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Nine regular-season games remain for Iowa women’s basketball; three will determine the Hawkeyes’ postseason fate
Road tests at Minnesota, Nebraska and Michigan will be pivotal in the Hawkeyes’ push for the NCAA tournament
Jan. 23, 2025 9:55 am, Updated: Jan. 23, 2025 1:47 pm
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IOWA CITY — Rock Bottom has come and — presumably — gone.
Iowa emphatically snapped a five-game women’s basketball losing streak Wednesday night, playing its best game of the season in an 85-61 win at Washington.
The Hawkeyes (13-7 overall, 3-6 Big Ten) have reached the midpoint of the conference schedule, sitting firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble.
ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme had Iowa as an 11-seed prior to Wednesday, with the Hawkeyes playing in an opening-round NCAA game. You get no more bubble-ish than that.
The triumph in Seattle moved Iowa up three spots in the NET rankings to 33.
Nine regular-season games remain.
In three, the Hawkeyes will be heavy favorites. That begins with a home date Tuesday against Northwestern, and also features Carver encounters with Rutgers (Feb. 13) and Wisconsin (March 2).
In three, they will be decided underdogs. AP top-five USC comes to town Feb. 2, and No. 1 UCLA follows Feb. 23. Between those enormous challenges, the Hawkeyes play at Ohio State on Feb. 17.
That leaves three toss-up games, all on the road.
Iowa plays at Minnesota (Feb. 6), at Nebraska (Feb. 10) and at Michigan (Feb. 26). All three of those teams are fringe top-25 teams, and the Huskers already have an overtime win over the Hawekeyes,
What will it take to make the NCAA?
All things considered, with its recent history, Iowa will get the benefit of the doubt. If the Hawkeyes can get to 9-9 in the league (19-10 overall), they’re a lock, regardless of what happens in the Big Ten tournament.
However, to get there, Iowa would have to sweep the three coin-flip games, or pull a major upset over one of the front-runners.
A more likely scenario is 18-11 overall, 8-10 Big Ten. With the strength of the league, the Hawkeyes probably would be better than 50/50 to make the NCAA, but at least one conference-tournament win would make it more secure.
At 17-12 and 7-11, the Hawkeyes still would be in the picture, but a win (or two) in the Big Ten tournament would be imperative to make the NCAA.
Anything less than that, and it’s probably WNIT.
So barring an unexpected surprise (good or bad), Iowa’s road to the NCAA runs through Minneapolis, Lincoln and Ann Arbor.
Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com
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