Iowa's Two Keys to Victory in Regular Season Finale

The No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes are set to put their 23-5 (14-3) record to the test as they head to Madison to take on the 13-15 (5-12) Wisconsin Badgers.

This is a Wisconsin team that started the year 6-1, later improving to 9-3 and 11-4. They were looking great heading into 2026, but suddenly they ran into a wall and nothing has come easy.

Iowa is eyeing their sixth straight win, and should they defeat the Badgers they would hand them their ninth straight loss to end the year.

Second year head coach Jan Jensen knows what's at stake in the B1G tournament, so now it's about executing and making sure her team doesn't make the same mistakes Ben McCollum's just did.

1. Allow Everything to Come Easy

On another level 📈@ava_heiden x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/08fkR9Xjmq
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 28, 2026

All year long the Hawkeyes shooting percentage has been through the roof, mostly thanks to sophomore standout Ava Heiden. She brings her 64.8% to the Kohl Center which is good for fourth in the nation.

Iowa as a team is shooting 50% which is eight percent higher than the Badgers. That's a great number to keep in mind, especially since field goal percentages were the only reason Penn State was just able to take down the Iowa men's team.

Jensen knows her squad is at her best when they're running the offense and getting open looks. Iowa throws up some threes from time to time, but they never force them. Iowa should be able to have their way in this one, especially against a Badgers defense that has allowed at least 66 points in every game of their current losing streak. Keep in mind, they've allowed 80+ in six of their last eight.

2. Don't Look Past Wisconsin

Signed, sealed, delivered the win 😎

Kylie Feuerbach x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/f0oqtEGMD5
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 28, 2026

As simple as it sounds, teams have a tendency to be looking past their opponent at this point in the season. It's easy to look at their record and their lack of success in 2026 and assume this is a game they should win with ease.

Sure, ESPN Analytics gives them a 92.9% chance to win, but that doesn't mean anything. The game still needs to be played, and it's up to Iowa to secure the No. 2 seed in the B1G tournament.

If they're too busy worrying about the B1G tournament or where they'll be seeded in March Madness, they could easily slip up and allow Wisconsin to do the same thing to them that Penn State just did to Iowa. That simply can't happen, especially with the Hawkeyes women's program being this close to returning to the team they were when Caitlin Clark was around.

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