Iowa’s 2026-27 women’s basketball schedule gives the Hawkeyes a real chance to build momentum early in Big Ten play, and that opening stretch could matter a lot once the league race starts to take shape.
The roster is built to push for more this season. Iowa has added elite high school talent, dipped into the portal for immediate contributors, and welcomed back veteran scorers who are expected to take another step. After last year’s strong run ended with an upset in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Women’s Tournament, the Hawkeyes are aiming to reset and show that result was the exception, not the rule.
Their path through the Big Ten starts in a way that should let them settle in. Iowa’s first run through conference play includes Nebraska twice, along with Illinois, Michigan State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Northwestern, Indiana, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin before a meeting with Michigan. That setup makes an 11-0 start in league play at least possible, even if there are always nights when things go sideways.
The second half of the schedule is where the grind really shows up. Iowa still has Michigan, USC, UCLA, Maryland, and Ohio State waiting later in the year, and that’s a difficult finish for anybody in the country.
One stretch jumps off the page in particular: Feb. 7 through Feb. 14.
Iowa goes to Michigan, then comes home to face USC and UCLA at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Getting both West Coast powers at home helps, but that three-game window should reveal a lot about where the Hawkeyes stand against some of the best teams in the sport.
For Jan Jensen and her team, the bar is high. Anything fewer than 13 Big Ten wins would be hard to call a successful season. Iowa may not open as the conference favorite, but with its mix of experience and talent, it has a chance to beat a top team or two and put itself in position for a No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
In Other News...
Iowa May Have Found A New Weapon In An Unlikely Place
Iowas special teams have long been one of the programs quiet advantages, and this fall the Hawkeyes may have added another wrinkle in an unlikely place. Boston Everitt, an Australian newcomer to American football and college life in Iowa, won the starting punter job and has looked comfortable early in the 2026 season, averaging 43.9 yards per punt while helping flip field position with several kicks that have pinned opponents deep.
For a team that often leans on hidden-yardage wins, that kind of stability matters, and it has not gone unnoticed inside the program. Kirk Ferentz has praised Everitts attitude and work ethic, and teammates have helped him settle in as he adapts to a new game and a new campus. The early return has been encouraging, though the bigger question is how much more the Hawkeyes can squeeze out of a leg that already looks like a useful weapon. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Making Another Early Push At A Recruit Fans Will Notice
Iowa kept its early recruiting momentum rolling coming out of the Cy-Hawk win, using a game-day visit to Kinnick Stadium to make a move on one of the more intriguing young prospects in the region. The Hawkeyes extended a scholarship offer to 2028 tight end Israel Johnigan, a highly ranked recruit from Kansas City, Missouri, whose junior season has already drawn attention from multiple schools.
Johnigans visit gave Iowa a chance to make an impression in the kind of setting it likes to sell to young tight ends, with the crowd, the atmosphere and the programs recent success all on display. The offer adds another name to the Hawkeyes early board, and it will be worth watching how much traction Iowa can build with a player who already has plenty of options and a growing profile. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Big Ten Slate Sets Up An Early Test Fans Will Obsess Over
After a deep NCAA Tournament run, Iowas basketball program is about to find out quickly whether that momentum can carry into Ben McCollums next chapter. The Big Ten slate is loaded with the kind of nights that will tell fans a lot about where this team stands, starting early with Purdue and Indiana and offering a season-long series of chances to measure progress against familiar heavyweights.
Mid-February looks especially demanding, with Michigan State and Michigan lined up in back-to-back games that could shape the Hawkeyes late-season standing. Then comes the regular-season finale rematch with Illinois, a fitting end point for a schedule that gives Iowa plenty of opportunities to prove last spring was a launch point, not a peak. [Read more 🡒]