Iowa Women's Basketball Series with UConn Shows National Staying Power

The Hawkeyes exploded onto the women's college basketball scene during Caitlin Clark's era, but they need to stay on the national stage. A new, top-tier home-and-home opponent helps the case.

Iowa head coach Jan Jensen reacts during a basketball game against the Oregon Ducks Jan. 15, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

How do you stay a big deal in the women's basketball world? You play high-profile games whenever possible.

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's college basketball program is fresh off another strong season, going 27-7 during the 2025-26 campaign.

Head coach Jan Jensen, in her second season, led Iowa to its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years, with the cancelled tournament in 2020 being the lone absence.

Despite the success, Iowa is quietly teetering on relevancy on the national stage of women's college basketball. The Caitlin Clark era catapulted Iowa to the forefront of every channel and media outlet, but Iowa now has to find a way to sustain that success, which has waned over the last two seasons.

After Clark led Iowa to back-to-back national championship appearances, the Hawkeyes have been bounced before the Sweet 16 the last two seasons.

That can't happen if a program wants to be a national player in women's college basketball, a sport as top-heavy as any.

Iowa's Commitment to Staying Nationally Relevant

Iowa Hawkeyes center Ava Heiden (5) celebrates Friday, March 6, 2026, during a Big Ten women's basketball tournament game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In an effort to stay one of the faces of the sport, Iowa has landed the biggest whale of all in women's sports, the UConn Huskies, arguably one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports.

Winners of 12 national championships, including 2025, UConn is as big a draw as there is. The Hawkeyes landing a home-and-home with the Huskies in 2026-27 and 2027-28 shows this program's commitment to not only trying to be the best, but also to compete against them fearlessly.

In five matchups all-time, the UConn Huskies hold a 4-1 advantage, with Iowa's lone win coming in the Final Four of the 2024 Women's NCAA Tournament.

Even with that record, Iowa simply getting a home-and-home with UConn is massively relevant for the program to take center stage in two games that are nearly locks to be nationally televised as women's college basketball continues to explode in popularity.

The sheer exposure this offers Iowa could be program-changing in the eyes of recruits if it wins, or is even competitive with UConn, which has the brand draw of an Ohio State, Alabama, or Georgia in college football.

Iowa Women's Basketball Must Recruit and Retain

It doesn't end with simply scheduling and playing in big games. For UConn, it can go play anyone, anywhere, at any time. The machine Geno Auriemma has built churns out top recruiting classes year after year.

Iowa isn't there yet. Iowa saw former five-star recruit Addie Deal depart via the transfer portal this offseason, creating waves about Iowa's sustainability. Jan Jensen and her staff have to recruit and retain talent.

Iowa did land the No. 7 player in the class of 2026, McKenna Woliczko, a wing, who could provide instant production on the offensive end. She can get to the hoop and is the Hawkeyes' best recruit on paper since Caitlin Clark.

Woliczko can't do it alone, though. She needs a supporting cast and a coaching staff that can get this team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, a goal that should realistically be the baseline of success for this program.