Tag: Iowa women’s basketball

Is Lucy Olsen playing today? Injury updates for Iowa women’s basketball

Is Iowa point guard Lucy Olsen playing tonight vs. Tennessee? Here’s the latest injury updates on the Hawkeyes’ star.

Iowa senior point guard Lucy Olsen was injured during the Hawkeyes‘ trip to the Cancun Challenge in a freak accident.

Ahead of one of Iowa’s practices at the Cancun Challenge, Olsen tripped off the elevated floor and wound up gashing her knee. That laceration sidelined the 5-foot-10 guard for each of Iowa’s games against Rhode Island and BYU.

Earlier this week, Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen updated her star’s injury status. Olsen is probable for tonight’s marquee contest against Tennessee (6-0) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“It’s more likely than not (Olsen returns) because she’s so tough,” Jensen said Tuesday. “I think we just have to see how it responded (Tuesday) with a lot more reps and see what it looks like (Wednesday). I’m optimistic about it, but I’ll feel even better (Wednesday) when I hear the report that it responded pretty well.”

Olsen met with the media this week, too, and detailed how the injury happened.

“It’s so silly,” Olsen said this week. “We were about to practice, and I tripped off the court because it was a little elevated. And then I fell. And then there was like a tile, and I scraped my knee on it. It just cut it open.”

Olsen is averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game. The Collegeville, Pa., native is also averaging 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.9% from the field and 68.8% from the charity stripe.

Olsen was the nation’s third-leading scorer a season ago while at Villanova.

In Olsen’s absence, Iowa topped Rhode Island on Thanksgiving Day, 69-62, and BYU the following day, 68-48.

Junior forward Hannah Stuelke combined to score 29 points and grab 12 rebounds in the two wins.

Tipoff versus the Volunteers is set for 6 p.m. with the game to be televised on Fox.

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Iowa Hawkeyes making noise in ESPN’s women’s college basketball reactions

Iowa gets their chance to keep proving themselves this weekend.

Jan Jensen and the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s college basketball team are finding a way to get it done in the post-Cailitn Clark era.

With a revamped offense and a desire to prove they were underrated to start this season, they are off to a strong start this season and climbing the rankings.

Up to No. 17 in the AP Top 25 poll and cracking the CBS Sports’ women’s college basketball power rankings, Iowa is making some noise and proving itself.

The Hawkeyes are also making noise in ESPN’s women’s college basketball reactions. Their five-spot jump in the AP Poll has garnered the attention of many.

17. Iowa Hawkeyes

Previous ranking: 22

2024-25 record: 8-0

Stat to know: Three players — Lucy Olsen, Addison O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke — have led the Hawkeyes in scoring in the last three games. Last season, someone other than Caitlin Clark led Iowa in scoring in just two of 39 games.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m., FOX – Michael Voepel, ESPN

Iowa is finding a way to win and has done so lately without one of their best scorers, Lucy Olsen, on the court due to a cut on her knee. She is expected to return soon.

The test for Iowa comes this week as they get to find out how good they are.

First up is a matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers, a team just outside the poll, in the Champions Classic in Brooklyn on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. CT.

After that, Iowa heads back home for the Cy-Hawk game against No. 20 Iowa State and follows that with a road trip to No. 24 Michigan State.

This is a three-game gauntlet for the Hawkeyes, but a clean sweep could have a top-10 spot waiting for them if they can navigate the next week.

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Iowa Hawkeyes crack CBS Sports women’s basketball power rankings

Hawkeyes have liftoff.

The Iowa Hawkeyes officially have liftoff.

The Iowa women’s basketball team has launched off like a rocket to start off this college basketball season and is ascending polls all over.

After hitting No. 17 in the AP Top 25 poll, Iowa is climbing into CBS Sports rankings as well. The Hawkeyes are making their first appearance in CBS Sports’ women’s college basketball power rankings this week at No. 23.

