Movin' on up!
The Iowa women had a rough stretch of games in the middle of December, losing two of three games to ranked opponents.
The Hawkeyes lost to rival Iowa State on December 10 and were crushed by No. 1 UConn on December 20.
Ever since that minor rough patch, the Hawkeyes have rattled off four straight wins, including two comeback victories over Northwestern and Indiana.
The squad has overcome multiple injuries to key contributors, including starters Chit-Chat Wright and Kylie Feuerbach, and reserve Emely Rodriguez, and has steadied the ship before the heart of the Big Ten schedule.
Iowa is getting hot at the right time and was rewarded by moving up three spots in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.
Leveled up. 📈 pic.twitter.com/s9vpsFw40f
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 12, 2026
It's lucky No. 11 for the Hawkeyes, moving up from No. 14 last week.
After Iowa earned a gritty win over Indiana in Bloomington, they passed Big Ten rival Maryland, which now sits at No. 12, and rival Iowa State, which fell the most, to No. 19.
Iowa's rise in the rankings sets up an important week of hoops.
Iowa's rise sets up two important games against ranked teams
The Hawkeyes have been as steady as they come in the second year under Jan Jensen, and despite some offensive struggles, they have been competitive in every game.
After moving up to No. 11 in the rankings, it sets up two showdowns against No. 15 Michigan State and No. 12 Maryland in back-to-back games.
That critical two-game stretch will be a great barometer for where the team is at midway through the season.
If Iowa can continue playing as a unit and stay connected on the defensive end, it will be a tough team to beat down the stretch.