Iowa Provides Injury Updates on Three Key Pieces

Even though the Iowa Hawkeyes went from No. 12 to No. 11, they are sitting pretty at 8-0. Come December 6, things are going to be kicked up a notch. The Hawkeyes prepare to play Rutgers, on the road no less, in a conference matchup that will determine the trajectory of their season.

Iowa is coming off an 86-72 win over Fairfield, but that doesn't tell the full story. They've been without Chit-Chat Wright since the Baylor game on November 20 when she went down with a scary injury.

Other than Wright, fans have tried to monitor the status of both Emely Rodriguez and Teagan Mallegni. Hawkeyes fans would love to get these injuries out of the way early, but there's still room for concern as one of the three isn't exactly day-to-day.

Jan Jensen's Injury Updates

Jan Jensen says that none of the three injured plays (Chit-Chat Wright, Emely Rodriguez and Teagan Mallegni) have practiced this week.

Rodriguez and Wright are still day-to-day. Mallegni a little further off, but Jan still called her day-to-day.
— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) December 4, 2025

For starters, it's not a great sign that neither Wright, Rodriguez, nor Mallegni has practiced this week. With the Scarlet Knights game just a few days away, one would assume that either of the three would have to be on the court for some sort of practice session to be cleared for action.

Wright has been out the longest, but many expected her to be back in time for this Rutgers game. Seeing as she's missed the last three games and Iowa had nearly a full week to prepare for Rutgers, her not practicing comes as a bit of a surprise.

Jensen still lists all three players as day-to-day, but she said that Mallegni is a little further off from returning. Even though she's still listing her in the same category as Rodriguez and Wright, it's safe to rule out Mallegni for the Rutgers game.

Iowa's Depth Being Tested

Iowa guard Chit-Chat Wright (11) passes the ball Oct. 30, 2025 during an exhibition game against the Ashland Eagles at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of the eight games Iowa has played, Wright has played in just five of them. She's still second on the team with 12.6 points per game, but the small sample size certainly helps her case. Iowa has gotten everything and more out of a player like Taylor Stremlow, someone they desperately needed to step up in the Baylor and Miami games, specifically.

Elsewhere, Rodriguez could miss her third game of the season. She's played in just one more game than Wright, while Mallegni has appeared in just three this season. Thankfully for Iowa, they've been able to rely on players like Ava Heiden, Hannah Stuelke, Taylor McCabe, and Layla Hays. While others aren't as prominent in the stat sheet, Addie Deal, Kylie Feuerbach, and Journey Houston have also played in all eight games.

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