After all the closed-door scrimmages and offseason workouts, the Hawkeyes finally took the court for their first game of the 2026-2027 season.
It was one final tune-up exhibition against DII Maryville, and Iowa easily took care of business. Maryville is a solid DII team that returned multiple players this season, and it was a good first test for the Hawkeyes. It was also a good chance for fans to see what Iowa could look like in the regular season, and how all nine new players performed. It was a big 124-67 victory, but there was more to this game than the box score.
Iowa has the pieces to be a lethal offensive team this season
The Hawkeyes look a lot different this season after nine players left the program, but it is a blessing in disguise. One of those players is Hannah Stuelke, who started her professional career in Italy. Stuelke and Ava Heiden were Iowa's two best players last season, and Jan Jensen tailored the offense to them. The offense relied on both players' dominance in the paint, and the offense flowed through them. Iowa's half-court offense was essentially throwing the ball into the post and letting them make a play. Iowa has more versatility this season, and the offense has a chance to be lethal.
Heiden is still a focal point in the post, but the new four-out, one-in offense creates more freedom. The new offense relies on ball movement and timing, something the squad did well against Maryville. It is hard to truly gauge how the offense will look against a DII program in an exhibition, but it looked much more free-flowing than it did last season. Iowa's starting five was Chit-Chat Wright, Amari Whiting, Dani Carnegie, McKenna Woliczko, and Ava Heiden, giving Iowa four options to bring the ball up and initiate offense.
As the players gel, the timing will improve, and the offense won't get bogged down. We saw multiple instances of drive-and-kicks, high ball screens, and isolations, with Carnegie leading the show. This system is an offensive player's dream, letting them use creativity to either get to the basket, drive-and-kick, or spot up. To execute at the highest level, the program needs versatile players, and they now have that and then some. They won't score 124 points every night, but the outburst against Maryville is a taste of what the offense can do when it's firing on all cylinders.
Six players scored in double figures, led by Carnegie's 30 points, and the offense looks far ahead of where we thought it would be.
Dani Carnegie has a chance to be one of the best players in the country
It was only one game against a weaker opponent, but star guard Dani Carnegie looks like the country's best transfer. She reportedly dropped 30 points in a closed-door scrimmage against Oklahoma State, matching that total in Iowa's exhibition game. Carnegie finished with 30 points on 79 percent shooting from the field (11/14) and 57 percent from beyond the arc (4/7), scoring from everywhere on the floor. She got whatever she wanted against Marvyville, knocking down long-range shots, getting to the rim with ease, or hitting mid-range pull-ups, and she could easily be the focal point of the offense next season.
She had no trouble with the ACC as a freshman at Georgia Tech and was an All-SEC First-Team selection last season before transferring to Iowa, and Georgia will kick itself for letting her get away. Carnegie gives Iowa something they haven't had since Caitlin Clark: a player who can get her own shot off the dribble. Iowa's offense struggled last season when teams clogged the paint. With Carnegie and three other capable shooters in the starting lineup, teams won't be able to sag off.
She has already built a solid rapport with her teammates and will not only score in bunches, but also create more opportunities for them.
McKenna Woliczko has lived up to her tremendous hype so far
McKenna Woliczko was a five-star prospect and Iowa's highest-ranked recruit since Caitlin Clark for a reason. She was a star at Arch Bishop Mitty High School and has already made an impact in her short time on campus. After being selected as a McDonald's All-American, she entered with high expectations, and she has lived up to them. Jensen and the program don't often start first-year players, but Woliczko is too talented to start on the bench. She does everything on the court, and she displayed that in the exhibition win over Maryville.
Woliczko is a good athlete who can put the ball on the floor and rebound at a high level, and she showed that against the Saints. She was a force on the offensive glass and was smooth around the rim, while also knocking down a three-pointer. She is still working on consistently knocking down long-range shots, but she has a good shooting stroke, and it's only a matter of time. She recorded a double-double against Maryville with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and it's the first of many this season.
Woliczko gives Iowa a prolific two-way player and we are eager to see what she will do when the games count.
Jocelyn Faison has the potential to be a key rotation piece
Jocelyn Faison was a high-ranked Georgia prospect before committing to the Georgia Bulldogs program, but she got limited playing time in her first season. Buried on the depth chart, she opted to transfer and join the Iowa program with fellow Georgia transfer Dani Carnegie. Faison has the length and size to be a good defender and rebounder, but she wanted to prove that she is more than that. Carnegie and Amari Whiting were the headline signings, and although Faison was a talented high school player, she is unproven at the collegiate level.
She tied for the second-most minutes played off the bench with Layla Hays, and she made an impact on both ends of the court. She finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds, knocking down two three-pointers. Taylor Stremlow and Journey Houston look like Jensen's first two players off the bench, with Layla Hays also playing a role, but if Faison can consistently knock down long-range shots, she'll cut into those minutes.
Faison was already a gifted defensive player, but she also showed a solid offensive game against Maryville. It wouldn't be surprising if Faison earned more playing time, and based on the opponent's lineup, she could easily be one of the first few players off the bench.
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