Everyone expected this season for the Iowa Hawkeyes to look a little different. After all, replicating the Caitlin Clark era was always going to be a tall order. But by winning eight straight games right out of the gate, this squad gave fans a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they could pull it off. However, now, reality’s hit hard. Back-to-back losses in Big Ten play have fans raising eyebrows and, naturally, comparing this team to last year’s juggernaut. But head coach Jan Jensen? She’s not having it. 

“I think it’s really important for everybody to let this team be this year’s team,” she said, clearly exasperated by the constant comparisons. “Everybody keeps looking back… but these guys are giving me a lot, and they’re still young.” 

And she does get a point. This team isn’t seasoned like the one that spent four years building something special. New coach Jensen, who also saw that team growing as an associate coach, knows the challenge ahead is keeping her squad focused because, as she put it, “There’s a lot of season left.”

She understands that her job is to “keep them here” despite being “disappointed” after two losses. The team’s first blow came last Sunday when No. 8 Maryland handed Iowa a tough 74-66 loss. It wasn’t pretty. The Terrapins shot out of the gate with eight insane threes in their first 11 field goals. 

Before Iowa knew what hit them, they were down 25 points. Sure, they clawed back to make it a single-digit game late in the second half, but the damage was done. Lucy Olsen led Iowa with 19 points, while Hannah Stuelke chipped in 18. Then came Thursday, and it didn’t get any better. 

Illinois pulled off a 62-57 win, snapping Iowa’s streak of never losing consecutive games since December 2022. It was another rough shooting stretch from Iowa, who missed eight straight shots over halftime. Stuelke bagged 18 points, but they couldn’t find the rhythm as a team.

The good part is Jensen knows exactly what’s missing. Leadership. The kind of chemistry CC and Kate Martin brought to the table, sharing the court for four years and taking the team to finals for two years straight. “I’ve got to develop some senior leadership or upperclassmen leadership,” the HC admitted. “That’s what we’re missing.”

To be fair, this squad does have talent. Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen is putting up good numbers, averaging 17.1 points per game. But she’s still new to this system, and that connection isn’t fully there yet. We believe senior Addison O’Grady, who’s shooting an incredible 68.2%, as well as junior Stuelke, who’s scoring in double digits in almost every game and was a piece in the Clark crew too, could step up as leaders. 

But when is the question? Till then, they need to push so as not to let their AP ranking slip away. 

Caitlin Clark’s nurturing ground enters week 10 with an unchanged AP ranking

Despite the stumbles, Iowa remains at No. 23 in the AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll entering Week 10. Looks like the gutsy effort against Maryland probably helped keep them in place. For now, they sit at 11-4 overall and 1-3 Big Ten record. 

But now the pressure’s on now. They had two chances to climb the rankings this week, and after dropping the Illinois game, all eyes are on their Sunday matchup against Indiana. Can they bounce back? In the Big Ten, it’s a fierce battle. 

Undefeated UCLA is sitting pretty at the top, while Maryland and Ohio State dominate the top 10. Michigan State and Michigan round out the conference’s ranked teams. For Iowa, holding their spot amidst such competition is no small feat. Nevertheless, going forward, it’s going to take some serious work to bring out the best in this young squad. Hope they continue the legacy of Caitlin Clark.