Iowa Women's Basketball: What To Know About The Hawkeyes In 2024-25
Iowa Women's Basketball: What To Know About The Hawkeyes In 2024-25
Replacing the most prolific scorer in college basketball history is no easy feat, but the Iowa Hawkeyes being the post-Caitlin Clark era built for success.
Reaching National Championship Games in back-to-back seasons, Iowa women's basketball saw firsthand what it takes to compete at the game's highest level. In 2024-25, the Hawkeyes will do so without the top scorer in college basketball history.
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Caitlin Clark is gone and flourishing in the pros with the same repertoire of 3-point shooting and ball distribution that made her a real-time legend at Iowa. Clark is also reuniting in the WNBA with her former Hawkeyes coach, Lisa Bluder. There's plenty of change around Iowa City ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, but at least one thing should remain consistent: The Hawkeyes are still very much title contenders.
Returning a strong veteran corps and integrating some impact newcomers under first-year head coach Jan Jensen, Iowa begins a new age with the same lofty goals.
Jan Jensen's Long-Awaited Opportunity
Lisa Bluder may be gone, but her longtime assistant steps in as head coach. Jan Jensen spent a quarter century on the Hawkeyes sideline, helping maintain and even elevate the standard set under Hall of Famer Vivian Stringer in the '90s.
"The fans are so awesome. They're excited. They're supportive," Jensen said in an interview with NBC Sports. "And I think they're so appreciative of what was, but they're also equally excited about everything they believe can be. And when you have a fan base like that, that's a pretty great way to get started as a head coach."
Jensen is well aware of the lofty expectations of what Iowa can be, having contributed to setting that standard. She also knows the challenge of replacing Clark, whose otherworldly production is impossible to fully replicate, as well as filling in for Kate Martin. Martin was Iowa's third-leading scorer in 2023-24 at 13.1 points per game.
The roster is hardly all new for Jensen, though. She'll hit the ground running with a veteran leader poised to assert herself among the best in the Big Ten.
Hannah Stuelke's Time to Shine
Hannah Stuelke complemented the most dominant guard in college basketball a season ago by being one of the most reliable interior presences in the Big Ten. She averaged 14 points per game shooting an incredible 62.7 percent from the floor and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game. Close to half of Stuelke's boards were on the offensive end.
She has the opportunity to step into the spotlight now as the most established veteran on the Hawkeyes roster. The nation got a sneak-peek of an Iowa team with Stuelke as its driving force in a huge spot last year, too: She scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting in the Final Four win over UConn.
New Faces in Big Spots
With Iowa starting four new players around Stuelke, both returning reserves and newcomers have opportunities to make an immediate splash.
The most established among them is Lucy Olsen, an explosive scorer and all-around difference-maker in a similar vein as Clark. Olsen transfers in from Villanova, where she earned 1st Team All-BIG EAST and various All-America nods in 2023-24.
"My preference is to use the [transfer] portal need-based," Jensen said during Big Ten media day. "We needed a point guard. ...So we're really grateful that we got Lucy Olsen."
Meanwhile, rotational players will step into bigger roles. Look for Sydney Affolter, who averaged more than eight points and six rebounds and started in 12 games a season ago, to step up to potential All-Big Ten level. Post-player Addison O'Grady gave Iowa some significant contributions in the Elite Eight win over LSU, providing a potential springboard into a prominent role in 2024-25.
Iowa Basketball Matchups To Watch In 2024-25
Jensen noted at Big Ten media day just how much tougher an already strong Big Ten becomes this year with the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. USC is poised to be a national title favorite in 2024-25, Cori Clark's UCLA teams have been consistently tough in recent years, and Oregon has recently made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.
Before the Big Ten gauntlet, Iowa faces a challenging non-conference schedule, headlined by the Hawkeyes Thanksgiving trip to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge.
- Nov. 10 vs. Virginia Tech (in Charlotte)
- Nov. 20 vs. Kansas (in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
- Nov. 24 vs. Washington State
- Nov. 28 vs. Rhode Island (Cancun Challenge)
- Nov. 29 vs. BYU (Cancun Challenge)
- Dec. 7 vs. Tennessee (in Brooklyn)
- Dec. 11 vs. Iowa State
- Dec. 15 at Michigan State
- Jan. 1 at Penn State
- Jan. 5 vs. Maryland
- Jan. 9 at Illinois
- Jan. 12 vs. Indiana
- Jan. 19 at Oregon
- Feb. 2 vs. USC
- Feb. 13 vs. Rutgers
- Feb. 17 at Ohio State
- Feb. 23 vs. UCLA
- March 5-9, Big Ten Championship (in Indianapolis)
NCAA Women’s Basketball: 2024 Iowa Hawkeyes Cancun Challenge Schedule On FloHoops
View the full schedule of Iowa women's basketball team playing live and on-demand on FloHoops during the 2024-2025 season.
- Thursday, November 28 - 6:30 p.m. ET - Rhode Island vs Iowa
- Friday, November 29 - 9:00 p.m. ET - Iowa vs BYU
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