It looks as if the cupboard of talent at Iowa wasn’t stripped clean when Caitlin Clark left for the WNBA. People expected the Hawkeyes to fall off a cliff after going to two straight national championship games with Clark, now a Nike brand general and the face of the WNBA’s Indian Fever.
Iowa Hawkeyes Win First NCAA Tournament Game Post Caitlin Clark Era Led By Transfer Lucy Olsen and Freshman Ava Heiden
However, thanks to some holdovers, an infusion of freshman talent and a high-scoring transfer, Iowa managed to win 22 games and earn a No. 6 seed in the tournament. The new Iowa Hawkeys players, even the ones who were part of the Cailtin Clark show, are proving that they have a mega game as well, by stomping No. 11 Murray State on Saturday, 92-57.
The ESPN announcers raved about the Iowa offense, which appeared just as formidable as when Clark was reigning threes from the rafters. The team shot a sizzling 47% from three and 6-foot-4 freshman Ava Heiden broke out with a team-high 15 points to go with seven rebounds.
Senior guard Sydney Affolter, who competed with Clark the past two seasons, added 11 points and Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, who was third in the nation in scoring last season, paced Iowa with 12 points and a game-high 12 assists.
Olsen rolled the dice and knowing that a huge scoring void was left with the departure of Clark, saw the move to Norman as a way to get more eyes on her game and go deeper in the tournament. The guard led Iowa with 18 points per game and shot 36 percent from three this season.
Iowa’s blowout performance prompted the ESPN announcer to say, “The offense has just been exquisite today for Iowa…they’ve gotten balanced scoring inside and out. The post players really dominated early in this game.”
Iowa Players Feel They Have Edge In NCAA Tournament Experience Over Opponents
First-year Iowa coach Jan Jensen came back this season with a fresh team dynamic, blending newcomers with experienced players like Sydney Affolter, Hannah Stuelke, Taylor McCabe, Kylie Feuerbach and Addi O’Grady. The Iowa upper classmen feel that the past two runs to the championship game gives them an edge over other opponents.
“The majority of us have been through Final Four-level pressure, so we kind of know what it takes,” senior center Addi O’Grady said. “I think it’s prepared us a lot for this year. It’s a little different because we’re not hosting. But I still think we’re very prepared, and we’re playing our best basketball right now.”
Defensively, Iowa kept Murray State’s top player Katelyn Young on lock, holding her to six points, 16 below her average of 22.2 ppg which ranks 11th in the country.
It took a while for the new chemistry to develop and the shock of not relying on Clark to carry the team, to set in.
New Iowa HC Jan Jensen Blended New Players With Two-Time Title Game Vets From Caitlin Clark Era
One announcer said that according to Jensen, “The veteran players felt a lot of that pressure of needing to keep the bar high. And it showed in their play (early on). She felt they were tight (as they started the season slowly) and now she feels like over the last couple of months her veterans have really settled in and we’re seeing” with the aforementioned Hawkeys that comprise the post Caitlin Calrk era squad.
As Iowa travels deeper in the tournament, Cailtin Clark fans and basketball fans in general will certainly take a closer look at what this team has cooking and expect to see an appearance by CC herself if this next generation can keep winning.
