The anticipation surrounding the Iowa Hawkeyes is palpable. The defending national runner ups are coming into the season ranked No. 3 in the nation, hoping that they return to the Final Four and potentially win the national championship. They already made a big splash with the historic Crossover at Kinnick exhibition in October that drew over 55,000 fans, the largest crowd to watch a women’s basketball game.
The Hawkeyes certainly have many of the tangibles that can help continue their run of success, starting with, obviously, Caitlin Clark. To round out the starting rotation, Iowa has the sharp-shooting Gabbie Marshall at the two guard, the scrappy Kate Martin at the small forward, the agile Hannah Stuelke at the power forward and the tenacious Addison O’Grady in the paint. All five have come to fruition in a program that prioritizes versatility and quickness. In the case of Stuelke and O’Grady, more is to be expected of them this season.
But perhaps, the biggest upgrade from last year is the team’s depth.
A deeper Iowa is a more dangerous Iowa
Even though they made it all the way to the national title game, the Hawkeyes only had a handful of contributors coming off the bench. They finished the season in a four-way tie with Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana, and…
