With about half of the regular season remaining, No. 20 Illinois and Iowa sit on opposite ends of the spectrum but want to head in the same direction. The two will face off in a Big Ten matchup Saturday.

Illinois is coming off a disappointing conference loss at Minnesota, where the Illini were without nationally ranked junior all-arounder Mary Jane Horth. In the preseason polls, Illinois was No. 15 and has yet to move up in the rankings. Perhaps returning to their “home sweet Huff” will give them the edge and energy they need to succeed.

Iowa, on the other hand, has been successful in every Big Ten matchup so far this season. They are the only Big Team undefeated in conference and look to maintain that. Originally ranked at No. 29 in the preseason poll, Iowa fluctuated for the first two weeks but has only gone up since then. This week, Iowa sits just outside the top 25 at No. 26.

The meet marks the Illini’s annual Think Pink meet to raise breast cancer awareness and honor those affected by the disease.

Illinois

After five weeks of competition, Illinois has yet to break 196.000. Their current high is 195.725. The team has maintained good scores on the final two events with a national rank on beam (No. 11) and floor (No. 15), led by two all-arounders, freshman Lizzy LeDuc and senior Giana O’Connor, respectively. These events are the only two Illinois has reached a 49.000 or above on so far this season.

Philippine National Team member LeDuc has gained confidence on the four-inch apparatus after winning her first event title at Penn State. Some skills to look out for an Onodi and a leap series including a sheep jump.



All-American O’Connor has already won three of five possible event titles on floor exercise this season. Her landings are clean and her dramatic floor routine features big tumbling, most notably her jam-packed first pass (front tuck to round-off back handspring double tuck).



Despite previous national rankings on bars, the Illini have dropped out of the top-25 on the event due to a lack of consistency. On bars, the Illini are normally led by Horth, who was sidelined with a lower body injury last week against Minnesota. Their season high on the event is a 48.850, which they accomplished at their last home meet against Michigan.



Vault has been a weakness for Illinois so far this season, partially due to the devaluation of the Yurchenko full and partially due to the lack of difficulty in its lineup.
For all five meets of the season so far, Illinois has competed at least one Yurchenko layout, sometimes two. Regardless, the team has counted less-than-ideal scores, ranging from 9.525 to 9.700. However, Illinois is progressing and is starting to count scores closer to 9.800, usually from O’Connor.

Watch O'Connor on vault:



Other Illini to watch:
Erin Buchanan - vault and floor
Bridget Hodan - beam
Sunny Kato - bars and beam

Iowa

The Hawkeyes had a slow start to the season scoring a low 192.350 but have steadily progressed. In their latest meet, the Hawkeyes scored a season-high 196.650 in an upset versus the higher-ranked Nebraska Huskers.

Iowa is nationally ranked on three events: vault (No. 21), bars (No. 22) and floor (No. 20).

The vault lineup has progressed well, scoring above 49.000 for the past two meets with counting scores ranging from 9.700 to 9.850.

Junior Angel Metcalf leads tops the rankings for the Hawkeyes on bars. Metcalf has only scored below a 9.800 on the event twice this season, both of which were counting scores in the 9.700 range. Her routine includes a piked jaeger and a double layout dismount that allows her to demonstrate her hit handstands and clean lines.



On beam, Mollie Drenth is a Hawkeye to watch. The junior all-arounder has unique mount showcasing her flexibility and strength, and her leap series is a beat jump to sheep jump combo.



Floor is the Hawkeye’s best event in terms of rank, and it’s where senior Alie Glover leads the way and anchors the rotation. Although she hasn’t hit every routine this season, her score has always counted. Her passes aren’t the most difficult, but she can execute the double pike, front full to punch front, and double tuck well.



Other Hawkeyes to watch:
Johanny Sotillo - Vault, bars, and beam
Melissa Zurawski - bars and floor


The meet begins at 4 PM CT. Live stats and a live stream will be available.


Related:
Illinois vs. Michigan
Cancun Classic Videos