If you’re looking for examples of a team on a mission, Iowa’s women have that covered. Lisa Bluder’s team blitzed Ohio State in the finals of the Big Ten tournament in Minneapolis on Sunday, claiming a 33-point win to make them Big Ten champions for the second straight year.
It’s a testament to the Hawkeyes’ senior class as to what they’ve built in one of the toughest leagues in the country. As the Big Ten has become a powerful women’s basketball league, the Hawkeyes have grown right along with it. To win three Big Ten titles in five tries and reach an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16 is impressive work. This isn’t just a solid Big Ten program anymore; Iowa basketball matters on a national scale.
But that said, this is now the ultimate pressure situation for the Hawkeye women. Out of five starters, four are seniors who won’t be returning to Iowa City next year.
Of course, the fifth is the biggest star of all, Caitlin Clark, so Iowa won’t exactly fall to the scrap heap when Monika Czinano, Kate Martin, McKenna Warnock, Gabbie Marshall and Molly Davis call it a career. But without those pieces around Clark, it’s going to be harder for Iowa to reach these heights next season.
Here’s how things look like Iowa preps for the NCAA tournament. If you want to bet in March Madness in Iowa, you might want to back the Hawkeyes women team.
The Hawkeyes Never Gave Ohio State a Chance
Ohio State is a very good basketball team, but the Hawkeyes made the Buckeyes look bad in every way in Minneapolis. Part of that was because of Indiana. Ohio State overcame a 24-point deficit against the Hoosiers on Saturday, and they had almost nothing left for Iowa on Sunday.
But Iowa still had to crush the Buckeyes early and put the game to bed before Ohio State’s adrenaline kicked in, and the Hawkeyes did that. Iowa sprinted from the word go and led by 37 at halftime, ensuring that there was nothing Ohio State could do. A less mature team might have allowed Ohio State to hang around too long, but the Hawkeyes played focused and ready.
Iowa needs to repeat that in the NCAA tournament. One of Iowa’s strengths is its ability to bury teams early and make them think there’s no way they can compete with Caitlin Clark’s abilities. In the first round, the Hawkeyes will face a lower-level program with nothing to lose, and they’ll need to play loose and fast. If Iowa starts round 1 with a big run, Bluder can substitute liberally and keep her starters fresh for the second round. The less Iowa has to work in its first game, the better it will be.
𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐬 💍#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/WNAN5Rl75y
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 6, 2023
Can Iowa Land a No. 1 Seed?
Maybe, but it doesn’t really matter for anything other than a point of pride for the program. At this point, it’s numbers on a board, and to be honest, Iowa might actually be better off getting a No. 2 over a No. 1.
Why? First, in the women’s tournament, there’s really little difference between a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed. Unlike the men, where it’s happened 10 times and twice in the past two seasons, a No. 2 seed has never lost to a No. 15 in the women’s tournament. Second, Iowa’s done enough to avoid Mount Gamecock in the regional final.
The Hawkeyes might fall to the No. 2 line behind Virginia Tech and Stanford, but if they do, they won’t be in South Carolina’s regional. The Hawkeyes will go to one of the two Seattle regions, where they’ll probably be paired with either Virginia Tech or Stanford.
And that leads to point No. 3: as a No. 2 seed, the Hawkeyes would know they couldn’t get a fourth matchup with Maryland until the Final Four. It doesn’t happen often, but the committee does sometimes make two teams from the same conference the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in a regional.
Iowa wouldn’t fear a fourth meeting with Maryland, but the teams know each other so well at this point that the Hawkeyes would probably be better off taking their shot at Virginia Tech or Stanford for the first time.
Because they only played the Buckeyes twice, a No. 2 does leave open the possibility of Ohio State being the Sweet 16 opponent as the No. 3. But that seems unlikely with four Big Ten teams standing out among the top 12. The committee will want to send one to South Carolina’s regional, and with Indiana and Iowa no longer possible, Ohio State is likely to be that unlucky team.
𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐄 🥳
Jan Jensen has been named to the A STEP UP, Inc. Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame Class of 2023.@goiowa x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/zvSdejVLfr
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 8, 2023
What’s Possible For These Hawkeyes?
With the right draw, the Hawkeyes have the talent to get to the Final Four. If you can beat Indiana and Maryland, you can beat almost anyone in the nation.
Iowa does have some weaknesses that it will have to clear up to have a chance against South Carolina, but with Clark and the seniors, the Hawkeyes can play with anyone in the nation. As long as they can defend the basketball and avoid unforced errors, they will have a solid chance at making their first Final Four in 30 years.
It takes every one.#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/jzrdsY8j7m
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 8, 2023
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