Tag: Iowa Basketball

Caitlin Clark fan Tim McGraw wore her 22 jersey during a recent tour stop in Iowa

We like. We love it. We want some more of it.

Tim McGraw is country music royalty. So, it’s a big deal anytime he puts his stamp of approval on something. Apparently, he’s been following women’s hoops because he wore a Caitlin Clark jersey during a recent concert in Iowa.

Caitlin Clark’s influence on sports and pop culture can’t be denied. She’s got celebrities all over the hoops world enamored, but crossing over into music is a big deal. For example, Clark and the Hawkeyes got rapper Travis Scott to roll up to Carver-Hawkeye Arena earlier this month to see Caitlin become the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer.

Now, country legend Tim McGraw is also in on the Caitlin Clark fever. On Thursday evening, McGraw stopped by Wells Faro Arena in Iowa on his Standing Room Only tour. Per usual, he was wearing his signature black hat and jeans, but this time, he was also wearing a black Caitlin Clark jersey.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4zXUAHuDN0/?igsh=dWZzcGd4ZHd6and6

https://www.instagram.com/p/C40rZRjuJPe/?igsh=a3F5NDN3bmVzbWZ0

Holy Cross perfectly used a Tiffany Haddish meme to show what it’s like playing at Iowa

“Oooooooh. This is niiiiice!”

The Holy Cross women’s basketball team is making the most of their time in the NCAA tournament. They just dropped a Tiffany Haddish meme admiring the Iowa Hawkeyes’ arena, and it’s near perfection.

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Making the NCAA tournament is a big deal. Making the NCAA tournament and playing your first game in Carver-Hawkeye arena makes it that much sweeter. Holy Cross and UT-Martin will face each other during a First Four matchup on Thursday for the chance to play the No.1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes.

It seems Holy Cross is definitely enjoying using Iowa’s facilities. Forward Janelle Allen, along with some fellow teammates, dropped a perfect Tiffany Haddish meme on TikTok about what it’s like to play where Caitlin Clark and her teammates drop buckets.

@janelle.allen

happy march madness ! #marchmadness #wbb #fyp #greenscreen #foryou

♬ Nobodys Fool – Seven11

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Dawn Staley celebrated Caitlin Clark’s greatness for growing women’s basketball ahead of March Madness

“I think she’s the greatest of her time.”

Dawn Staley knows generational talent when she sees it, and it’s why she told The Dan Patrick Show that Caitlin Clark is the greatest of her time.

Dawn Staley has never been short of praise for Caitlin Clark. In February, she was without words for Clark’s magnificent performance when she broke the women’s NCAA scoring record. Staley later told local media that Clark would go down in history as arguably the best player to grace women’s college basketball. South Carolina’s head coach recently doubled down again with praise for Clark when she spoke with Dan Patrick on The Dan Patrick Show about just how big Caitlin’s impact on college basketball has been.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Here’s what she had to say about Clark:

“I think she’s the greatest of her time. Now, I don’t want to ruffle anybody’s feathers…You know we’ve got a rich history of women’s basketball. We got a player in Breanna Stewart, who won four national titles, and you cannot forget about all the contributors of our game. Caitlin Clark’s brought a lot of eyes to our game, and I’m really grateful for her talent. I do think she’s incredible. Remarkable. Eye-catching.”

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Iowa guard Dasonte Bowen enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Iowa sophomore guard Dasonte Bowen has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Iowa Hawkeyes sophomore guard Dasonte Bowen is reportedly entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The 6-foot-2, 183 pound guard appeared in 51 games and started nine during his Hawkeye career. The Boston, Mass., native started eight games this season and played in 25.

Bowen ended the 2023-24 men’s college basketball season averaging 4.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. The Brewster Academy product shot 39.6% from the field, 22.2% from 3-point range and 84.6% from the free throw line.

Bowen began the season as Iowa’s starting point guard, but his minutes declined as the season went on. He last played in a game on Feb. 14 in Iowa’s 78-66 loss at Maryland.

In late February, Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery announced that Bowen’s season was likely over due to a lingering knee injury that would require surgery.

“He’s a tough kid. He’s been trying to play through it. And it just got to the point where it was time,” McCaffery said of Bowen at the time.

Now, Bowen’s Hawkeye career is over altogether.

