With the graduation of a player of Megan Gustafson’s stature, it would have been understandable for Iowa fans to have had tempered expectations going into the season.

After Iowa made the Elite Eight for the first time since 1993, the Hawkeyes were projected to be a team on the bubble of making the NCAA Tournament. Instead, Iowa has been just as competitive as it was last season and could very well end with a better regular season record.

“It’s unbelievable, it really is,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “You get the right system in place, people buying into the right roles, so yeah it is really rewarding.”

Everyone on the team has certainly performed above expectations, but the number one reason for Iowa’s success has to be Kathleen Doyle.

Doyle has been a key part of the program since she arrived on campus, but the senior from Illinois has taken her game to another level this season. ESPN has even dubbed her the 17th best basketball player in the country.

Doyle has always been a great distributor of the ball, reaching 148 assists in each season as a Hawkeye. The biggest jump in her game has been offensively, where she has become the focal point of a successful Hawkeye attack.

The senior’s scoring output has ballooned up to 18.5 points per game this season as she has been tasked to come up with clutch moments for Iowa. Despite her higher shot volume, Doyle’s shooting percentage has also increased this season up to 45 percent.

“I have so much confidence in her and so much belief in her, and I think her teammates absolutely do as well,” Bluder said.

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The restructuring of the offense has allowed Doyle to play to her strengths, as well. With a more guard-oriented style of offense that focuses on the offense driving to the basket, the change could not be more tactically suited for Doyle.

“It’s fun as a guard [playing in this offense],” Doyle said. “Just all of us getting to attack the basket, and it just opens it up a little more for us.”

The stats are impressive enough, but Doyle’s leadership and charisma off the court have been a major part of her role on the team. Always upbeat, Doyle’s spirit and tough-minded nature has allowed her to become the clutch player Iowa leans on at the end of a game.

Doyle has had several fourth quarter explosions this season, a strong reason why the Hawkeyes have been so good coming from behind late in games.

“She wants to win like we all do and just brings a lot of energy to the floor,” fellow senior Makenzie Meyer said.

Iowa now turns ahead to face Penn State at home tomorrow, looking to maintain its place around the top of the Big Ten standings. The Hawkeyes handled the Nittany Lions on the road last time, easing to a 77-66 score that was a lot closer than the game suggested.

Although Penn State has struggled this season and brings up the rear of the Big Ten, it gave No. 7 Maryland a scare last week as they kept the game close going into halftime.