Ranking the Iowa Women’s Basketball non-conference opponents
We have a basketball schedule! On Thursday afternoon, the Hawkeyes announced their full non-conference slate for the upcoming season, including an exhibition matchup against Missouri Western set for October 30th in Iowa City. All eleven non-conference game were previously reported by HawkeyeReport.
The non-conference portion of the schedule includes five teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, while four more teams appeared in the WBIT and WNIT postseason tournaments. HawkeyeReport takes a look at the non-conference opponents for Jan Jensen’s squad and ranks them from easiest to toughest.
11. vs Northern Illinois Huskies (Nov 6)
This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the Hawkeyes and Huskies. Iowa only leads the series 7-5, but they have won all three meetings since 1993, including a 105-80 win in 2017. NIU is coming off of a 14-16 season, including an 8-10 mark in MAC play. They do return 6’3 forward Brooke Stonebraker (11.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg) who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, while they added SEMO guard Alecia Doyle (13.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) from the portal. The season opener should be a comfortable win for the Hawkeyes to open the Jan Jensen era.
10. vs Rhode Island Rams (Nov 28) (Cancun Challenge)
The Hawkeyes will be playing in the Cancun Challenge for the fifth time, but this will be the first all-time meeting between Iowa and Rhode Island. The Rams finished with a 21-14 record last season, including a run to the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship Game, where they fell to Richmond. They will look a bit different this season, as they return just two of six players that started 10+ games last season, with leading scorer Mayé Touré (12.5 ppg) transferring to Utah.
9. vs Toledo Rockets (Nov 13)
This will be the first all-time meeting between the Hawkeyes and Rockets, while Iowa holds a 10-2 record against MAC opponents. Toledo finished with a 27-6 record last season, but came up short of the NCAA Tournament, falling in overtime to Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game. The Rockets return just two of five starters from last season, but guard Sammi Mikonowicz (9.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg) returns and they brought in Long Island guard Kendall Carruthers (14.3 ppg) from the portal. Toledo has won 85 games over the last three seasons.
8. vs Northern Iowa Panthers (TBA)
This will be the 30th all-time meeting between the Hawkeyes and Panthers, with Iowa holding a 26-3 lead in the series, including outscoring UNI 360-269 over the last four meetings. Northern Iowa finished with a 16-16 record last season, including a 14-6 mark in MVC play. The Panthers return their top six scorers, including guard Maya McDermott (16.3 ppg) and forward Grace Boffeli (14.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg). After starting 1-9 last season, UNI finished 15-7 and now the return almost everyone.
7. vs BYU Cougars (Nov 29) (Cancun Challenge)
When the Hawkeyes and Cougars meet up, it will be for just the fourth time. BYU is the only team in program history that Iowa has played at least three times and never beat (0-3), but the last meeting came all the way back in 2006. The Cougars finished last season with a 16-17 overall record, including an appearance in the WNIT. They lost All-Big 12 forward Lauren Gustin (graduation), guard Nani Falatea (portal) and leading returning scorer Kailey Woolston (mission trip). The Hawkeyes will be looking to defeat BYU for the first time ever.
6. vs Virginia Tech Hokies (Nov 10) (Charlotte, NC)
A rematch of last season’s thriller in the Ally Tipoff, the Hawkeyes and Hokies are both entering new era’s as program’s. The changes for Virginia Tech are much larger, as Kenny Brooks took a head coaching job at Kentucky, while Georgia Amoore, Liz Kitley and Cayla King are no longer on the roster. Former Michigan State transfer Matilda Ekh (10.4 ppg) will lead the way for a Hokies team led by first-year head coach Megan Duffy who came over from Marquette.
5. vs Washington State Cougars (Nov 24)
This will be the third all-time meeting between the Hawkeyes and Cougars, with the last coming in the 2017 WNIT. Washington State finished last season with a 21-15 overall record and advanced to the semifinals of the WBIT, where they fell to eventualy champion Illinois. The Cougs return three of six players that started 20+ games last season, including guard Tara Wallock (10.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and guard Astera Tuhina (9.4 ppg). However, they did lose leading scorer Charlisse Leger-Walker (13.2 ppg) to UCLA in the transfer portal.
4. vs Kansas Jayhawks (Nov 20) (Sioux Falls, SD)
The Sanford Pentagon will play hosts to the Hawkeyes and Jayhawks, with the two programs meeting up for just their third all-time meeting (Kansas leads 2-0). Kansas is coming off a season where they finished 20-13 overall, with a trip to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks return just two of five starters, but one of them is First Team All-Big 12 guard S’Mya Nichols (15.4 ppg). If a trio of transfer, including North Dakota State guard Elle Evans (15.5 ppg), UC Riverside guard Jordan Webster (17.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Wisconsin guard Sania Copeland (7.3 ppg) can make an instant impact, Kansas could be a pretty solid team with Nichols leading the way. This is a game to keep an eye on.
3. at Drake Bulldogs (Nov 17)
Last time these two teams met at the Knapp Center, the Hawkeyes pulled out an overtime thriller in front of a sold out crowd. The environment will be rocking and the Bulldogs are, once again, capable of pulling the upset. Iowa has won 20 of the last 21 in the series, but their last four wins in Des Moines have come by an average of just 6.0 points per game. Drake returns three of five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, including point guard Katie Dinnebier (18.1 ppg, 6.9 apg) and forward Anna Miller (13.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg). This will be the only true road game for the Hawkeyes during non-conference play.
2. vs Tennessee Volunteers (Dec 7) (Brooklyn, NY)
The Hawkeyes success over the last few years was recognized and it got them invited to the inaugural Women’s Champions Classic in Brooklyn. Tennessee finished last season with a 20-13 record, including a trip to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Kellie Harper was let go and forward Rickea Jackson went to the WNBA, but first-year head coach Kim Caldwell still has a good bit to work with thanks to some portal additions. Guard Jewel Spear (13.1 ppg) and forward Sara Puckett (9.9 ppg) both return, while Caldwell added Clemson guard Ruby Whitehorn (12.3 ppg), Syracuse forward Alyssa Latham (8.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Arkansas guard Samara Spencer (13.9 ppg) from the portal.
1. vs Iowa State Cyclones (Dec 26)
This is by far and away the biggest non-conference game on the schedule. Circle December 26th on your calendar. The Hawkeyes will host an Iowa State team that is expected to be ranked in the top ten of the preseason poll. The Cyclones finished last season with a 21-12 record and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. They return three of five starters, including All-Big 12 center Audi Crooks (19.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and All-Big 12 forward Addy Brown (13.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg). Head Coach Bill Fennelly went and added Marquette guard Mackenzie Hare (14.0 ppg), TCU guard Sydney Harris (9.4 ppg) and Oregon State guard Lily Hansford (5.1 ppg) in the portal to make the ‘Clones one of the top teams in the country. Carver-Hawkeye Arena will have a must-see environment for this game.
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