Tag: Iowa women’s basketball

Iowa sees slight dip in AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll

Despite a 92-86 win vs. Northern Iowa, Iowa sees a slight dip in the Week 8 AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll.

After Friday’s 92-86 victory vs. Northern Iowa (5-6) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Iowa women’s basketball team (10-2, 0-1 Big Ten) dropped slightly to No. 24 in the AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll for Week 8.

While the Hawkeyes defeated the Panthers, who were powered by a 30-point performance by star guard Maya McDermott, the six-point win was unable to provide Iowa with much leverage to remain at their previously-held No. 22 position entering the holiday break.

Iowa will look to boost its resume when the team returns from the holiday break on Dec. 29 vs. Purdue (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 2 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network Plus.

The Big Ten remains well represented in the latest top 25. UCLA is still atop the poll as the No. 1 team in the nation. Following the Bruins are No. 8 Maryland, No. 10 Ohio State, No. 19 Michigan State, and No. 23 Michigan.

The lone Big Ten program to drop out of the top 25 was Nebraska, following their 72-61 loss to then-No. 17 Georgia Tech. The Cornhuskers now join Illinois as the two conference members in the receiving votes category of this week’s poll.

Below is a look at the full AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll for Week 8.

Rank Team Record Points
1 UCLA 12-0 798 (30)
2 South Carolina 11-1 764 (1)
3 Notre Dame 10-2 727 (1)
4 USC 11-1 688
5 Texas 12-1 641
6 LSU 14-0 636
7 UConn 10-2 611
8 Maryland 11-0 602
9 Oklahoma 11-1 535
10 Ohio State 12-0 505
11 TCU 12-1 478
12 Kansas State 13-1 457
13 Georgia Tech 13-0 382
14 Duke 10-3 368
15 Tennessee 11-0 323
16 Kentucky 10-1 322
17 North Carolina 12-2 288
18 West Virginia 10-2 224
19 Michigan State 11-1 203
20 Alabama 12-1 165
21 California 13-1 153
22 North Carolina State 9-3 147
23 Michigan 10-2 122
24 Iowa 10-2 114
25 Ole Miss 8-3 64

Others receiving votes:

Nebraska 26, Vanderbilt 19, Utah 18, Illinois 8, Oklahoma State 7, Harvard 3, Baylor 1, Florida State 1.

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Iowa women’s basketball sets Lisa Bluder celebration date

Iowa is celebrating Lisa Bluder inside Carver on its Jan. 5 date vs. Maryland.

On Friday, Iowa women’s basketball announced it intends to celebrate the coaching legacy of former Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder on its Jan. 5 game vs. Maryland from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Bluder retired after 25 seasons as head coach at Iowa following their second consecutive National Championship game appearance in April.

During her tenure at Iowa, she finished with a cumulative record of 528-254 (67.51%), is 23-17 all-time in NCAA Tournaments at Iowa, No. 10 on the all-time wins list in Division-I women’s basketball history, hosts the title of most Big Ten conference wins in conference history, and won seven Big Ten titles (five Big Ten Tournament and two Regular Season).

While the announcement of the intended celebration did not elaborate upon how the program plans to honor the coach, it will surely bring a well-deserved amount of attention to a coach who has transformed Iowa over the past two-and-a-half decades.

This follows up on Wednesday’s plan to have Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 raised to the rafters of Carver-Hawkeye Arena as part of a jersey retirement ceremony planned for Feb. 2, 2025, vs. USC.

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Lisa Bluder among notable 2025 first-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominees

Lisa Bluder is a first-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominee.

On Thursday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame revealed their nominees list for the 2025 induction class, with former Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder among some of the most notable names displayed for the first time.

Bluder retired after 25 seasons as head coach with the Hawkeyes following their second consecutive National Championship game appearance in April.

During her tenure at Iowa, she finished with a cumulative record of 528-254 (67.51%), is No. 10 on the all-time wins list in Division-I women’s basketball history, hosts the title of most Big Ten conference wins in conference history, and won seven Big Ten titles. (five Big Ten Tournament and two Regular Season).

In her combined 40 seasons as a head coach with stops at St. Ambrose, Drake, and Iowa, Bluder compiled a record of 884-395 (69.06%).

Other notable first-time nominees included Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Dwight Howard, Doc Rivers, Billy Donovan, Sylvia Fowles, Chamique Holdsclaw, Mark Few, Lisa Bluder, Marc Gasol, and Micky Arison.

Finalists chosen from the applicable Category Screening Committees for the Class of 2025 will be announced on Feb. 14 as part of NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, Calif.

