Iowa Coach Jan Jensen 'Sick' for Senior Guard After Concerning Injury
In a massive top-25 in-conference matchup Sunday between No.12 Ohio State and No. 10 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa senior guard Taylor McCabe suffered a concerning injury on the first defensive possession of the game. It appeared to be a non-contact injury just 23-seconds in while she was defending Ohio State's Ava Watson.
After receiving help getting off of the court, McCabe was later seen with a wrap around her left knee. The extent of her injury has not yet been announced, however, it appears the Iowa team is braced for bad news.
Head coach Jan Jensen spoke about it following the game and the only update she provided was that McCabe was to receive an MRI later Sunday night and that
"I'm really, really sick about Taylor's injury," Jensen said. "It's heartbreaking."
Jan Jensen said she is 'sick' for Taylor McCabe. The senior went down with an apparent knee injury just seconds into Iowa's 91-70 win over Ohio State.
— KCRG Sports (@KCRG_Sports) January 25, 2026
Jensen praised McCabe's growth over her four years with Iowa. She says McCabe will have an MRI Sunday night. pic.twitter.com/Oqd8ZEqJJc
Jensen would go on to say that she is certain that McCabe will likely not be able to make the team's trip to the west coast for two pivotal match ups against USC and UCLA. This is a big blow for the Hawkeyes as they will certainly miss their sharp shooter, a key part to their success this season. McCabe is averaging 8.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 rebounds per game and her absence will leave a huge void in their fast paced rhythm.
Jensen praised McCabe's impact after she embraced the challenge early on in her career at Iowa of putting in the work to better her game, specifically as a defender. That leadership has a trickle-down effect and contributed to Addie Deal being ready to step into the role where she contributed a college career high of 20 points in the win on Sunday.
Jensen acknowledged the importance of the team's depth following the contest and how they are able to rally around one another in order to move forward.
Peyton McCabe Also Suffers an Injury
It was later learned that the younger sister of Taylor McCabe, Peyton, who plays basketball at Drake, suffered an injury in her team's 89-88 loss against Murray State on Sunday. She fell awkwardly on her ankle and had to be carried off of the floor. She did not return to the game.
Much like her sister, Peyton was finding rhythm with her team and at the point of the injury had five points and two assists in her 15 1/2 minutes of action. She was developing in her sophomore year where her role with Drake was really starting to expand. Similarly to her sister, there has been no update provided on the extent of her injury.
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Lindsay Burke covers women’s basketball for Indiana Fever On SI and Women’s Fastbreak On SI. She graduated from Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and a minor in media production. Early in her career she covered ECHL hockey, the NFL and college football and has since expanded her expertise to the WNBA and the Fever franchise.
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