The Iowa women’s basketball team will begin their quest for a fourth consecutive Big Ten Tournament title run in Indianapolis with a rematch against Wisconsin on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women’s Basketball Torurnament bracket is set
Get your tickets: https://t.co/JhPaf32GAJ@ifs x #B1GWBBT pic.twitter.com/AlEzc2a6se
— Big Ten Women’s Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 3, 2025
With the bracket for the Big Ten Tournament officially released, Iowa, now ranked eighth in the Big Ten behind Michigan, enters as No. 11 to face off against the Badgers, the No. 14 seed, for a second time.
This matchup historically favors Iowa, who has won 30 straight games against the Badgers, including an 81-66 win in front of a packed Carver-Hawkeye arena during Sunday’s Senior Day game.
“They’re not a meek team,” first-year head coach Jan Jensen said in a press conference after the triumph over the Badgers. “They just take it as it comes. I think that’s evidenced by this whole year.”
Purdue, Penn State, and Northwestern were eliminated from tournament contention, while Wisconsin and No. 15-seeded Rutgers barely squeaked in. While the Hawkeyes’ odds of making the NCAA tournament seemed slim during a five-game conference losing streak in January, they will now be playing for NCAA seeding after a hot streak to close the year.
Iowa followed the skid with a six-game winning stretch, upsetting USC on Feb. 2 and forcing overtime against Ohio State on Feb. 17. The Hawkeyes had a strong performance in Sunday’s contest against Wisconsin, totaling only 11 turnovers while shooting at a 51.7 percent clip from the field.
The winner of the rematch between Iowa and Wisconsin will go on to face No. 6 Michigan State, who nabbed a 68-66 win over the Hawkeyes on Dec. 15. That game’s champion will face No. 3 Ohio State in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
The rematch is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. Central Time, with coverage provided by Peacock and the Hawkeye Radio Network.