Jan Jensen Reveals Iowa's Biggest Priority in B1G Tournament

The Iowa Hawkeyes seem to be closer than ever to locking up a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They earned the right to be the B1G's No. 2 seed which granted them a double-bye in the 15 team conference tournament.

Now, all eyes are on senior forward Hannah Stuelke. Stuelke sat out of their final regular season game due to an injury she sustained against Illinois.

Keep in mind, Stuelke has missed two of their last four games. Those games were spaced out, but that doesn't make things any easier for second year head coach Jan Jensen.

Jan Jensen on the Importance of Having Hannah Stuelke in the Lineup

Hannah Stuelke wearing a sleeve on her right arm but nothing too crazy. Will see postgame how realistic Friday is. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/zSZphKv6ab
— Dargan Southard (@Dargan_Southard) March 1, 2026

Even though Iowa managed to win both of those games without her, there's a clear difference in how this team operates with Stuelke in the lineup. She's a difference maker and can change the game on any given moment.

Her senior leadership is something this team full of sophomores and freshman desperately needs.

"She's just such a seasoned senior and leader," Jensen said. "As soon as that buzzer sounds, I'll take her. Now, is that ideal? No. Especially since we don't know who we're going to play (to start the Big Ten Tournament). You've got to be at your very best when your best is needed."

"At least Hannah, of all the kids, she's been there. She's knows what the feeling of the Big Ten Tournament is. She knows the postseason, and she's smart," she continued. "She's played all these teams... As long as we get her healthy, if that's by game time on Friday, I'm going to be grateful for that."

Iowa Didn't Come All This Way For Nothing

The BIG 45 😤@StuelkeHannah is a second team All-B1G honoree! pic.twitter.com/JCE9gb7043
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 3, 2026

One injury could derail an entire team and that's the last thing Iowa wants to experience at this point in the season. They have both the B1G and NCAA tournaments remaining but Jensen already has a better record than she did including both of those tournaments in her first year as a head coach.

Stuelke has always been a vital part of this team, both on offense and defense. Her 13.9 points per game are second, only behind sophomore center Ava Heiden. Keep in mind, Heiden was just named to B1G First-Team while Stuelke took home second-team honors.

Her 8.7 rebounds per game certainly help her case even though she's shooting nearly 10% worse than Heiden. Either way, Iowa knows they are at their best with both Stuelke and Heiden on the court as that's a one-two combo that seemingly no team can replicate.

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