The freshman are playing so much better than the seniors. Someone made a good point. The upperclassmen are struggling without Clark because they relied on her too much. The younger girls never played with Clark so don’t have the same issue and are playing better. Crazy how much she truly made that team what it was.
Don't forget the calming influence and clutch play of Kate Martin and defensive pressure of Gabby Marshall. If Kate or Gabby were still there, I think Iowa may have won 3 more of those close games. This team needs CC to drop into a practice and show them some "tough love" as she was known for doing at Iowa last year. If you know, you know.
The freshmen are OK, but they're 4 guards and one tall player - Ava Heiden who is 6'4". You can't have a top 10 caliber team without a dominating Fwd/Ctr who is either 6'6" or who can make 3 pointers to open up the floor. Ava Heiden isn't that player. Iowa needs to recruit a dominating tall player for next year to put them in a strong position in 2027. That's the best they can hope for. Real talk.
The crowds are still loud every game The Freshman are coming on And the recruiting class coming in should be good as well It’s a transition year. The future is bright
This might sound insane but I think Caitlin Clark was and is underrated as a player. Why? She’s the most valuable player on any team she is on. She can take a bad team like the Indiana Fever to the playoffs and help them get to 20-20. I can’t envision any WNBA team that Caitlin gets drafted to in 2024 that wouldn’t make the playoffs. Even with all her flaws, she’s that impactful to whatever team she is on. She also has the ability to make good players look like great players. They just have to catch her passes and be able to make layups.
Ava Heiden isn't the dominating tall player that Iowa needs to compete at top levels. If they don't get a dominating tall player who can either control the boards or drop 3 pointers, then the glory days will fade.
They are looking more NIT tournament level than NCAA tournament level at this point. A bit disappointing, but they did lose their top 3 players, including the college GOAT, and Stuelke did rely on CC for much of her offensive production, so probably we shouldn't be surprised. Time to re-build.
Yes Stuelke is disappointing. I thought she was going to develop a mid range shot and instead sometimes she looks she went to the Angel Reese school of layups.
I’ve watch almost all of Iowa’s games, and it’s painful. They do miss Cc badly. It goes to show how much CC made Stuelke look good last year. She is not getting the same looks this year because no one can get her the ball in transition.
Iowa were always going to drop in ranking after losing not only Caitlin Clark but also Lisa Bluder, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Monika Czinano and Jada Gyamfi ahead of the 2024/2025 season.
Tbh lucy was never intended to take over from cc ,she was just supposed to be lucy ,if you listened to coach jensen ,they nearer where they need to be ,rather than falling off .
O’Grady can shoot but her ball handling is terrible, Hannah is forcing shots inside at times and they trap her. Only McCabe is a consistent 3 point shooter. The freshman are good but inexperienced. Guyton needs to build confidence and can hopefully play point but Iowa doesn’t have a true point guard right now it’s all shooting guards and combo guards. If I was Iowa I would bench Grady, Affofalter and Feuerbach and give Haiden, Stremlow, Guyton as many minutes as I can with Hannah and Lucy, then work Teagan into the lineup and have the seniors play as backup to give the young players rest. Next year they have 3 top recruits coming in next year.
I don’t mean any disrespect but even the last two CC teams would not have been anywhere close to a 500 team. She pretty much did what Larry Bird did at Indiana state.
Caitlin, Kate, and Gabbie held that program on their back for four years. What you're seeing now is a bunch of bench players who coasted to teo ncaaw finals and three big 10 championshops being thrust into starter positions. Only ine who saw time was hannah and she clearly relied on the three to give her the co fidence she needed.
They've collapsed since Tennessee, their first lost. But they had a few games that they won which they could have easily lost. Turnovers and poor PG play are their biggest issues - plus other things. When O Grady was dominating, they were winning
They were doing great until that hard lose to TN. Since then Olson has fall off a cliff and Stuelke has become horrible. I watch them every single game but they are lack luster big time. Coach has some bad favorites…. I think this last game she realized finally that McCabe should be a starter. Guyton and Heiden need more minutes. Stremlow plays good defense but no offense.
Next year, the Iowa basketball team is expected to be highly competitive. They have secured a commitment from a 6'2" 5-star recruit, who is considered one of the top high school players in the nation.
