Thoughts and Takeaways From Iowa Women's Basketball Nonconference Schedule

It's another year for the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team under head coach Jan Jensen, and admittedly, this year can't come soon enough.

After an early exit in the Round of 32, the Hawkeyes ended last year with a bad taste in their mouth. The 2026-27 season is a chance to right the ship, and it starts with the nonconference slate.

The nonconference schedule you've been waiting for. 🐤 pic.twitter.com/CjL6AoByN6
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) August 25, 2026

Iowa is not backing down from anyone

The Iowa Hawkeyes are a dream draw for other teams and television networks. Ever since Caitlin Clark hit the scene, the Hawkeyes have been shot to the top of women's basketball ratings.

It has led to some massive games for Iowa in the nonconference slate, which is headlined by Iowa's third game of the season. The Hawkeyes hit the road to take on the UConn Huskies, one of the greatest dynasties in sports.

To call that a test is a bit of an understatement, but it provides Iowa a great chance to find out a lot about themselves very quickly.

Add in games against Vanderbilt, which is in Sioux City, Iowa, and a home game against the Iowa State Cyclones, and you have three NCAA Tournament-caliber teams in the nonconference slate.

It's what you want to see during the nonconference schedule. It's a time to find out who you are, who you have, and how you compare to teams.

What is the minimum expectation for success?

Success is a loaded word here. It's beyond just wins and losses. Those matter, yes, but it isn't everything at this point in the season.

Sure, you don't want Iowa to drop one to the Towson Tigers or Montana State, but success is meshing Iowa's roster, which has a lot of new faces seeing playing time, together.

As for the record, aside from the three games mentioned earlier, Iowa should be favored in the other seven games (two are TBD as part of the Baha Mar Hoops event in the Bahamas).

At minimum, Iowa should come out of this 9-3. Less than that leaves some questions and concerns about this team's ceiling.

Keys to look for early

I want to see how the Hawkeyes mesh their returning starters with the new additions via the transfer portal.

Coming back are Taylor Stremlow, Ava Heiden, and Chit-Chat Wright, three players who gave Iowa considerable minutes last year and should be expected to take another step forward in 2026-27.

Joining Iowa via the transfer portal are Dani Carnegie (from Georgia) and Amari Whiting (from Oklahoma State). These two are experienced guards who can play against high-level opponents.

Also coming to Iowa is McKenna Woliczko, Iowa's highest recruit since Caitlin Clark. The five-star multi-tooled guard figures to see the court early and often. Getting her comfortable during the nonconference slate needs to be a top priority.

Add us as a preferred source on Google