Iowa WBB Non-Conference Preview | Go Iowa Awesome

At approximately 2:00 pm on March 20, 2022, the 14,000 fans at Carver Hawkeye Arena fell silent. They came to see the coronation. To see the Iowa women’s basketball team advance to Sweet Her Sixteen for the second year in a row. The Hawkeyes had the advantage of reaching the Elite Eights and had a chance to advance to the program’s first Final Four in almost 30 years. Instead, Iowa fans witnessed her one of the biggest upsets in women’s college basketball history. And the winning basket was made by Lauren Jensen’s former Hawkeye.

There is a saying that you don’t know what’s good until it’s gone.

This was not the case. Iowa fans knew that the Iowa women’s basketball team did well last year.

They sold out the Carver Hawkeye Arena to see the team earn their share of the Big Ten regular season title. They traveled to see Iowa win his three bouts in his three days and win the Big He Ten Tournament. And they sold out his first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Carver to support the team again.

Unfortunately, the good things are gone before anyone expected.

Luckily, it hasn’t gone away forever. The core of last year’s Iowa team is back.Iowa is Ranked 4th in pre-season AP voting, and be prepared for the expectations that come with it. The journey to the Final Four is about to begin again.

Coming soon, we’ll have a preview of this year’s Big Ten, a review of this year’s returning players, and an introduction to the new faces on this Iowa women’s basketball team. But for now, let’s take a look at Iowa’s non-conference schedule.

General Iowa Nonconference Schedule

Unlike the Iowa men, the Iowa women play in Drake, Northern Iowa, and Iowa State on a non-conference schedule each year. Iowa also participates in tournaments around Thanksgiving, but the opponents in those tournaments are usually not great.

Most of the rest of Iowa’s non-conference schedule consists of major middle schools. Usually he has one or he has two cupcakes, but Bruder his coach is good at identifying good midfield classes and can give his team a challenge.

However, Iowa’s non-conference schedule typically lacks high-profile opponents. In general, Iowa State’s biggest test comes during conference play.

Non-conference schedule

As you can see, this year’s schedule is a little different.

top 10 opponents

First, Iowa is nice again. It’s entirely possible that both Iowa and Iowa will be in the top 10 on her December 7th. His Cy-Hawk game this year could be the biggest in the history of the rivalry.

But the fun doesn’t end there. North Carolina State may not be as good as last year when he was the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but he still brings plenty of talent to Iowa City on Dec. 1.

And then there’s potentially the biggest game. Unlike previous years, Iowa decided to take on a bigger challenge in this year’s holiday tournament. The top-5 ranked he could face off in a game between the two teams if both Iowa and UConn handle business in his first game at the Phil Knight Classic.

The bad news is that UConn All-American Paige Bookers tore his ACL this offseason. So we won’t be able to see Bookers vs. Kaitlyn Clarke in Round 2. That said, UConn still has some of the best recruits (and players) in the country, but the game is more likely to be won for Iowa than it has been in years.

under the radar game

But before Iowa can win the marquee matchup against UConn, they have to get past a very tough Oregon State team. The Beavers weren’t ranked early in the year, but they’ve been doing pretty well lately. Coach Scott Ryuk led the Beavers to the Final Four in 2016 and achieved an Elite Eight and his two sweet sixteens in his three years thereafter.

Iowa can’t miss Belmont either. The Bruins are now part of the Missouri Valley Conference and preseason favorites. If Iowa doesn’t play his best, like his game against IUPUI last year, the Bruins could be totally upset.

We all know Drake and Northern Iowa give Iowa the best chance every year. Neither program is expected to be great this year, but that doesn’t mean either will finish easily. Drake’s game, in particular, could be tough considering it’s his first road game of the season for Iowa, and his third that Iowa will make in less than a week.

lost opportunity

When Iowa’s game against Kansas State was announced, it looked like another big game. With Lee’s return, it seemed likely that Iowa could face a road in his game that ranked him one of the best players in the country.

Unfortunately, Lee was also injured this offseason and missed the entire season. Kansas State may still be a good team, but this matchup has lost its luster.

reopen the building

The best way for Iowa to maximize its chances of making the Final Four is to get as high a seed as possible in the NCAA Tournament. Even at their best, this Iowa team has its flaws, especially against taller sports teams. should mean that

For seeding purposes, Iowa’s non-conference schedule provides ample opportunity. If the Hawkeyes go 2-1 against a top 10 potential opponent, he looks very good in March. If he wins 3-0 in those games, he could become one of the top-seeded favorites, depending on how conference play goes. Anyway, this should be another great year for Iowa women’s basketball.