Division I women’s basketball teams held open practices and press conferences at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, March 16, 2023. All four teams will play on Friday, March 17 for the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Seventh-seeded Florida State will play against tenth-seeded Georgia, and second-seeded Iowa will play against fifteenth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana.

Iowa hopes to get past the first and second round after losing to the Creighton Blue Jays last year. “I think, obviously, our early exit last year will always provide that fire for us,” junior guard Caitlin Clark said. “No matter what point we’re at in the tournament, whether we make it out of this weekend and move on to the next, we still feel like we have a lot to prove, and we believe we’re one of the best teams in America.”

The Hawkeyes will play against the Lions on Friday at 3 pm.

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Daniel McGregor-Huyer

Members of the media gather the 2023 NCAA First Round women’s basketball pre-game press conferences and open practices at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, March 16, 2023.