Iowa's Taylor McCabe Sheds Light On Season-Ending Injury

While she would've loved to end on her own terms, Taylor McCabe poured her heart and soul into this program.

The Iowa Hawkeyes' season is going to look much different without her, as seen in their 12-point loss to unranked USC.

Now, just hours before they're set to play the No. 2 team in the nation, McCabe broke her silence for a lengthy interview with Hawk Central's Chad Leistikow.

Leistikow made the trip to Los Angeles with the team as he sat down with McCabe to discuss her ACL tear and everything that went through her mind in the moment, and how she's currently handling things.

Taylor McCabe: I Knew the Second it Happened

“I don’t know how I wanted it to end, but definitely not like this.”

Grateful for the chance to visit with Taylor McCabe yesterday in L.A. about her season-ending injury, what she's been going through & how she's still being the captain @IowaWBB needs.https://t.co/NKHuxZkwao
— Chad Leistikow🆑 (@ChadLeistikow) February 1, 2026

When speaking with Leistikow, McCabe made it clear she wanted to be there for her team. Even though she knew, just one minute into the game, her college career was likely over, that's not something she wanted to process or have the team worry about.

"When it did happen, I really didn't want people to panic. So when I came back out, them seeing me would bring a sense of ease," she told Leistikow.

"Monday is when this definitely hit me," McCabe added. "I never thought this was going to happen. Everything that I worked toward my whole life, and then finally getting my shot and my opportunity at Iowa ... I feel like I was really getting back into my flow, too, and I know everybody had absolute confidence in me.”

McCabe later said, "I've kind of made my peace with that. Now I've got bigger battles to fight."

An Unfortunate End To A Stellar College Career

Iowa G Taylor McCab — Iowa guard Taylor McCabe (2) attempts a 3-pointer against Penn State guard Kiyomi McMiller (23) Dec. 28, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's nearly impossible to find someone who shot the ball better than McCabe. While she's widely known for her 3-pointers and being No. 11 all-time, her defense is second to none and is something this team will dearly miss. Anyone can bring up the fact that she's second all-time with her 40.66% from 3-point range, but it's the little things that don't show up in the stat sheet that McCabe did so well.

"Obviously it was not the ending I anticipated," she said. "I don’t know how I wanted it to end, but definitely not like this. But you can’t always control everything in life, so I know that I still have a role in this team. It just might look a little different.”

McCabe made the trip to LA to support Iowa as they look to rebound after a shocking loss to the Trojans. While there would be no shame in losing to the No. 2 team in the country, Iowa would love to come together and put forward a dominant performance in McCabe's honor.

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