The Iowa Hawkeyes have a lot to celebrate of late. For the first time since Caitlin Clark was a senior at the school the team is ranked in the top 10, a major feat to accomplish in only a handful of years. The Hawkeyes are boasting a 16-2 record and a squad of athletes who seem ready to meet any challenge the Big Ten can throw at them.
They'll definitely be greeted with a formidable force Thursday night when they take on Maryland, but the odds seem to be in the Hawkeyes' favor. The team has won all seven of their conference games and are showing no sign of slowing down soon.
Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke are leading the way for the Hawkeyes
Sophomore Ava Heiden has played a big role in the Hawkeyes' success this season, and if Maryland wants to take the team down, they'll have to find a way to deal with her first. Heiden, who is averaging 16.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assist so far this season, spent most of last year as a back-up role player but is establishing dominance this season. She's also difficult to defend against without fouling her, something that will likely complicate Maryland's attempts at scouting ahead of the team.
Iowa is also soaring under the continued excellence of senior Hannah Stuelke, who has demonstrated exactly the kind of leadership the team needs to go far this season. She was easily the team's best player on the floor during Sunday's match against the Spartans, and can be credited with being the reason the Hawkeyes put an end to Michigan State's robust nine-game win streak.
Stuelke also knows what it takes to get to the Championship game — she was part of the teams that made appearances during her freshman and sophomore years with the Hawkeyes — and that experience is clearly paying off for her now.
There's one area the Hawkeyes need to be mindful of
When it comes to potential weaknesses or low parts of their game, the Hawkeyes don't have a lot working against them — but they will need to try to step up their free throw game if the team hopes to continue their significant advance this season. Iowa is currently shooting a 67% free throw percentage, which has them ranked pretty low in the country. That could give Maryland an edge... if the Terps can get past everything else Iowa brings to the floor.