Hear from Iowa coach Jan Jensen before Hawkeyes head to WBCA Showcase
Hear from Iowa women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen before Hawkeyes head to WBCA Showcase.
IOWA CITY — When the Iowa women’s basketball non-conference schedule became official way back in late August, it was easy to envision how these first few weeks would go.
Four mid-major foes to start offered the perfect entrance for a group still building toward its best self. Blowout victories over Southern, Evansville, Drake and UNI saw the Hawkeyes’ margin of victory average out to 46.5 points, delivering the early confidence injections Jan Jensen knew her young team needed.
Now, the training wheels come off.
A venture right outside Orlando to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will provide two tests that No. 20 Iowa believes it can pass. But the Hawkeyes won’t have the wiggle room they operated with the first two weeks as part of a solid WBCA Showcase field. The Nov. 20 matchup with No. 10 Baylor (8 p.m. CT, ESPN2) could finish as one of Iowa’s toughest challenges all year. The Nov. 22 game against Miami (7 p.m. CT, ESPN+) will require strong mental focus amid a quick turnaround.
We’ll start with the Baylor matchup. Here are three things to watch for as the Hawkeyes (4-0) and Bears (4-0) collide for the first time since the 2019 Elite Eight.
Even if a loss is suffered in Orlando, can young Hawkeyes take advantage of early growing opportunity?
Aside from Iowa’s slow start at UNI, where the Hawkeyes needed more than half the first quarter to sink their first field goal, Iowa hasn’t faced really any adverse stretches to date. And even then, the Panthers never led by more than three points the entire game.
As much as Jensen would love both Orlando games to unfold without any drama, she knows that isn’t realistic and won’t necessarily benefit her team long-term. In-game adversity and how players react to it aren’t really things practice can fully simulate, particularly on an Iowa team still cementing its most significant voices.
“These kind of games, more than anything, you win or lose the confidence,” Jensen said about the upcoming games. “If you lose the game, it doesn’t mean all is lost. But I think there has to be a mindset regardless of the margin of victory or a defeat. You know you can either improve or you know you’re kind of where you thought you were.
“But you just don’t want any moment to ever feel too big. That’s what I hope this team does. We have a lot of potential, but it’s the patience of forming that team. That’s what’ll be fun, and hopefully we’ll see us handle a bigger, physical challenge.”
Hear from Layla Hays, Journey Houston before Iowa heads to WBCA Showcase
Hear from Layla Hays, Journey Houston before Iowa women’s basketball heads to WBCA Showcase
How do the Hawkeyes slow Baylor’s potent trio?
Baylor delivered the first exclamation point of the young season with a top-10 win over Duke in France on opening day. The Bears’ three results since have been more predictable — a 13-point home win over Lindenwood, an eight-point victory at UNLV and a 56-point drubbing of Le Moyne. But it’s clear the Bears have an elite core that Iowa must match.
When it comes to Taliah Scott, Bella Fontleroy and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, there’s a little bit of everything to go around.
Scott is the shifty redshirt sophomore guard who’s motivated after missing all but three games last season. That’s shown in the early going as the Auburn transfer is averaging 24.5 points through four contests. After stops with Arkansas and the Tigers before arriving in the Big 12, it seems like Scott has settled into her new home just fine.
Fontleroy and Littlepage-Buggs are on the other end, two senior forwards who’ve combined for 155 starts with ample success. Steady growth from both has Iowa’s frontcourt pieces anticipating a tough matchup full of physicality.
“We know it’s going to be a competitive game,” freshman center Layla Hays said, “and it’ll be exciting.”
Can Iowa take a step forward in defensive versatility after a hot start?
Maybe the hardest thing to evaluate through Iowa’s first four games is the Hawkeyes’ elite defensive success. No one has gotten to 60 points or shot better than 36% against Jensen’s group yet.
The Iowa head coach has liked what she has seen so far — but knows there’s another gear to hit when the Hawkeyes’ defensive assignments become more complicated.
“We’re pretty good at the attention to the initial defensive plan,” Jensen said. “For a young team, if we go in with that plan, we’re pretty true to it if it’s working. The one thing is switching it up. That’s where I feel like it’s harder.
“Let’s say you’re really going to practice showing on ball screens. And then you go into the game, and it’s like we’re getting beat on the slip all the time. And then changing that, that’s a little bit harder because we just haven’t had the experience to switch it.”
These two games should provide a great opportunity there.
Iowa women’s basketball vs. Baylor prediction
In a back-and-forth affair, Iowa gains valuable experience but falls short in its WBCA Showcase opener. A quick turnaround after a loss will also be a good first test. Baylor 70, Iowa 63.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
