Five Things to Watch in Iowa’s Final Five Games

With just five games remaining, the Iowa Hawkeyes know they're in the home stretch.

An uncharacteristic three-game skid nearly derailed everything this season, but Iowa took advantage of their week off and defeated No. 25 Washington, 65-56.

From here, Iowa has only one ranked team left on their schedule. Facing No. 7 Michigan is no easy task, but Iowa has two more games to prepare before the Wolverines come to Carver.

Sitting at 19-5 (10-3), Iowa remains fourth in the conference. Michigan joins No. 8 Ohio State as the two-loss teams with No. 2 UCLA comfortably undefeated at the top.

1. Rare Weekday Afternoon Game vs. Nebraska

Iowa Hawkeye — Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) huddles with her teammate during a basketball game against the Washington Huskies Feb. 11, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa's next two games are on the road, but it's worth noting their matchup against Nebraska takes place on Presidents Day. Because of that, the tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST.

Seeing that tipoff time during a weekday is quite rare, and who knows if that would be enough to catch this team off guard. Seeing as they have four full days to prepare, Iowa would love to take advantage of a Nebraska team that has fallen to three straight ranked opponents.

2. Iowa Heads to Purdue as Heavy Favorites

The Purdue men's team might be one of the best in the country but their women's team is under .500 with a 3-10 conference record. Knowing that, ESPN Analytics had no issue giving Iowa a 91.4% chance to win this game. With Michigan awaiting the Hawkeyes next, this is a must win road game to keep momentum on their side.

3. One of the Biggest Games of the Year vs. Michigan

Michigan Wolverine — Indiana's Shay Ciezki (10) looks for a loose ball during the Indiana versus Michigan womens basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa dominated the Buckeyes at home and since OSU has climbed quite a few spots in the AP Top 25. Michigan isn't the same as Ohio State, but that doesn't mean Iowa can't replicate what went down on January 25.

Michigan is easily Iowa's toughest test down the stretch and it's a great preview game of what's to come in the B1G tournament and NCAA Tournament as well. Iowa will be alright if they lose this one, but winning could completely wipe the stench of their three-game losing streak from January 29-February 5.

4. Could Catch Illinois at the Wrong Time

In a world where Iowa loses to Michigan, they're extremely vulnerable to falling to this Fighting Illini team. Illinois could head to Carver on a three-game winning streak as they look to save their season. If that's the case, Iowa knows they can't slip up with this being the definition of a trap game.

5. Ending the Year in Madison is Scary

Iowa HC Jan Jense — Iowa head coach Jan Jensen reacts during a basketball game against the Washington Huskies Feb. 11, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Looking to finish their season on a high note, Iowa has to play in Wisconsin, a team that has been extremely inconsistent. This team may have started the year 11-4, but since they've gone on to lose time and time again. Currently, they are 13-12 (5-9) with ranked wins over Michigan State and Nebraska. Keep in mind, they just took Washington to overtime before falling by five points.

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