As No. 2 seed Iowa women’s basketball (26-6, 15-3 Big Ten) prepares to host its first-round matchup in the 2026 NCAA Tournament against No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson (30-4, 18-0 NEC) on Saturday, the Hawkeyes expressed their excitement to begin play in front of a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd.
While Iowa is amongst the younger programs in the tournament, hosting the first and second rounds of March Madness presents potentially two more games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the four Hawkeye seniors.
“We have the best fans. Every time, every home game we’ve had this season has been so cool because you can feel the energy that they bring,” graduate senior guard Kylie Feuerbach said on hosting in front of the Hawkeyes’ faithful. “So to have extra games in Carver is really special. We do not take it for granted. It’s truly the best environment to be in.”
In 2025, the Hawkeyes were a No. 6 seed and opened play in Norman, Okla., where they ultimately suffered a painful 96-62 defeat to host and No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the round of 32.
When head coach Jan Jensen was asked about how important it is for the Hawkeyes to play at home and in front of their passionate fans, she expressed gratitude for the opportunity to host.
“I just feel really blessed. I was an assistant and helping hopefully build it, and now being the head coach, it’s just something we’ve never taken for granted. It is a really, really special element of our program.
“So to be able to get a top seed, to be a 2 seed and get to host, I’ve just felt a lot of gratitude, but also just a lot of happiness because of our fan base that really helps us all year long, that they get to have another game for sure in Carver. That to me is really one of the coolest parts, because our fans, it really is kind of a love affair with them,” Jensen said.
While nothing is truly guaranteed in March Madness, the Hawkeyes hope to use the raucous crowds inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena to propel them to their first Sweet 16 berth under head coach Jensen.
The first-round matchup between the Hawkeyes and Knights will begin at 3 p.m. CT and be nationally broadcast on ESPN.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women’s basketball ecstatic to start March Madness run at home
Reporting by Scout Springgate, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
