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Senior Sunday is also Showdown Sunday: No. 13 Iowa welcomes No. 6 Michigan
Hannah Stuelke, Kylie Feuerbach, Taylor McCabe and Jada Gyamfi will be honored postgame
Feb. 21, 2026 12:52 pm, Updated: Feb. 21, 2026 2:08 pm
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IOWA CITY — It’s a Senior Sunday. And it’s a Showdown Sunday.
No. 13 Iowa (21-5 overall, 12-3 Big Ten) faces — without a doubt — its most challenging home game of the women’s basketball season, when No. 6 Michigan (22-4, 13-2) comes to town.
Tipoff is 11 a.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in a game televised by Fox.
“If Hannah (Stuelke) can’t go, it’s going to be really hard,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “(The Wolverines) play so well together.”
Stuelke missed the Purdue win Thursday due to injury. If she is out Sunday, it means three of the four players that will be honored postgame for Senior Day ceremonies will be in street clothes.
Taylor McCabe and Jada Gyamfi are out with knee injuries. Kylie Feuerbach will play.
Iowa’s regular-season finale actually is Thursday night (against Illinois and former Hawkeye Aaliyah Guyton).
But ...
“If we do (Senior Day) Thursday, it’s hard for the grandmas and grandpas to get here,” Jensen said.
So Sunday it is.
This is Jensen’s second senior class as head coach. Any or all of the four could have moved on when she was hired in May 2024.
They all stayed.
“I’m so grateful for their grace with me,” Jensen said. “I want nothing more than for this team to go as far as we possibly can.”
The winner of Sunday’s game has the inside track to the 2-seed in the Big Ten tournament, which is rapidly approaching.
Laden with high-level sophomore talent, Michigan has perhaps its best team in program history
“They play at a fun, fast pace,” Jensen said. “They all can score with no weak links. It seems they rarely tire.”
Thumbnails on the four Iowa seniors, in the predicted order in which they will be introduced Sunday:
Jada Gyamfi
(6-1, forward, Johnston)
Played in four games this season before opting for knee surgery. It’s unlikely that she’ll play again this season.
Scored 55 career points, including 27 in her sophomore season.
Jensen said: “Jada has been the consummate role player. Even though she didn’t play much, she was always a fan favorite.
“She’s bubbly. She’s kind of the team mom. She builds everybody up. She has a really good basketball IQ. She understands and knows the game.
“I’m really appreciated her leadership. She’s been so positive, though I know she’s really disappointed that she didn’t get to finish the season.”
Taylor McCabe
(5-9, guard, Fremont, Neb.)
Her season (and career) came to a premature, unfortunate end early in the Ohio State game Jan. 25, when she tore her ACL.
She finished with 561 points, averaging 8.1 per game as a senior. Her 172 career 3-pointers rank 11th all-time at Iowa, and she shot 40.7 percent from distance. She was an underrated perimeter defender.
Jensen said: “Throughout her career, she really worked her tail off to make her role a greater one. After her freshman year, I said, ‘Hey, everybody thinks you’re just a shooter. Get a little faster and stronger, and you can be a good defender.’
“She’s been a heck of a leader, and she did it the right way.
“I love that kid. She’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen. I feel sick that I can’t coach her throughout the duration of her career.
“She’s very intelligent. She loves knowledge. She has knowledge on everything.”
Kylie Feuerbach
(6-0, guard, Sycamore, Ill.)
Played her first season at Iowa State back in 2020-21, then spent her last five seasons in Iowa City (missed 2022-23 with a torn ACL).
Earned the reputation as one of Iowa’s better defenders in recent years. In addition, she is the most dependable free-throw shooter on the team (88.2 percent this season) and also has a high assist-to-turnover rate (1.97).
She’ll be 25 in May.
Jensen said: “When she got here, she played in that shadow (of Caitlin Clark). What a force she became last year.
“It’s hard to come back (after injury) and readjust. I’m thrilled for any time that kid gets success. People want to glamorize points. I think it took time for people to understand her importance to our team.
“She’s salt of the earth. There couldn’t be a sweeter kid.”
Hannah Stuelke
(6-2, forward, Cedar Rapids)
Power forward or center; ‘4’ or ‘5?’ Seemed that question followed Stuelke throughout her career. Either way, she’ll be remembered for her “rim-running,” which allowed her to be the recipient of many of Caitlin Clark’s transition assists.
Her offensive productivity peaked as a sophomore, when she shot 63 percent from the field, averaged 14.0 points per game and briefly held the Carver-Hawkeye Arena single-game scoring record (47 points, against Penn State, Feb. 8, 2024).
This year it’s 13.8 ppg. She’s the Big Ten rebounding leader this season at 8.8 boards per game.
Jensen said: “She’s the hometown hero. As a freshman, she played sparingly at the Final Four, but her last three years, she became one of the best players in the Big Ten.
“It’s been a really fun story, watching her mature. We’ve always encouraged her to use her ‘big girl voice.’
“Choosing to stay here, becoming a high-profile player, and there’s still a little wonderment in her, the joy she plays with.”
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
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