AMES – Just how important was it for the Iowa State women’s basketball team to rebound with back-to-back wins last week after back-to-back losses?
“It probably saved our season in some regards,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said following his team’s win over Colorado on Saturday.
That certainly seems to be the case. Iowa State wasn’t able to pick up a marquee win when the Cyclones lost to No. 11 Kansas State on Jan. 30 and No. 9 TCU three days later.
But the Cyclones were able to stay in the NCAA Tournament conversation thanks to how they performed the following week. Iowa State avoided a major losing streak by beating Cincinnati and Colorado.
More: Iowa State women’s basketball: Cyclones running out of time to tally marquee win
Both games would have potentially qualified as unexpected losses for the Cyclones, who have yet to tally any true blemishes on their resume.
So by beating those two opponents, Iowa State got back to winning and kept its mostly solid but not overly impressive resume intact. An NCAA Tournament at-large bid is still in play.
Iowa State women’s basketball NCAA Tournament projections as of Feb. 11
Iowa State women’s basketball metrics as of Feb. 11.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Find out where Iowa State women’s basketball is in latest bracketology
