A blowout loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament’s second round brought Iowa’s season to a frustrating exit. But the cloudy conclusion did little to overshadow a quality campaign in Year 1 of the post-Caitlin Clark era.
After a 2-6 start to Big Ten play, the Hawkeyes (23-11) won 11 of their final 15 games, including a first-round NCAA Tournament victory against Murray State. But more importantly, this Iowa team established its own identity away from what the program had accomplished in its recent past.
“I hope what people will remember about this season is what these young women did with probably one of the most difficult rebuilding or reloading jobs,” Iowa coach Jan Jensen told reporters after a 96-62 loss to the Sooners. “It took us a while to put it in the rearview mirror. A lot of the questions about Caitlin and company, a lot of the questions about that era and back-to-back (Final Fours), all the things and the championship and the NCAAs.
“But when we did and we allowed this team to become who they could be, then it really started to blossom.”
Family Forever. 💛#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/TasFyEce5s
— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 24, 2025
Iowa lost four starters off back-to-back historic seasons. It was unrealistic for anyone to replace Clark,…
