Iowa Remains Undefeated With Sharpshooting Guard in Starting Lineup

On February 19, the Iowa Hawkeyes improved to 10-0 when sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow is in the starting lineup.

Heading into their matchup against Purdue, the game notes included that statistic, which is something that can't be ignored.

Stremlow first started earlier this year when Chit-Chat Wright went down with an injury against Baylor. When Taylor McCabe got hurt, head coach Jan Jensen opted to start Addie Deal over Stremlow.

Now, it doesn't seem to be a coincidence that Iowa lost all three of the games where Deal started. Nothing against the freshman, but Stremlow brings something else to the table and that's been obvious since November.

Taylor Stremlow Continues Her Winning Ways

B1G First Half 🚨

A career-high 19 pts. 5-for-5 from three.@StremlowTaylor x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/PAvWu5tEOs
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 20, 2026

It's not often one player changes the course of a team's season, but who knows what would've happened if Jensen kept starting Deal over Stremlow. In all transparency, it's not like Stremlow starting would've led this Iowa team to victory at No. 2 UCLA, but at the end of the day you never truly know.

Both the USC and Minnesota losses were avoidable and inexcusable. Looking back on those games, it's hard to put all the blame on Deal, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that when Stremlow starts, this team wins.

Stremlow delivered another phenomenal effort against Purdue as she dropped a career high 19 points, all of which came in the first half. She was a perfect 5-5 from three-point range as she went on to miss her only attempt in the second half.

Stremlow Should Start The Rest of Her Career

TAYLOR STREMLOW, EVERYONE! @StremlowTaylor X #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/bUcUyhitjZ
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 20, 2026

While there are still a ton of variables, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Stremlow isn't a starter for her final two years with the program. The Wisconsin native started a pair of games last year as a freshman, as she's seen that total climb to 10 starts this year.

With three games remaining, there shouldn't be a reason for Stremlow to come off the bench in any of their final games. Iowa has gotten tremendous guard play out of her, Chit-Chat Wright, and Kylie Feuerbach, but one could make a case that the sophomore is the strongest of the three.

Wright has been spectacular, but Stremlow has been lights out recently and brought an infectious energy to a team that desperately needed it. She'll face her toughest test yet on February 22 against No. 6 Michigan, but that doesn't mean she's not ready for the challenge.

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