How Iowa Women’s Basketball’s Schedule Could Shake Out

It’s a big year for the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball program coming up.

I think it’s more than fair to say the 2025-26 season, while impressive in the win-loss column, ended rather disappointingly. A top-10 ranked team playing at home in the NCAA Tournament shouldn’t be missing the Sweet 16, yet that was the case for the Hawkeyes.

Despite that, Iowa is reloading the roster and is not backing away from playing the best of the best in 2026. Head coach Jan Jensen is taking on some power conference opponents in games we know already, but more could be on the horizon.

Here is a look at what we know, and think we might know, about the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball schedule.

Iowa’s Big Ten opponents are set

While dates remain undetermined, the Big Ten teams Iowa is playing are set. The conference schedule, which is littered with NCAA Tournament-level teams, did shake out favorably for the Hawkeyes.

Home: Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA, USC

Away: Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington, Oregon

The West Coast swing, being against Oregon and Washington, while hosting UCLA and USC, is a massive break for the Hawkeyes.

Michigan and Ohio State will prove to be tough tests, but the rest of the away slate is manageable for Iowa. As for the home slate, it’s going to be a sellout each game. Iowa has proven they can beat anyone at home.

Iowa’s Non-Conference Opponents

The Hawkeyes are going to get tested early in the year in November. Iowa is taking on two teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament as measuring stick games.

The Hawkeyes do get an early tune-up game when they welcome Towson to town for the season-opener.

Towson Tigers, November 2
UConn Huskies, November 8
Vanderbilt Commodores, November 15

The matchup against UConn is on the road and will arguably be Iowa’s toughest test of the year. Towson is at home in Iowa City, while Vanderbilt comes to Sioux City, Iowa, for that matchup.

Will Iowa play in an MTE this year?

It would be a bit shocking if Iowa elected not to play in a multi-team event this year. It would provide more chances to pick up some quality wins, but having UConn and Vanderbilt on the schedule could lead to a decision to rest.

History, though, has told us Iowa likes to play in these events around Thanksgiving. The last three years have seen Iowa play in the Gulf Coast Showcase, the Cancun Challenge, and the WBCA Showcase.

With the draw Iowa is both on television and with its fans, it’s hard to envision a year where Iowa is left out or declines to compete in one of these events.

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