Caitlin Clark might not be playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes anymore, but the Hawkeyes are still in pursuit of that elusive championship.  They didn’t just lose out on three of the five starters who played the championship game this off season, they lost their head coach, the 2019 Naismith coach of the Year Lisa Bluder as well! So, will they be able to do it ? Well, if their recent form is anything to go by, the Hawkeyes will definitely be a team to watch out for!

Having won 7 out of their last 9 games, the unranked Hawkeyes have certainly raised the eyes of many bracketologists! ESPN, who originally had them as a bubble team, now has them slotted as the sixth seed in the Spokane 1 regional as confirmed by an Hawkeye fan on X!

With just one regular season game left, Iowa stands at 19-9 and 9-8 in the Big Ten. It’s been an incredible journey for the Hawkeyes, who have gone from being on the bubble for a play-in game against in-state rival Iowa State after losing 5 in a row to looking like a solid lock for the tournament. A lot of that has to do with the impact of their senior guard, who transferred from Villanova to fill the massive shoes left by Caitlin Clark.

Lucy Olsen, the next Caitlin Clark for Iowa

After finishing as runners-up in the past two seasons, the Hawkeyes knew things were about to change big time. Losing four of their starters to the WNBA, including their superstar Caitlin Clark, was a tough blow. And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for them, it somehow did!

Veteran coach Lisa Bluder decided to step down, making way for assistant Jan Jensen to take the reins. It was the beginning of a new chapter for the Iowa Women’s basketball team. And leading the charge in this fresh era? None other than the star acquisition from Villanova, Lucy Olsen!

Lucy Olsen came to Iowa with a great CV, averaging 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, while shooting 43.8% from the field for the Wildcats last season. Her impact was immediate. She helped them kick off the season in such a way that no one expected them to. The Hawkeyes won their first 8 games in a row and were defying all expectations.

“I feel fortunate that we got Lucy” said head coach Jan Jensen when asked about her talented guard. That said Lucky and Caitlin aren’t similar players at all. When asked to describe Olsen as a player, the head coach said, “Lucy Olsen plays the mid-range game as well as I’ve seen it played. She plays with a pull-up jumper, it has a little bit of a hitch to it. She can double clutch you a little bit.”

This is, of course, the complete opposite of the Indiana superstar, who has modeled her game around long-range accuracy. Olsen’s intensity and consistency on both ends of the court has been extremely important for the Hawkeyes as they look to build a new identity post the Caitlin Clark era.