Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after the Hawkeyes’ blowout win over Toledo
Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen after the Hawkeyes’ blowout win over Toledo
IOWA CITY — No nametags are needed when Iowa and Drake do their women’s basketball dance. The familiarity has been flowing between the two programs for quite some time.
Sunday’s meeting, though, will feature a new twist. The 2 p.m. showdown inside the Knapp Center will mark Jan Jensen’s first head coaching trip back to her alma mater, where the former Drake star dominated the hardwood as one of the program’s all-time best scorers. This will be no ordinary road trip.
In preparation for this Iowa-Drake showdown, here are four things to watch for Sunday as the Hawkeyes (3-0) look to make it seven straight victories over the Bulldogs (2-1).
Jan Jensen’s first head-coaching trip to Drake comes at a fitting time
Almost certainly done intentionally, Jensen and her Hawkeyes will be back in Des Moines on the weekend Drake women’s basketball celebrates its 50th anniversary. You can’t cover Bulldogs history without discussing the No. 13 that hangs in the rafters.
Jensen dominated in blue and white from 1987-91, leading the nation in scoring with 29.6 points per game as a senior while winning conference player of the year. She’s a pivotal figure in the birth of a women’s basketball program that’s been a mid-major force for quite some time.
When Jensen joined Lisa Bluder’s Iowa staff in 2000, the trips to Drake slowly became less of a novelty, with the Hawkeyes making them every other year. Even as the overlap grew when Jennie Baranczyk took over the Bulldogs, the Drake-Iowa storylines soon became recycled year after year.
Not this season. It’s clear this trek has been on Jensen’s mind since she was promoted to head coach in May.
Festivities aside, Sunday provides a manageable chance for Iowa to land a significant first true road win.
The Hawkeyes conquered their first trip away from Carver-Hawkeye Arena with last Sunday’s neutral-site win over Virginia Tech in Charlotte. But there’s something different when those true road games appear on the schedule.
Although there will be splotches of black and gold all around Knapp Center, this Iowa group needs the experience of entering a hostile environment and coming out successfully on the other end. The Hawkeyes don’t have another true road game until Big Ten play begins Dec. 15 at Michigan State, so snagging this one would be significant in numerous ways.
Sunday’s game has been sold out since Thursday, nothing new for this Iowa program that played in front of packed houses from start to finish last season. Still, drama always tends to find the Hawkeyes when they venture to Des Moines. Expect this one to be no different.
Can these Bulldogs cash in an upset several recent Drake teams came oh so close to getting?
Drake has held its own in its first two road games this season, winning an 84-78 affair at North Dakota State on opening night before falling in a tough battle Monday at Creighton. A confidence injection would arrive in bunches if these Bulldogs can send Iowa back east with a loss.
Although Iowa has dominated the rivalry of late, the Hawkeyes’ six straight wins haven’t come without significant drama — especially on the Des Moines trips. Iowa hasn’t won by double figures in the Knapp Center since 2012, with its last three road wins over Drake coming by a combined 21 points.
The 2022 edition needed overtime as the Bulldogs nearly toppled a team that finished the year in the national championship game. Drake almost got Caitlin Clark on her first trip to Des Moines, suffering a 103-97 loss during the COVID season in 2020. A veteran Megan Gustafson-led team in 2018 didn’t pull away in the Knapp Center until late.
Drake surely feels it has paid its dues recently in this matchup.
Hear from Taylor McCabe, Hannah Stuelke after Iowa women’s basketball throttles Toledo
Hear from Taylor McCabe, Hannah Stuelke after Iowa women’s basketball throttles Toledo
The in-state element isn’t the only rivalry matchup Sunday.
How about some sibling love for this one?
It’ll be a day to remember for the McCabe family, who’ll see sisters Peyton (Drake) and Taylor (Iowa) battle it out as siblings do.
After earning multiple accolades at Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha, Peyton McCabe is three games into her freshman season at Drake. While she’s played just seven minutes so far with one assist, you can expect some added intensity if she gets out on the floor against her sister.
Taylor McCabe is trying to get settled at this point in her own career, now a junior whose role is set to grow this season larger than ever before. The sharpshooting Iowa guard returned to the bench last game after making two starts, in large part because senior Sydney Affolter is back healthy. All Taylor McCabe did in response was drain four treys in Wednesday’s win over Toledo.
Those in attendance Sunday can only hope for at least one possession of McCabe vs. McCabe.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