They're having a slump and experiencing a void in on court leadership to pull them out of it. Caitlin and Kate were such strong personalities and nobody has stepped into the leadership void. Syd has been sick. Hannah is struggling with the move to playing the 4 but they don't have an alternative option. Addy has seemed a bit sluggish lately. The freshmen have a ton of talent but lack experience. They're coming along though. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
Lucy hasn't extended her range and the big ten is too physical for her mid range game. Hannah still adapting to the 4. This year is a wash, they are going to be scary in two years.
Let Lucy 0’grady and the freshman loose, they are good . The freshman have fire 🔥. There is no team leadership. Someone needs to step up and become the team leader. USC is gonna kill is and poor Caitlin is gonna be there. Hanna lost her aggressiveness completely.
Yea i said as much after their first game. They can't shoot 3's, the bigs are the soze of guard/wings, they give more effort on defense but they cannot defend elite teams. They have no consistent playmking either, their point are hard fought and to their credit they're very patient on offense. But they will not deal well with actually good teams.
I think they're doing better than i thought they would. Always wondered why they could never recruit another 5 star after Clark starting tearing it up a couple years ago. I get cornfield iowa isn't a draw, but it's a great school with a well supported program.
Hannah Stuelke has always been inconsistent in her play, even last year when she played with Clark. This year she's even worse and she can't shoot 2s, 3s or even on the line, shooting penalty shots. She doesn't have the shooting ability, athleticism or aggression to play in the WNBA. Lucy Olson can't shoot 3s, is not a dominating player and doesn't seem WNBA material. I've been watching the Iowa women's team all season and they don't impress me. Some of the freshman seem good. I hope the coach turns this team around for next year.
The Iowa freshmen look fantastic and a couple great recruits on the way next year. Having a but of a rough time of it right now, but they'll bounce back.
I've seen Lucy try to rally the team in the 4th quarter, and she tries to take crazy off balance shots, but those shots aren't dropping for her. She needs to be methodical because she's not a magician.
Making the championship game back to back is so hard. I know they didn't win one...but they had no bench production a big factor for LSU and South Carolina so this drop off just makes sense. Glad the freshmen are doing well. They just need to build something different.
IOWA is built with A CAITLIN CLARK-Type Scorer. Sad to say but OLSEN is Failing miserably on that aspect. THEY ARE SMALL,FULL OF ROLE PLAYERS THAT CAN SHOOT! Sounds familiar?? And that stategy can work, IF Somebody plays good enough to demand double teams. The ball cant move around anymore, and even if they play fast, The defense is just staying honest. OLSEN IS THE KEY, AND THEIR FAILURE.
Awesomely assembled academic sports teams, getting assailed by graduations .. yes, it's hard to watch. Recently, the Iowa Hawkeyes hung in there with Maryland, .. but Maryland's guards Sellers and Smikle, were just too awesome. About Caitlin, Kate, & Gabbie .. obviously, contributions can't measured solely by points or assists alone, .. as many as they made.
WNCAA is broken, always has been. 99% of top recruits go to the same few teams. 70% of championships have been won by 5 teams. Still they do nothing. Professional sports have brought in drafts, pushing out corruption with the 60s Celtics. This brought some chance of parity, interest, and the foundation for incredible growth.... But college is the key to all of this. Interest in the NBA has declined with the end of developing stars in college, stars who would build rivalries, anticipation, and bring new young waves of fans. Women's basketball has always been broken, by the recruitment monopoly/corruption. No one, besides homers, cares about 5star loaded teams that can buzz saw through seaasons & tournies. In fact, people abhor this. Caitlin Clark broke it. She broke the recruitment monopoly. She broke the corruption that overfeeds a few (programs & rich coaches). She broke the dike (sic) that had been like the dam (sic) limiting millions of people who would be fans of sportsmanlike women's college basketball. Iowa is probably the best place in the country for an amatuer athlete. The fans are the most supportive and loyal anywhere - which was the foundation of Clark's development and growth into the perfect storm - and Iowa city is full of more traditional and level headed people, away from the chaos of the coastal cultures. Still parents and orphaned teens are too brainwashed by the empty promises, fear mongering (about racism, etc). and empresses new clothes stories to even consider going there.
