Inside The Hawkeyes

Three Keys to Iowa Victory vs. Rutgers

In order for the Iowa Hawkeyes to improve to 9-0, they must do these three things right against Rutgers.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Iowa guard Taylor Stremlow (1) drives to the basket against the Drake Bulldogs Nov. 13, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Iowa guard Taylor Stremlow (1) drives to the basket against the Drake Bulldogs Nov. 13, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

The No. 12 Iowa Hawkeyes are set to play their first conference game of the season. Head coach Jan Jensen knows what she's signing up for against a 7-2 Rutgers team that may be their best in recent memory.

That said, Jensen is fully aware of what Iowa needs to do in order to leave Piscataway, NJ, with a victory. Iowa's schedule is about to get extremely difficult, so this is only step one of a grueling two-week stretch.

1. Use Rutgers' Height Against Them

One of the main things Jensen discussed was how much taller Rutgers is than Iowa. The Hawkeyes definitely have the talent to wipe out the height factor, but if they fail to do so, they'll be in trouble. Iowa must find a way to use their speed to their advantage, and they won't be able to rely on their offense getting a ton of points down low.

The status of Chit-Chat Wright is still up in the air, but she could be at a one foot disadvantage against a few of the Scarlet Knights players. Iowa will need to find a way to make Rutgers height work against them.

2. Tempo, Tempo, Tempo

The rebounding discrepancy could very well decide who wins this game. If Iowa is out-rebounded by a wide margin, it's going to be extremely tough for them to come back from that. That said, they need to use long rebounds to quicken the pace. Iowa's guards are some of the best in the nation, and the Scarlet Knights have yet to face a team that has this much depth.

Jensen will look to utilize everyone off the bench that she has been for these past few games. Injuries are a concern, especially losing Jada Gyamfi for three months, but the Hawkeyes are fully aware they have no business losing this game. Throw the records out the window as ESPN Analytics gives Iowa an astonishing 96.8% chance to win.

3. Keep Doing the Little Things Right

As simple as it sounds, Iowa knows they don't have a lot of room for error in the B1G. This conference is loaded, and while Rutgers may not be one of the ranked teams they're playing this season, this is a game Iowa simply can't afford to lose. With March Madness seeding and B1G title implications on the line, Iowa must make an early impression.

A few of the things that have stood out are the Hawkeyes ability to win under any circumstance. They took down Miami despite not scoring a field goal in the final eight and a half minutes.

Having scored exactly 86 points in their last two games, Iowa is doing all the little things right and that will set them up for success against teams like No. 10 Iowa State and No. 1 UConn, but they can't look past Rutgers.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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