A new era for Iowa will arrive during the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season. While the Hawkeyes do return starters Hannah Stuelke, Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe, starting guards Lucy Olsen and Sydney Affolter have both moved on as has center Addison O’Grady.
The long-awaited arrival of five-star signee in guard Addie Deal along with fellow signees in guard Journey Houston and post Layla Hays has the Hawkeye fan base excited for what’s to come next.
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Iowa also just landed an impact transfer in former Georgia Tech point guard Chazadi “Chit Chat” Wright. Wright appeared in all 33 games and started 12 with the Yellow Jackets, averaging 7.2 points, 2.6 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game while shooting 37.1% from the field, 32.3% from 3-point range and 88.6% from the free-throw line.
Wright was a four-star signee in the 2024 class for Georgia Tech. According to ESPN, Wright was the nation’s No. 49 player overall and its No. 12 point guard in the 2024 cycle.
With those roster additions and what Iowa has coming back, the Hawkeyes figure to be back in the mix toward the top of the Big Ten standings and for an NCAA Tournament berth.
In ESPN’s initial bracketology reveal for 2026, the Hawkeyes are projected as comfortably in the Big Dance. Iowa earns a No. 5 seed in Region 3 Sacramento and is headed to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on 12th-seeded Belmont in the tournament’s first round.
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The rest of Iowa’s pod features host and No. 4 seed Ole Miss against 13th-seeded James Madison. Here’s a look at Iowa’s full projected bracket along with some of the other key details from ESPN’s initial 2026 women’s bracketology.
Iowa women’s basketball seeding
Apr 5, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Hannah Stuelke (45) reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the semifinals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Seeding: No. 5 seed in Region 3 Sacramento
A look at Region 3 Sacramento
Iowa head women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen congratulates players during second half of the first round of the NCAA Women’s college basketball game between Iowa and Murray State at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, March, 22, 2025.
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 UC Irvine
No. 8 West Virginia vs. No. 9 Georgia
No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 12 Belmont
No. 4 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 James Madison
No. 6 Michigan State vs. No. 11 Villanova / No. 11 George Mason
No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Chattanooga
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Colorado
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No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 California Baptist
No. 1 seeds
Mar 30, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks forward Maryam Dauda (30) and South Carolina Gamecocks guard Maddy McDaniel (1) and South Carolina Gamecocks forward Chloe Kitts (21) lead their team onto the floor to celebrate after the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the Duke Blue Devils at an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Top Overall Seed: South Carolina
Other No. 1 Seeds: UConn, Texas, UCLA
On the bubble
Nov 10, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Hannah Stuelke (45) shoots during the first half against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Last Four Byes: Florida State, Colorado, Marquette, SMU
Last Four In: Villanova, George Mason, Columbia, Stanford
First Four Out: Virginia Tech, Illinois, Florida, Missouri
Next Four Out: Seton Hall, Kansas State, Utah, Clemson
Conference bids breakdown
The Big Ten logo dominates a lightly trafficked Monument Square in downtown Indianapolis on Thursday after the conference announced it was pulling the plug on the men’s basketball tournament over coronavirus concerns. Bigten Jpg
Big Ten: 12 (Iowa, UCLA, Maryland, Michigan, USC, Washington, Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon)
SEC: 9
ACC: 9
Big 12: 6
Big East: 3
Atlantic 10: 2
Ivy League: 2
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: ESPN shares initial Iowa women’s basketball 2026 bracketology outlook