“I want to thank God for the opportunity He has given me to play at the highest level and to receive a top-notch education. I am grateful for the past two years at the University of Iowa and for the relationships that I have built with my coaches and teammates. The memories will last a lifetime. Moving forward, I have to do what is best for me and my future. I have entered my name into the transfer portal,” Bowen wrote on X.

Bowen arrived in Iowa City as a three-star signee per 247Sports. The service rated Bowen as the No. 26 point guard and as the No. 3 player from Massachusetts in the 2022 class.

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West Virginia’s Mark Kellogg sent a direct warning to Caitlin Clark and that’s probably a terrible idea

File this under things you don’t do.

West Virginia head coach Mark Kellogg is totally amped about playing Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the NCAA tournament. Still, his most recent trash talk shows he’s learned absolutely nothing from the people who have leveled words at Clark before.

We really shouldn’t have to repeat this, but Caitlin Clark is not new to this. SHE’S TRUE TO THIS. (She eats trash talk for breakfast!) If you’re going to talk trash about someone, at least wait until the game is done and you’ve beaten them. Apparently, West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Mark Kellogg missed that memo.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

After the initial matchups for the Albany 2 region were revealed on Sunday, Kellogg — who actually has to beat Princeton before his team plays Iowa — told several people that he wants to send Caitlin Clark home.

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Hoops fans have already started to plot a LSU-Iowa rematch after Selection Sunday’s region reveal

This is so incredibly chaotic, but women’s basketball fans are here for it.

Selection Sunday brought all the drama when the ESPN broadcast crew unveiled the Albany 2 region. The Iowa Hawkeyes snagged the No. 1 seed, but the reigning national champion LSU Tigers are the No. 3 seed. Right on cue, women’s basketball fans are already plotting a rematch of last year’s big game.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

The NCAA selection committee clearly has a few tricks up their sleeves. They revealed the Region 2 teams playing in Albany, New York on Sunday. Fans quickly realized that a rematch of the 2023 national championship was possible. Iowa was revealed as the top seed, but LSU was not far behind them as a No. 3 seed. Another popcorn-worthy matchup could be on the way if both teams can get through the gauntlet of good squads ahead of them.

Here’s what fans had to say about the intriguing potential matchup:


Here are some more thoughts: 

Top prospect Addie Deal commits to Iowa over USC, hopes to follow in Caitlin Clark’s footsteps

This might not be the final Iowa-USC battle of this women’s basketball season.

Things are looking up for Iowa women’s basketball for the present and future. The Hawkeyes won their third Big Ten Tournament Championship in a row this season. Like USC, they expect to be a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. Caitlin Clark is a lock to be No. 1 pick in next month’s WNBA draft. Iowa has a lot to be happy about. Now the Hawkeyes have added five-star hooper Addie Deal.

A California native out of Mater Dei (Santa Ana), Addie Deal is one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class.  She announced her verbal commitment. At No. 12 in HoopGurlz’ national rankings, the shooting guard became the highest-rated Iowa recruit since Caitlin Clark (No. 4, 2020)

“I’ve been an Iowa fan long before the notoriety,” Deal, a top-15 prospect nationally, said this past week. “Before I had the offer, I was reaching out to my coaches and I was like, ‘Hey the University of Iowa, I’d really love to go there and talk to the coaches.’ I was super interested in that school. So my coaches here were able to help me.

“I just think it’s amazing how far they’ve come. It’s definitely nationwide now. Everyone knows Caitlin Clark. Everyone knows Iowa women’s basketball. HawkCentral.com.

Deal picked Iowa over UCLA, LSU, Ohio State, Indiana, Duke and USC.

We will see if Iowa and USC have another basketball battle on the court — at the 2024 Final Four, potentially.

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Iowa, USC battle in women’s basketball rankings as Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins prepare for March Madness

Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes and JuJu Watkins’ Trojans are both viewed as top-four teams. We hope that’s true in April.

The Iowa Hawkeyes and USC Trojans are expected to be No. 1 seeds when the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on Sunday evening. The show is at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. in Los Angeles. Caitlin Clark and JuJu Watkins are getting ready for March Madness. With the Big Dance almost here, Iowa and USC are very close in the national rankings.

Hawkeyes Wire has more on this story:

“According to the polls, Iowa comes in at No. 2 in the nation. According to CBS Sports and their final regular season power rankings, the Hawkeyes are slotted down just one row to No. 3 in America with an upstart team jumping them at No. 2.”

