SEATTLE — Second-seeded Iowa women’s basketball will take on sixth-seeded Colorado for a spot in the Elite Eight on Friday night.

The Hawkeyes will be playing for their first Elite Eight berth since 2019, while the Buffaloes haven’t been there since 2002.

Iowa is the highest seed left in the region, as top-seeded Stanford was upset by eighth-seeded Ole Miss in the second round. 

But the Hawkeyes aren’t seeing the upset as an easier path to the Final Four. Instead, it’s making them more focused.

“We lived that last year when we lost in our home court,” junior guard Caitlin Clark said. “So, it’s sometimes hard to watch other teams go through that, but I think that’s what makes March Madness the best season or the best postseason tournament in all of sports … I think, more than anything, it gives us an understanding that if you don’t come ready to play you’re going to go home, and I think that’s what makes this tournament so fun.”

Matchup: Iowa (28-6, 15-3) vs. Colorado (25-8, 13-5)

Scheduled game time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Pam Ward, Stephanie White, Holly Rowe

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network, Varsity Network App, Sirius XM

Stories from the tournament so far:

Scouting Colorado’s defense: With Hannah Stuelke returning, Iowa women’s basketball prepares for Colorado’s double-post play

More than logo shots: Colorado women’s basketball scouts Iowa, guard Caitlin Clark

Notebook: Iowa healthy heading into Sweet 16, Colorado’s Quay Miller returns to hometown

Finding the spark: How a late-season loss to Maryland sparked Iowa women’s basketball’s postseason run