Those chosen as finalists for the 2025 inductee class will be unveiled during the broadcast at the 2025 NCAA Final Four on April 5 from San Antonio.

While the 2025 Hall of Fame nominees list is vast and chocked full of tremendous resumes, Bluder’s numerous coaching accolades are certainly worthy of recognition if she were to be selected.

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Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball win vs. Northern Iowa

Three stars from No. 22 Iowa women’s basketball’s 92-86 win vs. Northern Iowa.

The No. 22-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team (10-2, 0-1 Big Ten) rebounded from their loss to Michigan State with a rugged 92-86 victory on Friday night vs. Northern Iowa (5-6) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

While the Panthers’ top scoring threat, Maya McDermott, scored an impressive 30 points, the Hawkeyes were able to stave off a late Northern Iowa charge to improve to 10-2 on the campaign.

Offensively, Iowa shot 31-for-62 (50%) from the field, 10-for-26 (38.5%) from deep, and 20-for-22 (90.9%) from the charity stripe. The Hawkeyes also outscored the Panthers 40-36 from within the paint, which has been a recipe for success so far for Iowa.

While Northern Iowa shot relatively well throughout the night, with 48.4% shooting from the field and 36% from beyond the arc, Iowa was able to force nine turnovers, including four steals and three blocks.

With another hard-fought victory in the books, here are three Hawkeyes that stood out Friday night.

Lucy Olsen

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Olsen excelled once again Friday night with a team-high 21 points off 7-of-16 (43.8%) from the floor, 2-of-5 (40%) from deep, and 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the free-throw line.

In addition to her scoring, Olsen added seven assists and five rebounds to close out her 34 minutes of game action.

For Olsen, she is the obvious heartbeat of the Hawkeyes’ offensive attack and has been everything Iowa hoped for when they added the senior out of the offseason transfer portal.

Addison O’Grady

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

O’Grady had a monstrous game against the Panthers on Friday with 18 points off 8-of-10 (80%) from the field and 2-of-2 (100%) from the free-throw line. The sophomore center also added six rebounds and one assist to her 32 minutes of action.

O’Grady’s performance snaps her out of a “cold spell” as she had combined for 6 points on 26.65% shooting from the field over her previous two games.

With the Hawkeyes returning to conference play in their next game, Iowa would love to see O’Grady return to her dominant form at the five position.

Taylor McCabe

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

McCabe had a season-best scoring night on Friday, with 15 points on 5-of-9 (55.6%) from the floor, including 5-of-8 from three-point territory. She also contributed three assists, two rebounds, and two steals in her 29 minutes off the bench.

McCabe’s play is a welcoming sight for Iowa as it showcases their reliable bench scoring options, which will certainly come in handy later in the season when depth is tested.

With the holiday break providing coaches and players the ability to spend time with their families, Iowa returns to play on Sunday, Dec. 29, from Carver-Hawkeye Arena vs. Purdue.

Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT and will air on Big Ten Network Plus (BTN+, Subscription Required).

As always, the game will be broadcast on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Iowa vs. USC ticket prices soaring after Caitlin Clark jersey retirement reveal

Ticket prices for Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement are skyrocketing.

That didn’t take long.

On Wednesday, Iowa women’s basketball revealed it will be retiring Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey into the Carver-Hawkeye Arena rafters when it welcomes in JuJu Watkins and USC on Feb. 2, 2025. Clark will be in attendance for the ceremony.

It’s the perfect star-studded opponent on the perfect date to honor Clark and her iconic No. 22 Iowa jersey. It should make for a raucous environment and big-game feel from inside Carver.

Fans were already fired up for the big game between No. 7 USC and No. 22 Iowa. But, with the news that Clark is set to be honored with her jersey retirement, ticket prices have gone skyrocketing upwards.

The cheapest get-in price for a pair of tickets is now $582 and pairs are reselling for as much as $2,243.

It’s the latest illustration of Clark Mania for Hawkeye fans.

“I’m forever proud to be a Hawkeye and Iowa holds a special place in my heart that is bigger than just basketball,” Clark said of her jersey retirement. “It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up in the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I’ve admired for so long.”

During her illustrious Hawkeye career, Clark set all sorts of Iowa women’s basketball and Division I records.

Just some of Clark’s achievements include the all-time Division I men’s and women’s scoring record (3,951 career points), the most points in a Division I women’s college basketball season (1,234 points), the highest career points per game average in women’s Division I basketball history (28.4 points per game) and the most career 3-pointers in women’s Division I history (548).

After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark was recognized as the WNBA Rookie of the Year following a sensational first season with the Indiana Fever.

Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.7% from the field, 34.4% from 3-point range and 90.6% from the charity stripe.