I think they're going to make a comeback once they get some chemistry. Olsen is one of the best players in college basketball. They have to give her the ball and let her go one on one like Caitlin. O'Grady is efficient. They have a good team, I can see them making the final 4. Also,they need to play defense. In the last game, the team scored the same 3 on them over and over after setting the same screen. You can't win like that.
Way too much substituting, Hannah is not a 4, Jan needs to move her back to the 5. O’Grady is to slow. With Hannah at the 4 they don’t guard her so her defender is back blocking the cutting and driving lanes. Turnovers and poor free throw shooting is killing them
Well what did everyone expect? It just highlights how good Clark really was. And then the coach is gone also. They'll never see those heights again. I don't admire Jan Jensen.
They got a guard to play last year the took the place of the girl that got injured she got to go her last four games she played 28 minutes in each and every one of those games Four Points 5.6 points 7 points she got to sit down put in the Freshman cuz she is worthless and you want to keep starting her because she did something last year this coach is delusional she don't know how to adjust starting new 5 except for Stokke the others sit down the girl from Villanova she's a Pretender never could take over a a game does not have the Killer Instincts to put the team on her back that one rookie does
The freshman are playing so much better than the seniors.
Someone made a good point. The upperclassmen are struggling without Clark because they relied on her too much. The younger girls never played with Clark so don’t have the same issue and are playing better.
Crazy how much she truly made that team what it was.
Don't forget the calming influence and clutch play of Kate Martin and defensive pressure of Gabby Marshall. If Kate or Gabby were still there, I think Iowa may have won 3 more of those close games. This team needs CC to drop into a practice and show them some "tough love" as she was known for doing at Iowa last year. If you know, you know.
@ oh absolutely! Gabby & Kate definitely did their part. Yeah she does 😂
The freshmen are OK, but they're 4 guards and one tall player - Ava Heiden who is 6'4". You can't have a top 10 caliber team without a dominating Fwd/Ctr who is either 6'6" or who can make 3 pointers to open up the floor. Ava Heiden isn't that player. Iowa needs to recruit a dominating tall player for next year to put them in a strong position in 2027. That's the best they can hope for. Real talk.
@ yes agreed! Just making the point that in the last few games it’s been the new girls and Taylor who have brought them back into games.
The crowds are still loud every game
The Freshman are coming on
And the recruiting class coming in should be good as well
It’s a transition year.
The future is bright
This might sound insane but I think Caitlin Clark was and is underrated as a player. Why? She’s the most valuable player on any team she is on. She can take a bad team like the Indiana Fever to the playoffs and help them get to 20-20.
I can’t envision any WNBA team that Caitlin gets drafted to in 2024 that wouldn’t make the playoffs. Even with all her flaws, she’s that impactful to whatever team she is on. She also has the ability to make good players look like great players. They just have to catch her passes and be able to make layups.
O’Grady is doing as well as her athletic ability allows. Stuelke is not being guarded outside because she cannot shoot an outside shot.
Iowa needs 1 more year to bounce back, they are young and will improve a lot next year. the freshman have showed a lot of promise.
Ava Heiden isn't the dominating tall player that Iowa needs to compete at top levels. If they don't get a dominating tall player who can either control the boards or drop 3 pointers, then the glory days will fade.
CC took them as far as she could and both final losses were blamed on her. She cant win it all by herself.
Meanwhile, LSU is undefeated and thriving without a certain narcissist.
They are looking more NIT tournament level than NCAA tournament level at this point. A bit disappointing, but they did lose their top 3 players, including the college GOAT, and Stuelke did rely on CC for much of her offensive production, so probably we shouldn't be surprised. Time to re-build.
Yes Stuelke is disappointing. I thought she was going to develop a mid range shot and instead sometimes she looks she went to the Angel Reese school of layups.
In the past, Iowa was never at the level of UConn or South Carolina. Clark carried them to consecutive final fours.
Yep, and there's no reason to think they'll return to those heights.
Ok good. So the Universe is normal. Caitlin is just an extremely extreme outlier. We kinda already knew.
I’ve watch almost all of Iowa’s games, and it’s painful. They do miss Cc badly. It goes to show how much CC made Stuelke look good last year. She is not getting the same looks this year because no one can get her the ball in transition.
Affolter, O’Grady and Stuelke have all failed to step up.
Agree completely, especially Stuelke . Who snatched up Stuelke and how much is the ransom to get her back?
