IOWA CITY, Iowa– Jan Jensen’s Hawkeyes have had a pretty successful season through 12 games. It’s a different look and the beginning of a new era in the women’s basketball program. Sitting at 10-2, they have been tested in the non-conference play and should be battle-ready when the real Big Ten season gets underway.
Through 12 games, let’s take a look at a few observations and things that they’ll need to continue to clean up.
1. Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers.
The Hawkeyes are currently ranked No. 179 in turnovers per game. Iowa is still getting a feel for what kind of team they are. They returned key contributors like Kylie Feuerbach, Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter, but there’s a new person at the helm in Lucy Olsen. During Iowa’s loss to Tennessee, they turned the ball over 30 times.
Iowa’s offense is still reliable and the defense has take a step forward. Affolter is starting to return to the caliber of player that Iowa expected to get this season while Olsen is capable of taking over the game at any given point.
The Hawkeyes have a stellar freshmen class and they are still learning the speed of the college game and the on-ball pressure that it brings. Part of what has hurt Iowa this season is when teams pressure them all 94 feet down the floor. They’ve gotten better at breaking the press, but ball security could make or break them in marquee matchups this season.
2. More run for Taylor McCabe
The junior out of Nebraska put together a stellar performance against Northern Iowa including 15 points on five three-pointers. McCabe, who has had an up and down role so far this season, played some of the best defense of her career against the Panthers. McCabe’s defense is going to be something that dictates how much run she gets in the coming weeks, but she’s also Iowa’s most lethal shooter from three-point range.
No matter what has happened, McCabe has continued to stay the course.
“Taylor McCabe kind of embodies this particular team this year, but a lot of what our teams have been about,” Jensen said. “They’re really a joy to coach and for the most part, they trust. And they wait until they’re needed. And Taylor has stayed the course.”
“Before Christmas, you never really know when your minutes are going to come with every opponent being so different,” McCabe said. “We’re just going to play to our team strengths and play to what we think is going to win. Tonight, I just had it rolling. My teammates were looking for me, and coaches were looking for me … And that gave me a lot of confidence.”
McCabe’s three-point shooting can really expand out opposing defenses. Iowa hasn’t shot particularly well from three-point range this year and it will make the interior much easier to work with McCabe on the floor. Keep a close eye on her breaking through during conference-play. It wouldn’t be surprising to see her hit a few more big shots over the next couple of months.
3. Freshmen working through mistakes
One of the things that has been fun about this team is that the freshmen aren’t afraid of messing up. They work through the mistakes and make a play happen on the other end. So far, this recruiting class has been a home-run for the future of the program. Aaliyah Guyton has become one of Iowa’s best perimeter shooters. Teagan Mallegni and Taylor Stremlow have been energizers off the bench and can get it done on either end of the floor.
Ava Heiden also has shown enough that she’s going to keep the elite post play coming in the future. Iowa will need its freshmen to continue developing and retaining confidence when things get difficult. Luckily for them, they have already played in a few primetime matchups this season. The Big Ten is loaded with teams like USC, UCLA, Michigan State, Ohio State and others.
Iowa has the experience to compete and there’s no question that some games they will rely on the veterans to close it out. But there are going to be games where the youngsters make a few clutch plays that will help drive them through a brutal conference season.
The Hawkeyes return to action on Sunday at 2 pm when they host Purdue.
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