Iowa Women's Basketball Coach C. Vivian Stringer is used to success. In her 22-year collegiate coaching career, she has never had a losing season.

In her 11 seasons at the helm of the Hawkeyes, Stringer has won six Big Ten titles, had 10 consecutive 20-win seasons and nine straight NCAA tournament appearances.

These days, Stringer is more concerned about another streak her Hawkeyes have going -- a four-game losing streak that has dropped Iowa to 6-9 overall, 2-3 in the Big Ten.

"You just have to laugh to keep from crying," Stringer said. "I have never experienced anything like this. I don't intend to get used to it."

Nor does she intend to get used to the horrible shooting that is at the root of the Hawkeyes' struggles. While Iowa ranks first in the Big Ten in scoring defense (57.6 points per game), it has not been able to muster up enough on the offensive end to win games.

In averaging just 57.9 points per game, the Hawkeyes are shooting 36.7 percent from the floor, 26.8 percent from three-point range and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line.

Early-season wins over Big Ten powerhouses Purdue and Penn State gave Minnesota Women's Basketball Coach Linda Hill-MacDonald more than just a fast start in the conference race.

Two days after upsetting then-No. 19 Purdue 68-67 on Jan. 8, Hill-MacDonald signed a four-year contract with an option on the fifth year, making her one of the highest-paid coaches in the Big Ten.

"I am relieved to finally have this process completed," she said. "This has been a very difficult fall (season) because of the pressure and anxiety of an uncertain future."

With that cloudy future now clear, Hill-MacDonald can see the pie in the sky. That pie is made up of $85,000 for the first year of the contract, $90,000 for the second, $95,000 for the third, and $100,000 for the fourth year.

If Minnesota picks up the option on the fifth year, Hill-MacDonald would be paid $110,000. The total contract value is $480,000, which makes Hill-MacDonald the fourth-highest paid women's coach in the conference.

Wisconsin at Minneosta (8 p.m., Friday). In years past, this could have been billed as the game of the weak. But this season, it's a different story. Wisconsin (11-3, 4-1) leads the conference and Minnesota (8-7, 3-2) is one of four teams in a second-place deadlock.

Should the Badgers fall at Minnesota --where the Gophers are 3-0 this year -- and should No. 10 Penn State beat No. 19 Purdue in their titanic tilt Saturday in Rec Hall, the Lady Lions would gain at least a share of the Big Ten lead.