Predictions for Iowa's Top 15 Matchup vs. Maryland

The No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes taking down No. 15 Michigan State at Carver was one thing, but now they have to take down the No. 15 team once more.

No. 15 Maryland is set to host Iowa in a crucial road game for second year head coach Jan Jensen's squad.

The Terrapins are coming off their worst loss of the season, 97-67, to No. 3 UCLA. Other than the Hawkeyes, the Bruins are the only other undefeated team in the conference.

The AP committee dropped Maryland three spots to their disastrous loss, though Iowa has yet to play UCLA so only time will tell as to just how good this Hawkeyes team truly is.

Maryland Gets Out Of Their Slump

𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 ‼️

🆚 No. 10 Iowa
🕗 6 PM ET
📍 XFINITY Center
https://t.co/y6q4vPrL4T #faMily 🐢 pic.twitter.com/GC9wBzwIj5
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) January 22, 2026

There's a strong chance the Maryland team that has showed up these past two to three games goes away in this nationally televised matchup. NBC plays host to a key B1G matchup as the 16-2 (7-0) Hawkeyes are looking to hand the 17-5 (5-3) Terrapins their third loss in their last four games.

That said, Maryland is coming home from a trip to the west coast and should look much better in their next three games. While them losing at home to No. 19 Ohio State, 89-76, is a bit alarming, it's not as alarming as them scoring just 62 and 67 points in their last two games.

Sure, those 62 points were enough to take care of business against USC, but it's not like that's an impressive win as the Trojans are without megastar JuJu Watkins. Either way, Maryland must come out of their slump otherwise Iowa is going to steamroll them with ease.

Iowa Remains Consistent

The best is yet to come 😈@StuelkeHannah x @ava_heiden pic.twitter.com/6CrLuXm0J3
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) January 21, 2026

The Hawkeyes have put up a few crooked numbers in their six game winning streak, but their past two games have looked extremely similar.

Taking down No. 15 Michigan State, 75-68, proved this team has what it takes to be in the upper echelon of the B1G. While their win a few days prior against Oregon, 74-66, wasn't as pretty, a win is a win.

Iowa vs. Maryland will likely look very similar to the Hawkeyes vs. Spartans game, though this time the roles are reversed. Iowa hasn't had to play a ton of meaningful games at a true road environment this season. Other than their Iowa State game, their top opponents (Baylor and UConn) were both played at a neutral site. Knowing they struggled at unranked Indiana, things could get interesting at the XFINITY Center.

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