Hawkeyes are heavily favored to keep their Big Ten good times rolling

IOWA CITY — It’s sounds simple enough, starting a conference season 3-0.

True, the Iowa women’s basketball team has done it three times in the past four seasons, it’s far from an every-day (or every-year) occurrence.

Before the 2022-23 season, the previous time it had happened was 25 years prior to that.

The 14th-ranked Hawkeyes (12-2 overall) got to this point with a late 10-0 surge to outlast No. 20 Nebraska 86-76 on Thursday.

Five different players scored in that run.

“This team is pretty selfless,” Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said. “They’re pretty good about finding who’s hot at the moment.”

This Big Ten streak has the potential to go on awhile.

Iowa will be a solid favorite in its next three games. The Hawkeyes play at Northwestern (6-8, 0-3) on Monday (tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.), then heads to Indiana next Sunday and hosts Oregon on Jan. 15 before the schedule stiffens.

Northwestern, Indiana and Oregon are a combined 1-8 in the Big Ten.

A preseason all-Big Ten selection, senior Hannah Stuelke looked the part in the Nebraska game, posting 21 points and 10 rebounds ... and making all seven of her free throws after entering the game at 50 percent from the line.

“New year, new me,” she proclaimed.

Stuelke (14.0 points, 8.5 rebounds per game) and Ava Heiden (15.7 and 7.8) will get a test inside from Northwestern’s Grace Sullivan, who is second in the Big Ten scoring race at 23.0 points per game.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com