Meanwhile, Iowa had been knocking at the door all season, and they finally entered the top 25. Jan Jensen’s team has not played a ranked opponent yet, but its wins have been pretty dominant so far — including a 72-43 victory against Washington State on Saturday. – Isabel Gonzalez, CBS Sports

At 8-0, Iowa has won seven of their eight games by double digits to show they aren’t just scraping by but are firing on all cylinders.

The Hawkeyes are doing it defensively, as well. Over the last four games, they have held opponents to a measly 52.75 points per game.

Iowa is still doing it offensively, though. They are averaging 77.8 points per game and shooting 49.2% from the field.

The Hawkeyes are shooting 32.1% from three-point range and converting 73% of free throws while dominating teams on the board with an averaging rebounding margin of +8.7 per game.

Lucy Olsen is leading the way averaging 17.3 points per game and will be a big addition for Iowa when she returns from a knee injury.

After her, Addison O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke are averaging 15 and 14.3 points per game, respectively.

Iowa gets to prove themselves this upcoming week as they get matchups against Tennesee in the Champions Classic, host the Iowa State Cyclones in the Cy-Hawk Rivalry, and take a road trip to Michigan State.

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Iowa Hawkeyes one of ESPN’s biggest early-season women’s college basketball surprises

Iowa didn’t rebuild, they reloaded.

Some thought that the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s college basketball team may have a down year after losing Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and more after two Final Four appearances.

The Hawkeyes, led by Jan Jensen, seem poised to shake that notion and prove that they are still among the top tier of women’s college basketball.

After starting the season unranked, Iowa has quickly jumped into the polls with their 8-0 start and are sitting at No. 17 in the newest AP Top 25 rankings.

Their start is getting the attention of the college basketball world. After being underrated, ESPN has tabbed Iowa as one of the biggest surprises in women’s college basketball so far this season.

We knew TCU and Iowa would be potentially underrated teams in the preseason. Their success so far isn’t too surprising, but it’s worth noting.

No one was sure how Iowa would look after the Caitlin Clark era. The Hawkeyes also lost three other guards — Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall and Molly Davis — who played significant roles, and coach Lisa Bluder retired. Now under Jan Jensen, Bluder’s longtime assistant, Iowa is 8-0. The Hawkeyes won both their recent games at the Cancun Challenge despite Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, their leading scorer, being out with a cut to her knee. We will know more over the next two weeks as Iowa faces Tennessee, Iowa State and Michigan State. – Michael Voepel, ESPN

What makes this even more impressive is that Iowa is winning with Lucy Olsen sidelined. Fortunately, she is set to return to action soon for some of the Hawkeyes’ biggest tests yet.

Iowa enters a bit of a gauntlet this week taking on Tennessee, No. 20 Iowa State, and caps it off with a trip to No. 24 Michigan State.

The Hawkeyes’ next action is Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. CT airing on FOX when they tip off against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Champions Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

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Lucy Olsen’s father details injury, updates timeline to return

Lucy Olsen’s father, Roland, provided an update on the Iowa women’s basketball star’s injury status and her timeline to return.

While Iowa women’s basketball improved to 8-0 through a pair of victories in the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico, the Hawkeyes were without the services of senior point guard Lucy Olsen, who suffered a cut to her knee following a fall in one of Iowa’s practices in Cancun.

Olsen, who averages a team-high 17.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 48.9% shooting, was listed by the team as “game-to-game,” but much was left untold concerning how exactly she was injured.

Over the weekend, Olsen’s father, Roland, thanked fans for their concern and detailed the injury more in depth on social media.

“Stitches Happen! aka It’s Just a Flesh Wound: Thanks to everyone who has checked on Lucy and her knee. She had a freak trip and fall while leaving the raised playing surface and landed flush on the sharp edge of the court.

“It split open the skin all the way across her kneecap and required a ton of stitches to close it back up. The Iowa medical staff was on hand and sutured Lucy courtside under the added lighting of flashlights from half a dozen cell phones.

