The 2024 Iowa Hawkeyes have one goal, but it'll take six more wins to accomplish. Iowa has yet to win a national championship despite a strong history in the NCAA Tournament. But that's part of the reason they call it March Madness.
A large portion of the Hawkeyes' tournament success has come under head coach Lisa Bluder. Of the now 30 times Iowa has reached the tournament, 18 have been with Bluder at the helm. Coincidentally, Iowa is 18-18 under Bluder in the tournament.
Nine of the Hawkeyes' other appearances came under Vivian Stringer from 1986-1994. Under her leadership, Iowa went 10-9 in the tournament.
Looking round by round throughout the program's history, the Hawkeyes have a strong historical resume. Of course, that resume has a good chance of looking even better once the 2024 tournament is said and done.
But before we get ahead of ourselves for the promising road ahead, let's take a look at the Hawkeyes' record round by round.
Hawkeyes' Round 1 Record
Despite 29 played appearances, this round is a bit lighter than new fans may expect. The Women's NCAA Tournament was initially 32 teams and had BYE rounds. It slowly grew through the decades to a field of 68 in 2022 to match the men's tournament seeding.
All time, the Hawkeyes are 14-7 in the first round or the round of 64. The team got off to a strong start going 6-0 in their first six appearances. Unfortunately, an 0-4 run from 2004 to 2009 humbled the program. These were the first appearances under Bluder.
Hawkeyes' Round 2 Record
Nearly the inverse is the case in the second round as the Hawkeyes hold an 8-14 record in the second round.
Half of those wins have come since 2015. The second round was a true hurdle for the program for many years. From 1994 until 2015, Iowa won just one second-round game, losing eight along the way.
Hawkeyes' Sweet 16 Record
The Hawkeyes are strong in the Sweet 16 and beyond, thankfully. Iowa is 5-4 all-time in the Sweet 16.
What may be a bit concerning as far as trends go is the fact that the Hawkeyes, despite the positive record, have only ever won back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances once, 1987-88. The Hawkeyes will be looking to break that trend this year.
Hawkeyes' Elite Eight Record
Despite the 1987-88 teams being the only ones to win back-to-back appearances in the Sweet 16, they are the only teams to lose back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. Iowa is 2-3 in the quarterfinal round.
Of course, that does also mean the Hawkeyes have never won consecutive Elite Eight appearances, having won in 1993, lost in 2019 and won most recently in 2023. So it would be another first for the program if they manage to reach the 2024 Final Four.
Hawkeye's Final Four Record
Reaching the Final Four is insanely difficult. The Hawkeyes are a strong program with a positive record in the NCAA Tournament of 32-29 and have still only reached the Final Four two times in 41 years of the Women's NCAA Tournament.
Of course, the Hawkeyes have split those opportunities, 1-1.
The 1993 Hawkeyes, which were a No. 2 seed, lost to the No. 1 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in overtime 72-72. Those Buckeyes went on to lose to the Texas Tech Red Raiders, led by Sheryl Swoopes, 84–82, in the national championship.
In 2023, the Hawkeyes as a No. 2 seed once again toppled No. 1 seed South Carolina 77–73 to advance to the program's first national championship appearance. Caitlin Clark set the record for the highest-scoring semifinal game by dropping 41 on the Gamecocks. She also became the first player to post back-to-back 40-point games in the women’s NCAA Tournament in that run.
Hawkeye's National Championship Record
Those 2023 Hawkeyes reached the national championship but ultimately fell short to the LSU Tigers, led by their own budding superstar, Angel Reese. Clark was held to 30 points as the Hawkeyes fell 102-85, cementing a 0-1 record in the tourney finals.
With all that the Hawkeyes, Bluder and Clark have accomplished over the years, bringing that record up to 1-1 is the only task remaining for Iowa in 2024. With Clark's departure after the season, there's no guarantee of when the Hawkeyes will be this close again.
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