Close But Not Close Enough Not Good Enough For Iowa Women Vs. Michigan

Jan Jensen's Iowa Hawkeyes have been good, but not good enough over the past two games. That has to change against the Michigan Wolverines.

Feb 23, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen reacts during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team has been playing good basketball as of late, but good basketball just hasn't been good enough.

They're 0-2 in their last two games, which not-coincidentally have come against ranked opponents. Iowa lost 86-78 to No. 8 Ohio State last week. A few days ago against No. 3 UCLA, the Lady Hawkeyes played the Bruins tough, but ultimately lost, 67-65.

Close, but not close enough, and there are no moral victories this close to March.

"We're battling. You get to a point where it's, 'Doggone it.' … Until we get collectively tired of coming that close … We just take too many bad shots at the wrong time," head coach Jan Jensen said after the UCLA loss, according to David Eickolt of 247Sports.

With the loss, Jensen's squad fell to 18-9 overall and 8-8 in Big Ten. There are only two games left to go in the regular season now, and Iowa runs the risk of finishing this thing on a four-game skid if the Hawkeyes can't find a way to bounce back on Wednesday night against Michigan.

Iowa must travel to Ann Arbor to take on a 19-8 (10-6 Big Ten) Michigan team that has won five of its last six. The ESPN Matchup Predictor favors the Wolverines, 69.5% to 30.5%.

We know Iowa can play with good teams. They proved as much against UCLA, and let's not forget, the Hawkeyes did beat No. 4 USC earlier in the season. In fact, not only can Iowa play with good teams, but the Hawkeyes are a good team themselves.

"Their record is not reflective of how well they're playing right now," UCLA head coach Cori Close said of the Hawkeyes. "They are absolutely one of the most purposeful basketball teams we've had to play against."

Purposeful is good. Being competitive is good. Good is not good enough at this point in the season, though. The Lady Hawkeyes need to go into Ann Arbor, put it all together, and come away with a win.

That's the only type of statement that matters.