Iowa were always going to drop in ranking after losing not only Caitlin Clark but also Lisa Bluder, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, Monika Czinano and Jada Gyamfi ahead of the 2024/2025 season.
Tbh lucy was never intended to take over from cc ,she was just supposed to be lucy ,if you listened to coach jensen ,they nearer where they need to be ,rather than falling off .
O’Grady can shoot but her ball handling is terrible, Hannah is forcing shots inside at times and they trap her. Only McCabe is a consistent 3 point shooter. The freshman are good but inexperienced. Guyton needs to build confidence and can hopefully play point but Iowa doesn’t have a true point guard right now it’s all shooting guards and combo guards.
If I was Iowa I would bench Grady, Affofalter and Feuerbach and give Haiden, Stremlow, Guyton as many minutes as I can with Hannah and Lucy, then work Teagan into the lineup and have the seniors play as backup to give the young players rest. Next year they have 3 top recruits coming in next year.
I don’t mean any disrespect but even the last two CC teams would not have been anywhere close to a 500 team. She pretty much did what Larry Bird did at Indiana state.
Caitlin, Kate, and Gabbie held that program on their back for four years. What you're seeing now is a bunch of bench players who coasted to teo ncaaw finals and three big 10 championshops being thrust into starter positions. Only ine who saw time was hannah and she clearly relied on the three to give her the co fidence she needed.
They've collapsed since Tennessee, their first lost. But they had a few games that they won which they could have easily lost.
Turnovers and poor PG play are their biggest issues - plus other things.
When O Grady was dominating, they were winning
They were doing great until that hard lose to TN. Since then Olson has fall off a cliff and Stuelke has become horrible. I watch them every single game but they are lack luster big time. Coach has some bad favorites…. I think this last game she realized finally that McCabe should be a starter. Guyton and Heiden need more minutes. Stremlow plays good defense but no offense.
Did you expect any different? Seriously, you lose a player the caliber of Caitlin and expect no drop off?
Next year, the Iowa basketball team is expected to be highly competitive. They have secured a commitment from a 6'2" 5-star recruit, who is considered one of the top high school players in the nation.
They're having a slump and experiencing a void in on court leadership to pull them out of it. Caitlin and Kate were such strong personalities and nobody has stepped into the leadership void. Syd has been sick. Hannah is struggling with the move to playing the 4 but they don't have an alternative option. Addy has seemed a bit sluggish lately. The freshmen have a ton of talent but lack experience. They're coming along though. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
CC left and they have a new coach. They need to rebuild with a solid strategy. When CC was there, the team was built to complement her skills.
They do not have the horses. It is painful to watch this team. Love the players and the coach, but this is a rebuilding year.
Lucy hasn't extended her range and the big ten is too physical for her mid range game. Hannah still adapting to the 4. This year is a wash, they are going to be scary in two years.
How can you say they will be scary in two years? I don’t see anyone rising to stardom in two years.
Iowa lost more than CC. Kate Martin, Gaby Marshall
and Monica CZ
FACTS
Molly Davis..
Coach Bluder
Let Lucy 0’grady and the freshman loose, they are good . The freshman have fire 🔥. There is no team leadership. Someone needs to step up and become the team leader. USC is gonna kill is and poor Caitlin is gonna be there. Hanna lost her aggressiveness completely.
Yea i said as much after their first game. They can't shoot 3's, the bigs are the soze of guard/wings, they give more effort on defense but they cannot defend elite teams. They have no consistent playmking either, their point are hard fought and to their credit they're very patient on offense. But they will not deal well with actually good teams.
I think they're doing better than i thought they would.
Always wondered why they could never recruit another 5 star after Clark starting tearing it up a couple years ago. I get cornfield iowa isn't a draw, but it's a great school with a well supported program.
Hannah Stuelke has always been inconsistent in her play, even last year when she played with Clark. This year she's even worse and she can't shoot 2s, 3s or even on the line, shooting penalty shots. She doesn't have the shooting ability, athleticism or aggression to play in the WNBA. Lucy Olson can't shoot 3s, is not a dominating player and doesn't seem WNBA material. I've been watching the Iowa women's team all season and they don't impress me. Some of the freshman seem good. I hope the coach turns this team around for next year.