“While Lucy is obviously frustrated and disappointed at not being able to play in Cancun, she’s super happy her team came away with two more Ws, raising their record to 8-0,” Olsen’s father wrote.

Then, Roland provided another update fans have been waiting on.

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

“Everyone is confident she will be back practicing when they get back to Iowa City tonight and back on the court in Brooklyn vs Tennessee next Saturday.

“We are all very thankful to her @IowaWBB teammates, coaches, trainers, doctors and support staff who all came together to support Lucy all week and all the kind words and thoughts from everyone! See you in Brooklyn!” Roland said.

It’s fantastic news to hear that Olsen is doing well and it will be a great lift for Iowa to get Olsen back on the floor against Tennessee (5-0). Olsen’s presence was clearly missed in the Cancun.

The Champions Classic game against the Volunteers is set to be played in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Fox as well as on the Hawkeyes Radio Network.

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Iowa women’s basketball continues climbing in new AP Top 25 poll

Another week, another jump in the rankings for the Hawkeyes.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team is off to a roaring start and has come out of the gates firing on all cylinders.

Sitting at 8-0, the Hawkeyes have gone from being unranked before the season began to taking a rapid ascent up the polls. Their newest climb comes in this week’s women’s AP Top 25 poll.

The Hawkeyes saw a five-spot jump and are now sitting at No. 17 in the most recent rankings.

After sweeping their two games over Rhode Island and BYU at the Cancun Challenge, the Hawkeyes have some time to rest before they head to the Women’s Champions Classic in New York.

Iowa will take on the Tennesee Volunteers on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. CT on FOX.

Around the rest of the Big Ten, they are represented well. Ahead of Iowa are No. 1 UCLA, No. 6 USC, No. 7 Maryland, and No. 12 Ohio State.

Following the Hawkeyes is another bunch of the Big Ten including No. 21 Illinois, No. 23 Michigan, No. 24 Michigan State, and No. 24 Nebraska.

Here is a look at the full women’s AP Top 25:

Rank Team Record Points
1 UCLA 8-0 792 (25)
2 UConn 6-0 771 (1)
3 South Carolina 7-1 727
4 Texas 7-0 704
5 LSU 9-0 629
6 USC 6-1 619
7 Maryland 8-0 572
8 Duke 8-1 564
9 TCU 8-0 213
10 Notre Dame 5-2 501
11 Oklahoma 6-1 499
12 Ohio State 7-0 443
13 Kansas State 7-1 425
14 Kentucky 7-0 405
15 West Virginia 8-1 390
16 North Carolina 7-1 351
17 Iowa 8-0 214
18 Ole Miss 5-2 211
19 Alabama 8-0 183
20 Iowa State 6-2 176
21 Illinois 6-1 129
22 Louisville 5-2 111
23 Michigan 7-1 96
24 Michigan State 8-0 86
25 Nebraska 6-1 68

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

NC State (58), Georiga Tech (33), Tennessee (16), Oregon (15), Florida State (14), Richmond (13), Mississippi State (11), Vanderbilt (8), Baylor (6), Utah (5), Harvard (4), South Dakota State (4), Creighton (3), Minnesota (3)

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Three Iowa women’s basketball stars during Cancun Challenge

Three stars for Iowa women’s basketball during their two-game stay in the Cancun Challenge.

The No. 22-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team (8-0) wrapped up a perfect record in the two-game Cancun Challenge from the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya with a close 69-62 win over Rhode Island on Thursday and a blowout 68-48 victory against BYU on Friday.

In the two games combined, the Hawkeyes‘ offense shot 49-for-99 (49.5%) from the field and 17-for-40 (42.5%) from 3-point territory. The team also finished with a combined 66 rebounds and 34 assists.

Defensively, Iowa held Rhode Island and BYU to a combined 40-for-109 (36.7%) from the field and 15-for-42 (35.7%) from deep. Iowa also collected 18 steals and eight blocks combined through the two games played in Cancun.

