Can Iowa WBB Do What 2014-15 UConn Did After Winning Gulf Coast Showcase?
Can Iowa WBB Do What 2014-15 UConn Did After Winning Gulf Coast Showcase?
Iowa Women's Basketball won the 2023 Women's Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 26. Now can they win it all in March? It's happened before to a GCS champion.
The Iowa Women's Basketball team exacted revenge on Kansas State as the Hawkeyes won the 2023 Women's Gulf Coast Championship on Nov. 26.
Iowa, the 2023 National Runner-up in the Women's NCAA Tournament, opened the season ranked No. 3 behind LSU and UConn and moved to No. 2 in the country in the second poll. But after a loss to a then-unranked Kansas State team in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes dropped to No. 5.
That ranking could be going up again after bouncing back with a win 10 days later over the Wildcats in South Florida.
- Subscribe to FloHoops To Watch More Women's Basketball
- How Does The Transfer Portal Work In College Basketball
- Here Are Caitlin Clark Stats As Iowa WBB Wins Gulf Coast Showcase
Now begs the question: Can Iowa not only return to the Final Four, but win the championship this year?
It's happened to a Women's Gulf Coast Showcase Champion before.
Has A Women's Gulf Coast Showcase Champion Won The NCAA Tournament?
Yes.
UConn Women's Basketball won the 2015 NCAA Women's Tournament Championship. The Huskies won their second straight championship that season and would win three in-row as part of their run of 14 straight Final Four appearances.
But before that UConn won the Women's Gulf Coast Showcase championship, beating College of Charleston, Vanderbilt and Green Bay.
UConn went 38-1 that season, it's only loss coming to Stanford on Nov. 17. After the loss, they went to Estero, Florida to bounce back just like Iowa did this season.
Can Caitlin Clark Do What Breanna Stewart Did For UConn?
Like UConn in 2014-2015, it helps when you have the best player in the country. Iowa has that in star Caitlin Clark, the reigning Naismith Player of The Year.
UConn won the national championship in 2015 with star junior Breanna Stewart, one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time, averaging 17.7 points per game and 7.8 rebounds.
The two players are very much different. Clark is one of the best 3-point shooters in college basketball history, while Stewart may be the greatest center to ever play women's college basketball.
Iowa Women's Basketball Schedule In 2023-2024
The Hawkeyes still have to play mid-major power Bowling Green and the Cy-Hawk rivalry game before their first Big Ten contest on Dec. 10 in Madison, Wisconsin against the Badgers.
A heavy favorite to win their conference, just like UConn in 2014-2015, Iowa's biggest test is likely against Ohio State, who opened the season ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll.
When Is The 2024 Women's Big Ten Tournament?
The Big Ten Tournament is scheduled to begin on March 6 in Minneapolis. The Big Ten Women's Basketball Championship Game is March 10.
When Is The 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament?
Selection Sunday for the NCAA Women’s Tournament is March 17, 2024. The First Four will tip off March 20, with the Round of 64 beginning March 22.
2023 Women's Gulf Coast Showcase Results
First round games:
- Kansas State 77, Western Kentucky 61
- North Carolina 54, Vermont 51
- Florida Gulf Coast 83, Delaware 68
- Iowa 98, Purdue Fort Wayne 59
Consolation games:
- Western Kentucky 62, Vermont 50
- Purdue Fort Wayne 88, Delaware 74
Semifinal games:
Consolation games:
- Purdue Fort Wayne 90, Western Kentucky 77
- Delaware 73, Vermont 66
- FGCU 65, UNC 64
Championship game
What Teams Have Won the Women's Gulf Coast Showcase?
Here are the all-time champions of the Women's Gulf Coast Showcase.
- 2013: Middle Tennessee State
- 2014: UConn
- 2015: Stanford
- 2016: Baylor
- 2017: Notre Dame
- 2018: Texas
- 2019: Gonzaga
- 2021: Iowa State
- 2022: Michigan
Watch NCAA Women’s Basketball On FloHoops
The NCAA Women's Basketball is streaming live on FloHoops and the FloSports app. The BIG EAST Digital Network is also on FloHoops and the FloSports app.
FloHoops Archived Footage
Video footage from all events will be archived and stored in a video library for FloHoops subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.
Join the College Basketball Conversation on FloHoops Social
- Follow us on Twitter @FloHoops.
- Follow us on Instagram @flohoops.
- Follow us on TikTok @Flohoopstv.
- Watch us on YouTube.
- Like us on Facebook.