Like her time at Iowa, Clark continued her record-breaking ways during her rookie season with the Fever. Clark set the new WNBA single-season record for assists with 337 and its new single-season rookie scoring record with 769 points.

For her many incredible accomplishments, Clark was recently honored as the TIME Athlete of the Year.

In its encore act minus Clark, Iowa (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten) is off to a strong start and well positioned to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

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Iowa women’s basketball sets date for Caitlin Clark jersey retirement

Mark your calendars for a legend.

Mark your calendars. An Iowa Hawkeyes legend is going up in the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena who is unlike any other.

After giving us what was quite possibly the greatest collegiate basketball career of all time, Caitlin Clark will see her No. 22 jersey retired and hanging in the rafters.

Iowa women’s basketball has announced that the jersey retirement ceremony is set for Sunday, February 2, 2025.

The Hawkeyes host the USC Trojans and JuJu Watkins at 12:30 p.m. CT in a game that was already must-see television airing on FOX and has now become even bigger and an even hotter ticket to get your hands on.

Caitlin Clark, the NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader with 3,951 points, has a laundry list of accomplishments and awards from her time at Iowa.

She was a three-time Unanimous First-Team All-American, three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, a two-time John Wooden Award winner, a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, and many more to name just a few.

The first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark only continued her legendary ways. She took the Indiana Fever back to the playoffs while winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year and being named an All-WNBA First-Team Selection.

Clark has also transformed the game off the court. She has brought in ratings unlike any female athlete ever before, sent ticket prices into the stratosphere, and transformed the way that the WNBA operates.

There was no like her before. There will be no one like her after. Caitlin Clark is one of one and her No. 22 will live on forever.

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Iowa sneaks into top 25 of CBS Sports Women’s College Basketball Power Rankings

The Hawkeyes are still hanging around.

The last week proved to be the first test of the season for the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s college basketball team and gave a glimpse into the team they could be.

Despite a 1-2 record, including losses to Tennessee and Michigan State, the Hawkeyes did win against Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk Rivalry at home.

None of the games are particularly concerning, as Iowa was competitive in all of them, allowing them to measure themselves against their best competition yet.

That said, there is some sliding in the CBS Sports women’s college basketball power rankings for the Hawkeyes. The losses still have them inside the top 25 as they dropped three spots from No. 21 down to No. 24.

CBS did penalize the Hawkeyes a bit harder than the other outlets and polls. In the AP Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports Top 25, Iowa was sitting at No. 22 in the country.

Things slow down for Jan Jensen and the Iowa Hawkeyes this week after a whirlwind as the holiday season approaches and creates a natural break in the season.

Before the break, Iowa will host the Northern Iowa Panthers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as they look to get back on track.

Tip for the in-state battle is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 20 in what should see another packed house looking to stay warm on a chilly Friday night in Iowa City.

The game can be viewed on BTN+.

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Iowa women’s basketball rises in latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Thanks to its Cy-Hawk victory, Iowa is rising in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Coaches Poll.

Even after a week of mixed results for Iowa women’s basketball (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten), the Hawkeyes have risen two spots in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s College Basketball Coaches Poll to the No. 22 position.

While Iowa suffered a 68-66 loss to then-No. 19 Michigan State (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday in East Lansing, Mich., the voters most likely viewed the two-point defeat as a minor setback.

Plus, the Hawkeyes had just claimed a comeback victory over higher-ranked No. 17 Iowa State (9-3, 0-0 Big 12) just days before.

Iowa’s No. 22 ranking matches the position given to them by the most recent AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll on Dec. 16, which should not vary much, with a Friday home matchup vs. Northern Iowa being the only contest for the Hawkeyes before next week’s poll release.

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As for the remainder of the Big Ten, UCLA remains undefeated and atop the coaches poll, listed as the country’s No. 1 team.

The Bruins are followed by Big Ten foes USC at No. 7, Maryland at No. 8, Ohio State at No. 9, Michigan State at No. 17 and Michigan at No. 25.

The lone Big Ten program dropping out of the top 25 rankings from last week was Illinois, which received 30 points this week.

Other Big Ten teams receiving points include Nebraska, who earned 43 points, and Wisconsin, collecting 15.

