By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – At least three times this season I have written off the Iowa women’s basketball team only to be proven wrong.

The first time was before the season due to a roster that lacked depth.

The second time was after starting point guard Tania Davis suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-December.

And the third time was heading into Thursday’s game against 14^th-ranked Ohio State with Iowa having lost three games in a row and four of its previous five games.

Just when you thought that Lisa Bluder’s depleted squad was ready to unravel, it did the improbable.

There was no reason besides loyalty to think that Iowa would defeat Ohio State on Thursday, given all the circumstances.

But where there is a will, there is a way, and this Iowa team has an incredible amount of will, spirit and competitiveness, and those things helped pave the way to a 103-89 victory over the talented Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“There were a lot of hustle plays to begin this game and that set the tempo for all of us," Bluder said. “When you see your teammate diving on the floor for a loose ball or hustling and making extra effort, it gives you energy."

And with energy comes hope.

This Iowa team already could have collapsed under the weight of injuries and top-notch competition, and yet, the players and coaches just keep grinding and competing and winning enough games to stay relevant.

Iowa failed to make the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons after having made it for eight consecutive seasons.

Bluder’s job is safe and secure, but there is pressure on her current squad to get back into the NCAA Tournament.

Failing to make the NCAA Tournament once could be considered a hiccup or an aberration, while twice is a mini-slump that sometimes occurs with programs not named Connecticut or Tennessee.

But to go three years in a row without making the NCAA Tournament would be a disturbing pattern.

The players and coaches probably don’t discuss the big picture very often because that would take the focus away from the task at hand.

But they know the circumstances and talked about it at media day.

Junior center Megan Gustafson talked candidly at media day about the importance of making the NCAA Tournament.

Gustafson flirted with stardom during her first two seasons at Iowa, but had little to show for it from a team standpoint.

She is now a legitimate star and her team is on course to make the NCAA Tournament with records of 16-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten.

By winning 12 of 13 nonconference games, Gustafson and her teammates have some margin for error in Big Ten play where a 9-7 record would almost certainly be enough for Iowa to make the NCAA Tournament.

Bluder deserves praise for staying course and for not making excuses when she easily could have. Her current team plays unselfishly and with great awareness and cohesiveness.

And when you have a superstar like the 6-foot-3 Gustafson to anchor things in the middle, you have a recipe for winning.

The challenge now is to not let up because the Big Ten grind can wear on a team, especially a team with little depth.

Iowa will host Nebraska on Sunday in a rematch from Jan. 16 when the Cornhuskers won 74-65 in Lincoln, Neb.

I’m through making any assumptions about this Iowa team from a negative standpoint because I’ve learned my lesson.

Fans have reason to be proud and optimistic about the Iowa women’s basketball team as it continues to defy the odds.

And I have reason to stop doubting it.