With the Hawkeyes returning to the cold midwest weather of Iowa City, here’s a look at Iowa’s three stars from the Cancun Classic.

Addison O’Grady

Senior center Addison O’Grady continued her dominating role at center by finishing with the two-game invitational with 30 points on 14-of-17 shooting (82.4%) from the field, including 2-for-2 (100%) from the charity stripe.

The senior also added nine assists, nine rebounds, six blocks, and one steal to her total in both games.

For O’Grady, this is another impressive set of performances that should bring deserved recognition later on in the season.

Hannah Stuelke

Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Junior forward Hannah Stuelke had two solid performances for the Hawkeyes by scoring 29 points on 10-for-17 shooting (58.8%) from the field, 2-of-6 (33.3%) from deep, and 8-for-14 (57.1%) from the free throw line.

The junior forward also added a combined 12 rebounds, five assists, and two steals for the Hawkeyes while in Mexico.

While expected, Stuelke’s consistent scoring and rebounding presence is always well appreciated, especially as the season progresses.

Aaliyah Guyton

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

Freshman guard Aaliyah Guyton made a major contribution off the bench throughout the Cancun Challenge as she contributed 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting (66.6%) from the field, 5-of-6 (83.3%) from deep, and 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

She also added four assists, four rebounds, one steal, and one rebound to her 39 minutes of game time throughout the invitational.

With Lucy Olsen recovering from an injury sustained during the trip, Guyton’s play was much appreciated, especially in a depth role.

Iowa returns to action on Dec. 7 as they head to Brooklyn, N.Y. where they will play in the Women’s Champions Classic vs. Tennessee. Game time for that matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Fox and on the Hawkeye Radio Network.

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Iowa women’s basketball provides injury update on star point guard

Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen provided an injury update on star senior point guard Lucy Olsen.

Iowa fans watching the Hawkeyes’ 69-62 Thanksgiving Day win over Rhode Island likely had the same thought.

Where was Iowa star senior point guard Lucy Olsen?

Before the game on the Hawkeye Radio Network, Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen explained that Olsen sustained a freak injury before one of Iowa’s practices in the Cancun.

“Yeah, you know, just a unique situation. And just so often in life sometimes surprising, unfortunate, unlucky situations happen. Lucy, we were just getting ready to practice, she just kind of tripped and kind of came off the floor and then hit a ledge and she had a pretty significant gash in her knee.

“Thankfully we had some team docs with us and they got her taken care of, but just kind of a game-by-game situation, because it’s a pretty substantial cut. But, thankfully, nothing season-altering or season-ending. It just is a pretty tough cut, so we just want to be careful with it and be smart, because the season is still really young. Lucy’s as tough as they come and I know as it’s ready to roll, she’ll be ready to roll, too,” Jensen told Swisher of Olsen’s injury status.

It’s a big loss for Iowa for however long Olsen is sidelined. Olsen is  averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game. The 5-foot-10 guard is also averaging 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.9%.

Iowa used a strong fourth-quarter push to pull away from Rhode Island and improve to 7-0. The Hawkeyes began that fourth quarter on a 12-0 spurt.

Senior center Addison O’Grady led the way with 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Junior forward Hannah Stuelke added 13 points and senior guard Kylie Feuerbach scored 12.

Iowa plays BYU (6-1) at 8 p.m. CT in its final game of the Cancun Challenge on Friday night. The game will be exclusively streamed on FloCollege.

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Iowa women’s basketball makes season debut in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Iowa women’s basketball made its season debut in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Iowa women’s basketball is inside the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll at long last.

After beginning the season outside the polls and in the receiving votes category, Iowa’s 6-0 start was finally enough to impress the USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches.

The Hawkeyes make their season debut at No. 24. Iowa owns wins over Northern Illinois (91-73), Virginia Tech (71-52), Toledo (94-57), Drake (86-73), Kansas (71-58) and Washington State (72-43).

In Iowa’s most recent victory over Washington State, senior guard Lucy Olsen led the way with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and one steal.

