On Selection Sunday, the Iowa Hawkeyes were in both familiar and unfamiliar territory.
Familiar in the sense they had solidified their place in the NCAA Tournament. Unfamiliar in that they weren’t rewarded a top seed, nor will they host the first two rounds at home as they have over the last three years, culminating in two-consecutive appearances in the championship game in 2023 and 2024.
Instead, the Hawkeyes will be a modest No. 6 seed in Regional 4, playing against No. 11-seed Murray State in Norman, OK on Saturday, Mar. 22.
The Hawkeyes finished the regular season at 22-10 and 10-8 in the Big Ten conference. It was a season of change from the top down, from former assistant Jan Jensen assuming the head coaching duties to the arrival of a group of freshmen (Aaliyah Guyton, Taylor Stremlow, Teegan Mallengi and Ava Heiden) that proved ready to play alongside the veteran core of Lucy Olsen, Hannah Stuelke, Sydney Affolter, Addison O’Grady and Kylie Feuerbach. It was a combination that allowed Iowa to surpass the low expectations levied at them from the jump in the post-Caitlin Clark era.
The Hawkeyes got to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament before losing to Ohio State 60-59 on Mar. 7. They haven’t played a game since. Now, as they prepare themselves for…
