Get your coffee ready this morning for a huge early morning matchup between two top Big Ten teams, as Ava Heiden and the No. 13 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes host the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines in a game that has been circled on many a calendar, in a match where the winner almost certainly locks up a second place finish in conference play.
Michigan is a formidable opponent, but are also in the midst of their most difficult stretch of the season, 3 games removed from a close loss against UCLA, and entering today’s
game fresh off a blowout win against Michigan State, but the Wolverines still have Ohio State and Maryland to face as well after today. To their credit, the Wolverines have played a difficult schedule and besides a blip loss to Washington in early January, have rolled through the Big Ten.
For Iowa, a lot will hinge on how senior Hannah Stuelke plays after sitting Thursday night against a shorthanded Purdue squad. Stuelke is listed as available for the Hawkeyes, which is good, as Iowa will need its roster at full strength to give Michigan its best fight.
Freshman Journey Houston had a great performance stepping into the starting lineup in Stuelke’s absence, but as we saw against the Boilermakers, the rotations without Stuelke got a bit messy quickly and allowed Purdue to (somewhat) get back into the game. Continued strong play from supernova Taylor Stremlow and a better game from Chit-Chat Wright will be crucial too…as well as home court advantage. We’ll need an electric Carver crowd today to be the 6th player on the court like last year against USC.
Should be a fun matchup, let’s bring home a win.
GO HAWKS!
How to watch:
Date: Feb 22, 2026
Time: 11 a.m. CST
Matchup: No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 6 Michigan Wolverines
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena — Iowa City, IA
TV: FOX