The Iowa freshmen look fantastic and a couple great recruits on the way next year. Having a but of a rough time of it right now, but they'll bounce back.
Lucy Olsen just doesn't have ice in her veins like CC did. Shes too passive
I've seen Lucy try to rally the team in the 4th quarter, and she tries to take crazy off balance shots, but those shots aren't dropping for her. She needs to be methodical because she's not a magician.
Making the championship game back to back is so hard. I know they didn't win one...but they had no bench production a big factor for LSU and South Carolina so this drop off just makes sense. Glad the freshmen are doing well. They just need to build something different.
Bluder is smart. Her bailing ship should have been a sign
I mean it’s college. You usually graduate after so many years.
Yep, the perfect time to step down landed in her lap.
Missing Caitlin and Kate
IOWA is built with A CAITLIN CLARK-Type Scorer. Sad to say but OLSEN is Failing miserably on that aspect. THEY ARE SMALL,FULL OF ROLE PLAYERS THAT CAN SHOOT! Sounds familiar?? And that stategy can work, IF Somebody plays good enough to demand double teams. The ball cant move around anymore, and even if they play fast, The defense is just staying honest. OLSEN IS THE KEY, AND THEIR FAILURE.
Awesomely assembled academic sports teams, getting assailed by graduations .. yes, it's hard to watch. Recently, the Iowa Hawkeyes hung in there with Maryland, .. but Maryland's guards Sellers and Smikle, were just too awesome. About Caitlin, Kate, & Gabbie .. obviously, contributions can't measured solely by points or assists alone, .. as many as they made.
WNCAA is broken, always has been. 99% of top recruits go to the same few teams. 70% of championships have been won by 5 teams. Still they do nothing. Professional sports have brought in drafts, pushing out corruption with the 60s Celtics. This brought some chance of parity, interest, and the foundation for incredible growth.... But college is the key to all of this. Interest in the NBA has declined with the end of developing stars in college, stars who would build rivalries, anticipation, and bring new young waves of fans. Women's basketball has always been broken, by the recruitment monopoly/corruption. No one, besides homers, cares about 5star loaded teams that can buzz saw through seaasons & tournies. In fact, people abhor this.
Caitlin Clark broke it. She broke the recruitment monopoly. She broke the corruption that overfeeds a few (programs & rich coaches). She broke the dike (sic) that had been like the dam (sic) limiting millions of people who would be fans of sportsmanlike women's college basketball.
Iowa is probably the best place in the country for an amatuer athlete. The fans are the most supportive and loyal anywhere - which was the foundation of Clark's development and growth into the perfect storm - and Iowa city is full of more traditional and level headed people, away from the chaos of the coastal cultures. Still parents and orphaned teens are too brainwashed by the empty promises, fear mongering (about racism, etc). and empresses new clothes stories to even consider going there.
I think they're going to make a comeback once they get some chemistry. Olsen is one of the best players in college basketball. They have to give her the ball and let her go one on one like Caitlin. O'Grady is efficient. They have a good team, I can see them making the final 4. Also,they need to play defense. In the last game, the team scored the same 3 on them over and over after setting the same screen. You can't win like that.
Clearly they've fallen off because Kate Martin is gone.
Iowa is getting out toughed. IUWBB play as tough as it gets.
Way too much substituting, Hannah is not a 4, Jan needs to move her back to the 5. O’Grady is to slow. With Hannah at the 4 they don’t guard her so her defender is back blocking the cutting and driving lanes. Turnovers and poor free throw shooting is killing them
Well what did everyone expect? It just highlights how good Clark really was. And then the coach is gone also. They'll never see those heights again. I don't admire Jan Jensen.
I don’t think there is anyone one the team which will ever be drafted in the wnba.
It's a tough year.
Oh well she doesn’t belong there anymore, what are you going to do…
The big 10 is just loaded
They don't have their staters. What do you expect? After a couple of years they will be good.
They got a guard to play last year the took the place of the girl that got injured she got to go her last four games she played 28 minutes in each and every one of those games Four Points 5.6 points 7 points she got to sit down put in the Freshman cuz she is worthless and you want to keep starting her because she did something last year this coach is delusional she don't know how to adjust starting new 5 except for Stokke the others sit down the girl from Villanova she's a Pretender never could take over a a game does not have the Killer Instincts to put the team on her back that one rookie does