At this point in the 2025-26 NCAA season, it's undeniable: Jan Jensen has more than proven herself as a coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and this year's team has managed to pull off a feat that even Caitlin Clark couldn't when she was at the school. The Hawkeyes are 9-0 in Big Ten play, and if they keep playing like this, it's safe to assume anyone who is still worried about how the team would perform without Clark can put those worries to rest.
The Hawkeyes have a long history of being pretty flat-out excellent. They were regulars at the NCAA tournament under Lisa Bluder, who retired after Clark graduated in 2024, and there's little reason to assume they won't make an appearance this season. Jansen has taken the program Bluder built and only improved it; standouts like Hannah Stuelke and Ava Heiden are leading the march toward success one game at a time.
Sophomore Heiden is averaging 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds this season, and Stuelke is averaging 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds of her own. That's two players who are nearly averaging double-doubles, and who have plenty of time to continue to build on those numbers.
Stuelke, who is in her senior year of play for the Hawkeyes, has managed to find a way to translate her years of experience with the team into a leadership role that Iowa needed. Heiden is proving that she will likely be a successor once Stuelke graduates (and presumably moves on the WNBA).
The Hawkeyes recently put in a powerful performance against Ohio State
Like every other team, the Hawkeyes still have plenty of basketball ahead of them. The team is operating without a lot of significant flaws or weaknesses (though they could stand to improve their free throw game as the season progresses). The Hawkeyes most recently toppled Ohio State in a 91-70 home victory that saw Stuelke walk away with 18 points and 15 rebounds, a performance that Jansen celebrated while speaking to reporters.
"She's enjoying the rest of the ride," Jensen said. "That's exactly where you need her to be because that's what is lifting everyone else up. I'm just thrilled for her because she's having a really great stretch right now."
The Hawkeyes are likely to be playing without Taylor McCabe, who suffered what looked like a serious left knee injury in the first thirty seconds of play. While Jansen remained somber when asked about McCabe and her future this season, one thing seems clear — the Hawkeyes are focused on proving they're contenders, and this season might be one in which they go all the way.