March Madness: ESPN previews Iowa women's basketball ahead of NCAA Tournament

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The stage has been set for the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team. The Hawkeyes are headed to Norman, Oklahoma as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament to take on Murray State in their opening game.

The draw sees Iowa in a quadrant of themselves, Murray State, Florida Gulf Coast, and the host team, the Oklahoma Sooners. The bracket has Iowa in Regional 4 - Spokane with the USC Trojans as the No. 1 seed and the UConn Huskies as the No. 2 seed. There is no shortage of firepower in this corner of the bracket.

With the opening round game set for Saturday, March 22nd, the Hawkeyes have some time to scout the Murray State Racers and get ready for an NCAA Tournament run. As tip approaches, check out ESPN's preview of the Hawkeyes heading into March Madness.

Iowa Hawkeyes

The post-Caitlin Clark era in Iowa City has had some ups and downs, but there's a lot to like about Jan Jensen's first year at the helm, which produced the program's ninth consecutive 20-win season. Replacing Clark at the point, Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen has shined as a Hawkeye, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter returned as experienced upperclassmen, complementing a program that welcomed in a top-15 recruiting class. And while the 10 losses might stand out, each of them were -- rather excruciatingly for Hawkeyes fans -- by 10 points or fewer.

Their five consecutive losses in January dropped the Hawkeyes (22-10) out of the Top 25 rankings, but they rebounded with a strong finish in the Big Ten, handing USC its only regular-season conference loss and nearly knocking off Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament as the 11-seed. Iowa's offense isn't as high-powered as it was with Clark, averaging just 74.3 PPG this season, but if it can be more consistent in March, the group could give teams some trouble. -- Philippou

No one in their right mind thinks that this Iowa team will look like the last few did in the tournament with Caitlin Clark. That isn't a bad thing, though. This unit has tournament experience and possibly just as much, if not more depth.

Iowa can rely on strong guard play from Lucy Olsen and Sydney Affolter, something that carries teams in March. The duo is experienced and can take over games at times. Down low, Hannah Stuelke can turn it on as she has done before in the NCAA Tournament.

While they are a No. 6 seed, Iowa has played with the best teams in America, even beating them. They are not going to be an easy out if they can stay hot like they have been.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: ESPN previews Iowa women's basketball in March Madness

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