There are a lot of places that care about basketball, but Iowa City and Carver-Hawkeye Arena just have a different feel to it during the winter months. 

It certainly helps that Iowa has not one, but two good basketball teams to cheer for, but every time fans step inside Carver-Hawkeye for a women's basketball game, the energy in the building remains at level 100 until the final buzzer sounds 

While some national analysts predicted the Hawkeyes to take a step back from Caitlin Clark years, Iowa has done anything but that. The Hawkeyes are coming off a 27-win campaign in 2025-26 that saw them finish as the runner-up in a very difficult Big Ten. 

A trip to the second weekend has eluded Jan Jensen in her two seasons as Iowa's head coach, but there's optimism that can change in 2026-27. 

What does the schedule have to say about that, though? The Big Ten isn't going to get any easier this season, which makes a game-by-game record prediction that much more difficult to write in October.

But we're going to do it anyway. Here is how I see the the 2026-27 season playing out. Keep reading until the end for my breakdown and NCAA tournament seed projection. 

*All game times CDT 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA 

Time: 7 p.m. on BTN+

Prediction: Iowa wins (1-0) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 7 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (2-0) 

Location: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT 

Time: 1 p.m. on FS1 

Prediction: UConn wins (2-1) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 7:30 p.m. on BTN 

Prediction: Iowa wins (3-1) 

Location: Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, IA 

Time: 12 p.m. on FS1 

Prediction: Iowa wins (4-1) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 7 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (5-1) 

Location: Nassau, Bahamas 

Time: 12:30 p.m. on BDG Live (subscription) 

Prediction: Iowa wins (6-1) 

Location: Nassau, Bahamas 

Time: 10 a.m. on BDG Live (subscription) 

Prediction: Iowa wins (7-1) 

Location: Knapp Center in Des Moines, IA 

Time: 6 p.m. on TBD 

Prediction: Iowa wins (8-1) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 5 p.m. on BTN 

Prediction: Iowa wins (9-1, 1-0) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 7 p.m. on FS1 

Prediction: Iowa wins (10-1) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 12 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (11-1) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 7:30 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (12-1) 

Location: State Farm Center in Champaign, IL 

Time: 12 p.m. on Peacock 

Prediction: Illinois wins (12-2, 1-1) 

Location: Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI 

Time: 1 p.m. on BTN 

Prediction: Iowa wins (13-2, 2-1) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 7 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (14-2, 3-1) 

Location: The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN

Time: 11 a.m. on FOX 

Prediction: Minnesota wins (14-3, 3-2) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Time: 7 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (15-3, 4-2) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Time: 5 p.m. on BTN 

Prediction: Iowa wins (16-3, 5-2) 

Location: Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, OR 

Time: 5 p.m. on BTN 

Prediction: Iowa wins (17-3, 6-2) 

Location: Alaska Airlines Center in Seattle, WA 

Time: 8 p.m. on Peacock 

Prediction: Iowa wins (18-3, 7-2) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 2 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (19-3, 8-2) 

Location: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE 

Time: 7:30 p.m. on Peacock 

Prediction: Iowa wins (20-3, 9-2) 

Location: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI 

Time: 11 a.m. FOX 

Prediction: Michigan wins (20-4, 9-3) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 6 p.m. on FS1 

Prediction: Iowa wins (21-4, 10-3) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Time: 1 p.m. on FOX 

Prediction: UCLA wins (21-5, 10-4) 

Location: Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA 

Time: 5 p.m. on BTN 

Prediction: Iowa wins (22-5, 11-4) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 1 p.m. on BTN+ 

Prediction: Iowa wins (23-5, 12-4) 

Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena 

Time: 6:30 p.m. on Peacock 

Prediction: Iowa wins (24-5, 13-4) 

Location: Value City Arena in Columbus, OH 

Time: 11 a.m. on FOX 

Prediction: Iowa wins (25-5, 14-4) 

Final regular season record: 25-5, 14-4 in Big Ten play (probably top 4 in Big Ten) 

NCAA tournament seed: No. 2 (No. 3 seed at worst) 

So there you have it. If you've read any of my previous articles, you'll see that I'm very high on this Iowa team. Ava Heiden is one of the best players in the country and will terrorize opponents down low, but what makes this Hawkeye team better than last year is their guard depth. Iowa really struggled to hit from beyond the arc in the postseason, but it's hard to see it having that problem this year. 

The usual suspects (Taylor Stremlow and Chit-Chat Wright) should take an even bigger leap as juniors, but the Hawkeyes have so much more. Georgia transfer Dani Carnegie is a walking bucket and is another immediate go-to scorer, while transfers Amari Whiting, Bria Medina, and Ella Strömdahl should help as well. Throw in an improved season from backup center Layla Hays, and you have a very well-rounded team. 

Iowa's schedule is extremely difficult, especially since it added UConn and Vanderbilt to the non-conference schedule, but this just feels like the breakout year for Jensen's Hawkeyes. Last year was a breakthrough year because of the record, but this feels like the year Iowa at least makes it to the second weekend. 

Expect the Hawkeyes to challenge conference powers UCLA and USC (both come to Carver-Hawkeye Arena this year) and host the first weekend of the NCAA tournament in Iowa City.