Women's college basketball: How the Iowa Hawkeyes are thriving in the post-Caitlin Clark era

Iowa women's basketball continues to thrive in the post-Caitlin Clark era under the leadership of Jan Jensen. The Hawkeyes are 9-0 for the fourth time in program history and the first time under Jensen, who took over the program last year.

The team was outside of the top five of the Big Ten preseason rankings, but they started conference play strong with a lopsided 79-36 victory over Rutgers. The Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation with UCLA, Michigan and Maryland ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll.  Iowa is sitting just outside at No. 11, but the Hawkeyes have a chance to boost their resume this week. Iowa has a Wednesday, Dec. 10 road game against No. 10 Iowa State, an in-state rival from the Big 12. The Cyclones are also undefeated with Audi Crooks putting up some impressive stats and leading the nation in scoring. 

Iowa already got its first statement win of the season with a 57-52 victory over then-No. 7 Baylor on Nov. 20, but the Hawkeyes' season won't get any easier as they also have to face No. 1 UConn later this month.

Here is a closer look at Iowa so far:

Ava Heiden is 'on her way to becoming one of the great ones'

The 6-foot-4 sophomore already got a shoutout from us in November as one of five breakout players making a statement this season. Heiden, like Hannah Stuelke, is a post player who Jensen feels comfortable letting her run the floor. She is quick and efficient on both sides of the court while leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks. She is almost averaging a double-double with 16.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and she is doing it while shooting over 63% from the field.  

What is most impressive about Heiden is the fact that she is not even close to her ceiling. When Iowa took an 86-72 win over Fairfield on Nov. 30, Heiden led the team with 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. However, that was a "quiet" performance compared to the expectations she has set. Heiden shot 6 of 11 from the field, but Jensen said she thought she could have made at least two more buckets. That pressure is a privilege because her coach expects big things for her.

"I'm pleased with where Ava is. Ecstatic," Jensen said. "I think she is on her way to becoming one of the great ones. But I'm always going to motivate her to get a couple more when I think we should've had them."

Heiden has reached double figures in eight games this season and scored 15+ points in the last five games. As Iowa looks to compete against the best teams in the nation, she will certainly be a key piece of the puzzle.

The Hawkeyes are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation

Iowa is averaging over 46 rebounds per game, which puts the Hawkeyes at No. 12 in the country. Heiden leads the team with 9.2 boards per game while Stuelke follows closely with 8.3. Journey Houston, Taylor McCabe and Layla Hays are also significant contributors in this area with at least four rebounds per contest.

"Rebounding is just the key," Jensen said on Monday. "Rebounds are possessions and the more possessions you have, if you got more than the other team, that's going to help your chances.... The more rebounds you have, it takes pressure off all the other elements of the game of basketball. I've been really pleased with how we've been rebounding. We have some good kids with the nose for the ball. A lot of times rebounding is just a lot of muscle, a lot of 'want to,' a lot of grit. And I think this team is really showing a lot of that."

Iowa's defense is controlling games and leading to points

A combination of pesky defense and strong transition offense can make this a dangerous team. Iowa is currently in the top 25 in scoring defense while holding opponents to just 53.7 points per game. Granted, that average was significantly skewed by the Hawkeyes' 79-36 victory over Rutgers. However, that performance itself is noteworthy because that was the fewest points allowed by Iowa in a Big Ten game since 1999. 

The scouting in the 57-52 win over Baylor is also worth talking about. Iowa picked up seven of Baylor's 11 points in the first quarter off six forced turnovers. The Hawkeyes didn't have their best shooting night, but they were able to get the win by holding their opponents to just 28.8% shooting. This includes holding Baylor without a field goal in the last 6:20 of the game. The 52 points has so far been the lowest scoring game for the Bears this season, and it was also well below their current 75.7 points per game average. Baylor's Taliah Scott still went off and scored 32 points, but the Hawkeyes did a good job holding back Bella Fontleroy and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs.

The game against Iowa State could be a particularly important one for Hannah Stuelke if she gets matched up with Audi Crooks. Containing her will be difficult because she is good at getting to her spots, plus her size and strength are hard to deal with. However, the Hawkeyes could do some damage by limiting the Cyclones' two other double-digit scorers, Addy Brown and Jada Williams.

They're getting healthy heading into conference play

Iowa has dealt with multiple injuries early in the season. The Hawkeyes will be without senior forward Jada Gyamfi for approximately three months while she recovers from knee surgery. However, they might be getting other players back soon. 

Sophomore guard Emely Rodriguez has not played since Nov. 22 due to a back injury. Meanwhile, Teagan Mallegni has been healing from getting her tonsils removed. Both are currently day-to-day, although Mallegni is expected to take longer to return.

The player Iowa needs more urgently is Chazadi "Chit-Chat" Wright, who returned from a three-game absence due to an upper body injury but only played eight minutes against Rutgers. She is also considered day-to-day. Jensen has talked about how the Georgia Tech transfer has turned into a leader for Iowa due to how efficient she is on both sides of the court. The sophomore guard has averaged 10.5 points per game while shooting 53.8% from the field in her first six games as a Hawkeye. She also moves the ball well and is one of Iowa's leaders in assists.