hokies’ 94-55 thumping of High Point on Monday 6-of-6 from the field and finished with a game-high 27 points. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 16.3 points last season and is Virginia Tech’s career leader in points, field goals, blocks and double-doubles.

“We’re also aware of the opportunity this is to build a resume,” Kitley told reporters in Blacksburg on Tuesday. “When they’re seeding coming in March or whenever that happens, people are going to look back on this game. We’re aware of that, but we also just know it’s a good opportunity to play and see where we’re at early against a really good opponent.”

In Iowa’s big win Monday, Clark, now a senior, put up 28 points (11-of-17 shooting) while on the court for 23 minutes.

Defensively, she’ll be helping efforts to slow down Hokies junior Georgia Amoore, another sharpshooter who often goes to her left taking step-back 3-pointers — similarly to Clark, Bluder noted.

“She does have similarities to Caitlin,” said Iowa senior guard Gabbie Marshall, who will likely be matched up with Amoore. “It helps having to guard Caitlin every day at practice. You’re getting the best of the best every day.”

Both Iowa (31-7, 15-3 Big Ten last season) and Virginia Tech (31-5, 14-4 ACC), coached by eighth-year skipper Kenny Brooks, have played in their shares of big games during the past few seasons.

Thursday’s contest at Spectrum Center is no different. But like she felt when she was told the Hawkeyes would see the Hokies in this marquee matchup, Bluder realizes it’s an opportunity for growth early in the season.

“If we win, it’s not the end of the season; If we lose, it’s not the end of the season,” Bluder said Monday. “We’re gonna go play in a great environment on a neutral court in a great basketball city.”

How to watch Caitlin Clark in Charlotte

Tipoff: 8 p.m.

Tickets: Visit the Spectrum Center website: spectrumcenter.com

TV: ESPN2 (Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli)

Streaming: ESPN.com/ESPN App