Iowa women’s basketball is headed into 2026 with a schedule that should keep the Hawkeyes in the spotlight from the jump.
The Big Ten slate is already mapped out, and it gives Jan Jensen’s team a mix of heavy lifting and a few spots that look workable on paper. Iowa will host Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA and USC, while heading on the road to Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington and Oregon.
That West Coast trip stands out right away. Getting Oregon and Washington away from home is one thing; pairing that with home games against UCLA and USC is a notable break for Iowa.
Michigan and Ohio State figure to be difficult road assignments, but the rest of the away schedule looks manageable. At home, though, Iowa has already shown it can handle just about anybody, and every one of those dates should carry a packed-house feel.
Before the Big Ten grind settles in, Iowa will be tested in November. The Hawkeyes have three early nonconference games lined up, including two against teams that were in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
Towson opens the season on November 2 in Iowa City, followed by a road game at UConn on November 8. Vanderbilt comes next on November 15 in Sioux City, Iowa.
The UConn matchup is the one that jumps off the page. It’s on the road and could end up being Iowa’s toughest game of the year. Towson gives the Hawkeyes an early tune-up at home, while Vanderbilt rounds out that stretch with another chance to face quality competition.
A multi-team event still feels likely, too. It would create more opportunities for Iowa to collect quality wins, and the program’s recent habits point in that direction. Over the last three years, the Hawkeyes have played in the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Cancun Challenge and the WBCA Showcase.
With Iowa drawing strong television interest and bringing its fans along for the ride, it would be a surprise if the Hawkeyes skipped one of those events this time around.
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Now he is back in the league as Wisconsin's new athletic director, which is the kind of move that immediately gets attention in this corner of the rivalry map. Iowa and Wisconsin have built a competitive history of their own, with the next season set to bring the 100th meeting between the programs, and the Hawkeyes know Eichorst's arrival only adds another layer to a conference landscape where old grudges tend to linger. [Read more 🡒]
EA Just Reignited Iowas Biggest Respect Debate
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The bigger eyebrow-raiser is where the ratings land on each side of the ball. The offensive number makes some sense if you buy the line, the run game, and a healthy dose of tight end DJ Vonnahme, but the defense coming in lower is where the debate really starts for Hawkeye fans. For a program built so often on defensive consistency, and with Phil Parker's track record in the background, that part of the rating is the one that feels hardest to explain. [Read more 🡒]
Sioux City East Faces Its Biggest Test After Breakout 9-2 Season
Sioux City East is coming off a season that put the rest of Iowa on notice, finishing 9-2 and averaging nearly 35 points a game while looking like a team built to keep climbing. The schedule will bring back plenty of familiar opponents in 2026, and the Black Raiders also have the benefit of a roster that still includes several important pieces on both sides of the ball.
The bigger question is how well they can keep that momentum going after a major departure under center, even with the rest of the group intact and hungry for more. There is enough returning talent to make Sioux City East a real factor again, but the next step will depend on how quickly the offense settles in and whether the program can turn last years breakout into something more enduring. [Read more 🡒]