Below is the full updated USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Rank Team Record Points
1 UCLA 11-0 775 (31)
2 South Carolina 10-1 740
3 LSU 12-0 681
4 Notre Dame 9-2 648
5 UConn 9-1 641
6 Texas 10-1 610
7 USC 10-1 605
8 Maryland 10-0 552
9 Ohio State 10-0 525
10 Duke 9-2 491
11 Oklahoma 9-1 472
12 Kansas State 11-1 419
13 TCU 10-1 386
14 West Virginia 10-1 380
15 Kentucky 9-1 305
16 Tennessee 8-0 295
17 Michigan State 10-0 285
18 North Carolina 10-2 224
19 North Carolina State 8-3 179
20 Georgia Tech 11-0 169
21 Baylor 9-2 107
22 Iowa 9-2 92
23 Iowa State 9-3 86
24 Alabama 10-1 82
25 Michigan 9-1 67

Schools Dropped Out

No. 23 Ole Miss; No. 25 Illinois;

Others Receiving Votes

Ole Miss 61; California 46; Nebraska 43; Illinois 30; Mississippi State 18; Wisconsin 15; Florida State 14; Utah 12; Vanderbilt 11; South Dakota State 8; George Mason 1;

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ESPN not panicking after Iowa women’s basketball drops two tough games

Despite dropping two games, ESPN is far from panicking about the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s college basketball team in their AP top 25 reactions.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s college basketball team came out of the gates sizzling this year on their way to an 8-0 start.

This past week saw the competition turn up a few notches, giving the Hawkeyes their first taste of adversity. Iowa went 1-2 this week with losses to Tennessee and Michigan State while securing a Cy-Hawk win over Iowa State.

Despite the two losses, Iowa slid just one spot in the AP Top 25 poll from No. 21 down to No. 22 giving little reason to panic. ESPN also is not ready to worry about the Hawkeyes yet due to their first real tests of the year.

In their reactions to the AP Top 25, Iowa is holding steady with ample opportunity to rebound.

22. Iowa Hawkeyes

Previous ranking: 21

2024-25 record: 9-2

Stat to know: After an 8-0 start, the Hawkeyes have lost two of their past three games, albeit to unbeaten Tennessee and then-No. 17 Michigan State on Sunday. The Hawkeyes led 58-49 early in the fourth quarter against the Spartans, but Iowa went seven-plus minutes without a field goal. In between the losses, the Hawkeyes beat then-No. 18 Iowa State 75-69.

What’s next: Friday vs. Northern Iowa, 7:30 p.m., B1G+ – ESPN

Fortunately, Iowa does get a chance to right the ship this week in a Friday evening home game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes, who are 4-0 at home, welcome in in-state foe, the Northern Iowa Panthers and their 5-5 overall record.

The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off on Friday, Dec. 21, and can be viewed on BTN+.

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Three stars for Iowa women’s basketball vs. Michigan State

Three stars from Iowa women’s basketball’s tough battle inside the Breslin Center against Michigan State.

After a thrilling Wednesday night victory over No. 17 Iowa State from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa women’s basketball (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten) suffered their second loss of the season and first conference defeat at No. 19 Michigan State (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) on Sunday from East Lansing, Mich., 68-66.

While both teams shared relative shooting struggles throughout the contest, with the Hawkeyes finishing with a 36.5% clip from the floor and 36.0% from deep, Iowa’s 23 total turnovers and an ice-cold finish to the game buried their hopes of exiting Breslin Center victorious.

In terms of the Hawkeyes’ defense, they finished with 14 forced turnovers, including five blocks and five steals. The Hawkeyes also outrebounded the Spartans, 44-35.

Even with Michigan State going on a furious scoring run late in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes found themselves with an opportunity to take the lead in the waning seconds of the game, but a missed elbow jumper from senior guard Lucy Olsen put an end to the Hawkeyes’ last-ditch effort.

Despite the close loss to Michigan State, here are three Hawkeyes that stood out in Sunday’s game.

Hannah Stuelke

Stuelke continued her stellar play as of late on Sunday by posting a team-high 18 points on 4-of-10 (40%) shooting from the field and 10-of-14 (71.4%) from the charity stripe. She also added eight rebounds, two assists, and one block to her 34 minutes of playing time.

Despite the loss, Stuelke’s performance was her team-leading sixth game this season with eight or more rebounds and her 46th career game in double figures.

Kylie Feuerbach

Feuerbach had a steady showing from beyond the arc with all 12 points coming from her 4-of-7 (57.2%) performance from deep. She also added three rebounds, two assists, and one block to close out her 27 minutes of game time.

Feuerbach’s four treys tied her career-high for 3-pointers against a Big Ten team.

Taylor McCabe

Even though McCabe played only 12 minutes, McCabe managed to knock down a pair of 3-pointers.

For McCabe, her ability to inject offense in her minimal time off the bench gives head coach Jan Jensen the confidence to provide her starters a rest while not jeopardizing Iowa’s offensive production.

The Hawkeyes’ next game will be on Friday, Dec. 20, vs. Northern Iowa (5-5) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on BTN+ (subscription required) and the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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