Iowa Doesn't Get Lisa Bluder's Love With Big Ten Tournament Champion Pick

Lisa Bluder isn't giving her Iowa Hawkeyes program any home town cooking with her Big Ten Tournament prediction.

Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder looks on in the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the finals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Lisa Bluder will go down as one of (if not the) greatest coaches in Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball history.

During her 24 seasons leading the Hawkeyes program, Bluder took them to two consecutive NCAA National Championship games (in the past two seasons), won five Big Ten tournament championships, was a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, was the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 2019, and amassed an impressive 528–254 (.675) career record with the Hawkeyes.

Bluder announced her retirement after the 2024 season ended. Therefore, she's now able to spectate her former program from the audience instead of from the sidelines. And that's exactly what she did during the Hawkeyes' dominant March 5 Big Ten Tournament win over the Wisconsin Badgers.

And she did so while enjoying a Bud Light beer.

Lisa Bluder: A True Hawkeye pic.twitter.com/WyETBpJsh1

— Hawkeye Historian (@Hawk_Historian) March 6, 2025

While Bluder is surely rooting for her Hawkeyes, that doesn't necessarily mean that she believes they'll win this Big Ten Tournament — which she conveyed during a March 5 interview with NBC Sports' On Her Turf.

Per an X post from On Her Turf, Bluder was asked who she picks to win the 2025 Big Ten Conference Tournament.

"I have to go with USC," Bluder responded. "I know that's kind of a boring one, just because I think that's who everybody's picking. But I do think they're probably the best team."

To be a fly on the wall of a dinner with Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark.🏀 pic.twitter.com/vpCfQEtfro

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) March 5, 2025

While Hawkeyes fans might not love this response from their program's former head coach, Bluder deserves some respect for being completely honest with this answer.