POSTSEASON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IS HERE, FOLKS!
The regular season has ended and the Big Ten Tournament is underway in Indianapolis. The No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes, fresh off a double-bye, are taking on the No. 10 seed Illinois Fighting Illini for the second time in as many weeks, after the Illini have won two games in two days, against Wisconsin on Wednesday and an upset against Michigan State last night.
The last time these two teams played, it was a gritty, closely contested affair that featured Hannah
Stuelke hyperextending her elbow mere minutes into the game. She returned after a few minutes with an arm sleeve and played the rest of the game, but missed the regular season finale against Wisconsin, and her status was in doubt earlier this week after head coach Jan Jensen said Stuelke could barely move her arm.
And yet, Stuelke is in tonight’s starting lineup. We’ll see how effective she can be, particularly rebounding, and how much Illinois tries to take her out of the game. Ideally, Iowa will not allow Illinois to make -checks notes- all of their shots from deep in the second half, either. I think Iowa is the better team, but Illinois is tough and physical, and will want to give Iowa a run if they can.
For the Hawkeyes, besides determining Stuelke’s effectiveness, a lot will depend on how the team comes out of the game. Illinois has played two games in the tournament while the Hawkeyes have yet to play; a slow start plush a Stuelke who isn’t looking to score could spell disaster.
Let’s hope Jan Jensen and the coaching staff learned from the last matchup and have the team better prepared tonight, especially guarding from deep. I’ll be popping into the comments and recapping post-game as well.
GO HAWKS!
How to watch:
Date: March 6, 2026
Time: 5:30 p.m. CST
Matchup: No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 10 seed Illinois Fighting Illini
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network
