Jan Jensen and the No. 11 Iowa Women’s basketball team (15-2,6-0 B1G) begin their toughest stint of the season tonight, starting things off with a home matchup against the No. 15 Michigan State Spartans (17-1, 6-1 B1G). This stretch is going to be absolutely brutal, with the team’s games coming against Maryland, Ohio State, USC and UCLA. How they split these games could end up being the difference between Iowa hosting and not for the NCAA Tournament, so at least 2 wins here would be ideal, making tonight’s game one of the most important to win.
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It will be challenging though, as Michigan State’s only loss was a stunner, losing to Wisconsin on the road in early December. The team always manages to play Iowa hard, and tonight should be no exception. Let’s hope the home court advantage helps for the Hawkeyes. They’ll need strong performances once again from Hannah Stuelke, Ava Heiden, and Chit-Chat Wright to have their best shot at the win.
It will be interesting as well to see how freshman Addie Deal follows up her career-high 18 point performance against Oregon on Thursday night. If she can consistently score in what is sure to now be an expanded role, she adds another dimension to this Iowa squad that has, at times, struggled with shot creation.
Emely Rodriguez is once again out for Iowa.
Should be a great game. I won’t be around too much in the comments as I’ll once again be at the game, but be respectful, have fun, and cheer us on to victory. I’ll have a post up sometime this week as well.
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GO HAWKS!
How to watch:
Date: January 18, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Matchup: No. 11 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 15 Michigan State Spartans
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena – Iowa City, IA
TV: Big Ten Network
