Jan Jensen Reveals Unexpected Iowa Arena Issue During NCAA Tournament
The Iowa Hawkeyes have been hot since Caitlin Clark hit the scene. And the popularity of the program has lasted even after Clark's departure.
Coach Jan Jensen's squad enters NCAA Tournament play having won 8 of its last 9 games and is slotted as a No. 2 seed and will take on No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson on a familiar floor—Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
But there's an added quirk when it comes to playing from the confines of home for Iowa, the elements, as Carver does not have air conditioning and the Midwest is expecting unseasonably warm temperatures for March with the latest forecast calling for a high of 87 degrees in the region.
Jensen was asked how her team might deal with the hot conditions by Collin Davies of KRCG Sports and made it clear that it hadn't been a focus, but could be a minor issue.
"What I try to focus on, sometimes to a fault, you just control the controllables," Jensen said.
"I'm glad you brought it up because maybe I better try to talk about it. I'm older, I'm in my fifties right, so I can be like we can't control that, suck it up. But when you're younger and it is really hot and it's been cold in Carver most of the year because it's winter in the Midwest, might need to chat about it. But I do think the focus will be great. Hydrate up. Both sides will have to have a lot of water if the crowd does heat it up in there. But I think that we'll be pretty smart about we gotta do what we gotta do whether it's 80 or 20," she added.
Carver does not have A/C. It's supposed to be 86 degrees in Iowa City tomorrow, with a sellout crowd.
— Collin Davies (@DaviesCollin) March 20, 2026
For the 1st time ever, I asked a basketball coach, Jan Jensen, about how the temperature could impact the game.@KCRG_Sports pic.twitter.com/yTOEFNDlc8
The crowd reference was due to an expected sellout, adding body heat on top of the temperature.
Iowa Continues to Garner Interest
It will not be easy for Iowa to get back to the national championship game, which they were in back-to-back years at the end of Clark's tenure. However, many eyes will be on the Hawkeyes during March Madness.
According to Nielsen, Iowa grabbed the most eyeballs in women's college basketball between viewership and social media this season.
Nielsen releases the most popular teams in women’s college basketball measuring “viewership and social media data.” pic.twitter.com/8BHychHb82
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) March 18, 2026
Of course, that won't help them in a bracket featuring dominant SEC powerhouse South Carolina as the No. 1 seed. Even former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder couldn't pick her old team to win the whole thing, which makes sense to anyone who watched the Hawkeyes struggle head-to-head with UCLA.
Still, Jensen and company are clearly focused on a strong tournament run, one that will have to begin with a hot start.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!
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