(snip)

“Iowa can’t move down. They did their job winning the Big Ten Tournament and locking up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament thanks to efforts from all over the place. Ahead of Iowa at No. 2 in the rankings are the young, confident, and dangerous USC Trojans.”

Is USC better than Iowa? Hawkeyes Wire joins us in saying we would absolutely love to see these two teams meet at the Final Four in Cleveland in April. Then we would get to find out.

Both teams have a lot of work to do until then. Winning four games against quality competition will not be easy.

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Sky’s Brianna Turner thinks Caitlin Clark’s massive popularity connects perfectly to the WNBA’s expansion

“So many people see her. The exposure women’s basketball is getting is so great.”

Chicago Sky forward Brianna Turner thinks it isn’t a coincidence that WNBA expansion and Caitlin Clark’s rise in popularity are seemingly happening in lock-step. Turner believes that can only help the exposure women’s basketball is getting.

Ask many basketball fans who they are watching right now, and there’s a pretty good chance that Caitlin Clark is on that list. The growth of women’s sports, and basketball, in particular, is hard to ignore. That will only continue when Clark joins the WNBA in April. The WNBA is seemingly growing in parallel and has plans to expand to 14 teams by 2025.

While participating in Fanatics’ Athlete Immersion Program — which helps expose athletes to possibilities outside of sports — Chicago Sky forward Brianna Turner shared with For the Win that sometimes it’s hard to believe just how much good exposure women’s basketball and the WNBA are receiving because of Caitlin Clark.

Here’s what Brianna shared with us about WNBA expansion and Caitlin Clark’s popularity coinciding:

“It’s really exciting. I think it shows how fast women’s sports are growing. Every year, you see, ‘Oh, this women’s team has this much more exposure.’ I feel like a lot of people just got introduced to basketball from seeing Caitlin Clark.

My biggest surprise has been how much so many different organizations are covering her. Without hesitation, they’re like, ‘Look at this deep three she made,’ and it’s from five years ago. That would [previously] be reserved for a women’s only account. But now, so many people see her. The exposure women’s basketball is getting is so great.

I look forward to Caitlin Clark fans supporting other fans and becoming fans of our league as they learn about its history.”

Iowa basketball with ‘work to do’ per ESPN’s NCAA Tournament bubble watch

In his bubble watch, ESPN’s John Gasaway lists the Iowa Hawkeyes among his “work to do” teams entering Big Ten Tournament week.

Unfortunately, Iowa (18-13, 10-10 Big Ten) left a little meat on the NCAA Tournament bone following its rollercoaster 73-61 Senior Night loss versus Illinois (23-8, 14-6 Big Ten).

Junior forward Payton Sandfort frantically tried to bring the Hawkeyes back from a 21-point deficit with five made 3-pointers after halftime, but Iowa couldn’t fully get over the hump.

Sophomore guard Josh Dix and freshman point guard Brock Harding provided sparks for Iowa as well to give the Hawkeyes a chance in the second half against the Illini.

But, then-No. 12 Illinois built too big of a lead and the Hawkeyes ran out of gas.

The loss sets Iowa up as the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament where they will face No. 10 seed Ohio State (19-12, 9-11 Big Ten). The two teams have already met once this season, a 79-77 Hawkeye victory.

Senior guard Tony Perkins was the catalyst for Iowa in that win, scoring 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi has effectively termed Iowa’s date versus Ohio State as a must-win. John Gasaway, one of Lunardi’s ESPN colleagues, agrees.

Gasaway listed Iowa as the lone Big Ten team with “work to do.”

In the abstract, a bubble team losing at home to Illinois by 12 is unfortunate but understandable. Bubble Watch lock Wisconsin lost at home to the Illini by 8, and no one’s booting the Badgers from their mock bracket. In this particular case, however, résumé metrics didn’t fancy what they saw from the Hawkeyes in that result. Fran McCaffery’s team dropped in strength of record and in KPI, and when this occurs, the mocks often follow suit. Although Iowa was seen as “first four out” material before the Illinois game, that status might now be under review. The Hawkeyes will open their Big Ten tournament against Ohio State, with the winner getting the aforementioned Illini. – Gasaway, ESPN.

Gasaway has Purdue, Wisconsin, and Illinois as “locks” for the NCAA Tournament out of the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Northwestern, Michigan State and Nebraska are among his “should be in” category.

Iowa plays Ohio State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

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