Senior center Addison O’Grady and junior forward Hannah Stuelke joined Olsen in the double-figure scoring column with 14 and 11 points, respectively.

The top five of the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll saw some serious shakeups as UCLA handled South Carolina, 77-62, to snap the Gamecocks’ 43-game winning streak.

Elsewhere, Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points to outduel JuJu Watkins and USC, 74-61, in another top-10 showdown out West.

As a result, the new top five features No. 1 UConn, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 South Carolina. Rounding out the top 10 are No. 6 USC, No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 10 West Virginia.

Other ranked teams from the Big Ten include No. 11 Maryland, No. 19 Illinois and No. 25 Nebraska.

Big Ten squads Oregon, Michigan State, Penn State, Indiana and Michigan are all within the receiving votes category.

As the Hawkeyes turn their attention to Rhode Island and BYU in the Cancun Challenge, here’s a look at the full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

Rank Team Record Points
1 UConn 5-0 749 (13)
2 UCLA 5-0 748 (14)
3 Notre Dame 5-0 715 (3)
4 Texas 4-0 676 (1)
5 South Carolina 5-1 667
6 USC Trojans 4-1 597
7 LSU 7-0 578
8 Oklahoma 6-0 566
9 Ohio State 5-0 502
10 West Virginia 6-0 461
11 Maryland 6-0 452
12 Kansas State 5-1 429
13 Duke 6-1 425
14 North Carolina 6-1 346
15 Iowa State 5-1 334
16 Kentucky 5-0 310
17 North Carolina State 4-2 207
18 Ole Miss 4-1 203
19 Illinois 5-0 192
20 Alabama 7-0 186
21 TCU 6-0 173
22 Baylor 5-2 120
23 Louisville 4-2 113
24 Iowa 6-0 90
25 Nebraska 5-1 61

Schools Dropped Out

No. 25 Oregon;

Others Receiving Votes

Oregon 46; Tennessee 38; Florida State 33; Michigan State 11; Penn State 9; Georgia Tech 9; Middle Tennessee 6; Indiana 6; Richmond 4; Mississippi State 4; Saint Joseph’s 2; Michigan 2; Creighton 2; Ball State 2; Stanford 1;

Iowa women’s basketball date featured among ESPN’s ‘Feast Week’ must-see games

ESPN writes that one of Iowa women’s basketball’s upcoming dates is among its must-see “Feast Week” attractions.

For the first time this season, the Iowa Hawkeyes cracked the AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll.

Iowa checks in as the nation’s No. 22 team in the latest AP Top 25.

The Hawkeyes are 6-0 after dismantling Washington State, 72-43, on Sunday.

Senior guard Lucy Olsen finished with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting in the win. Olsen added eight boards, five assists and one steal.

Senior center Addison O’Grady had another strong performance, chipping in with 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists on 4-of-5 shooting.

But, it was what Iowa did defensively and on the glass that really turned heads. The Hawkeyes limited Washington State to 27.4% shooting from the field and 23.3% from 3-point range. Iowa forced 20 WSU turnovers and outrebounded the Cougars, 53-37.

As Iowa reenters the national conscience, the Hawkeyes’ rise is reflected by ESPN’s Feast Week guide. ESPN’s Charlie Creme tabbed Iowa’s Friday date against BYU among its must-see games during Feast Week.

Iowa has proved that life after Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder exists with an offense that is still among the best in the country through five games. BYU wasn’t supposed to contend in the Big 12 but is off to a solid start behind freshman Delaney Gibb. If the Cougars’ postseason aspirations are real, this is a perfect chance to prove it. – Creme, ESPN.

Iowa is once again starting to represent that type of resume-building opportunity for opponents. The Hawkeyes are slated to tip off against BYU (5-1) at 8 p.m. CT on Friday, but Iowa has another game in the Cancun Challenge before it.

Iowa will square off against Rhode Island (4-3) at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thanksgiving Day. Both games will stream on FloCollege.

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