Iowa gets back to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight year earning 6-seed

Iowa is back in the tournament one season removed from losing Caitlin Clark and a multitude of other pieces from last season.
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Sydney Affolter (3) celebrates scoring a 3-pointer Friday, March 7, 2025, in a quarterfinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes defeated the Hawkeyes, 60-59.
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Sydney Affolter (3) celebrates scoring a 3-pointer Friday, March 7, 2025, in a quarterfinals game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Buckeyes defeated the Hawkeyes, 60-59. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa women's basketball is going dancing for the seventh straight year as the Hawkeyes pull a favorable bid for the NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed. Just one season after head coach Lisa Bluder retired, the Hawkeyes lost Caitlin Clark and numerous other key pieces to their team, the Hawkeyes found themselves in a solid spot in the NCAA Tournament.

After a bit of a slow start to the season behind first-year head coach Jan Jensen, the Hawkeyes found some magic in Big Ten play, starting with the night Clark's jersey was retired when Iowa took now top-ranked USC in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That win catapulted Iowa in their season to a solid run to finish the regular season and play well in the Big Ten Tournament.

The Hawkeyes are in the Spokane 4 Regional and will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, for their first-round matchup against Murray State. If Iowa makes it past their first-round matchup, the Hawkeyes will face the winner of Oklahoma and FGCU.

Even though Jensen is a first-year head coach, this certainly isn't her first time in the NCAA Tournament, as she was a long-time assistant to Bluder for many years. Jensen knows how March works and has the ability to lead her team far into the NCAA Tournament. Jensen was an assistant on this team during the last two seasons in which Iowa went to back-to-back NCAA National Championships.

Iowa certainly can't overlook their first-round matchup, as Murray State made it to the NCAA Tournament for a reason. Even though the Racers made it in with a conference championship punched ticket, they are not a team to look past. Iowa will have to bring their A-game to this game because from here on out, it is won or go home, and the Hawkeyes feel like they have unfinished business in the NCAA Tournament.

Players such as Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter remember all that Iowa went through the last two seasons and are ready to make true names for themselves. Iowa lost in the Big Ten Tournament to Ohio State by just one point, so they have a chance to make a real run this March.

Iowa will take the court against Murray State on Saturday, March 22, in Norman, Oklahoma, times and TV information will be released soon. Check back for updates on Iowa's first-round matchup.

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