Iowa's Starting Lineup Decision Paid Off vs. Washington

For the first time since Taylor McCabe went down with an injury, the Iowa Hawkeyes played with their starting lineup.

Originally, second year head coach Jan Jensen was riding the hot hand with freshman Addie Deal. Very quickly, she learned that may not have been the right move.

Instead of changing things after going 0-2 on the west coast, Jensen opted to stick with her freshman and that may have cost this team another game.

With a week off, Iowa was able to figure out what would work best against Washington. Whether it was a one-game change or not remains to be seen, but sophomore Taylor Stremlow thrived in her role.

Taylor Stremlow Should've Been Starting All Along

First 🖐 pic.twitter.com/64gSKDu5AV
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 12, 2026

When Chit-Chat Wright went down against Baylor in Orlando, Jensen opted to put Stremlow in her place. The Wisconsin native has now started seven of the team's 23 games this year after starting just two in her freshman season.

Clearly, there's something that just clicks with her in the starting lineup. Stremlow isn't always going to set the world on fire with her point total, but that doesn't mean she doesn't impact the game.

Against No. 25 Washington, Stremlow finished with nine points on 4-6 shooting. She hit the only free throw she attempted and went all 32 minutes without committing a foul.

It's crazy to think Deal had just nine combined points in the three games she started. Those mark the only three starts of her young career, but the switch up is hard to believe after she put up a monstrous 20 points in 32 minutes against No. 12 Ohio State when McCabe first got hurt.

Addie Deal is a Better Spark Off The Bench

Secured the W together 💗@IowaWBB x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/bkIqZKZ4BS
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) February 12, 2026

Even though Deal only had four points against Washington, neither team had much success with their bench players in the Top 25 showdown. By the end of this one, Iowa had just five bench points while the Huskies only had four.

Keep in mind, Deal went just 2-8 from the field in 14 minutes. Stremlow, who started and played over double her minutes, attempted just six shots. These two players are asked to do very different things while each plays a crucial role to the team's success.

Deal has been struggling quite a bit recently, but it's no secret Jensen made the right decision to pull her from the starting lineup. That doesn't mean she won't return eventually, but at least through the end of this season she should stick with Stremlow.

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