By Hawk Fanatic

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Already knowing they had accomplished enough to host the first two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, Iowa head coach Jan Jensen and her players still enjoyed the thrill of hearing their name announced on Sunday and learning who they will play in the first round.

The Hawkeyes (26-6) as expected are a No. 2 seed and will face No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson (30-4) in the first round on Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

This will mark the fourth time in the last five seasons that Iowa has hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa is coming off a deflating 51-point (96-45) loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis, so Jensen shouldn’t have to worry about her team being over-confident.

But even with the beat-down in Indianapolis, to win 26 games, and to earn a two seed is a worthy accomplishment, and with it comes expectations; meaning that if Iowa doesn’t make it out of Iowa City to the Sweet 16, it’ll be considered a disappointment.

That’s pressure.

Caitlin Clark didn’t make it past the first two rounds in her sophomore season at Iowa, losing to Creighton in the second round in Iowa City in 2022.

But she and her cohorts responded to that setback in spectacular fashion, finishing as the NCAA runner-up in each of the next two seasons.

Iowa was defeated soundly by Oklahoma in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, finishing 23-11 in Jensen’s first season as head coach.

Jensen’s debut season was widely considered a success, and this season she has taken it to a higher level, at least so far.

Jensen has a 49-17 record as the Iowa head coach, and she also a team that apparently as long as it doesn’t have to face UCLA or top-ranked Connecticut can more than hold its own with anybody.

Sophomore center Ava Heiden has had a breakout season and is the latest in a long and distinguished line of post players who have thrived under Jensen’s tutelage, while sophomore guards Chit-Chat Wright, a transfer from Georgia Tech, and Taylor Stremlow, have become a dynamic backcourt duo.

Three-time All-Big Ten senior forward Hannah Stuelke and sixth-year All-Big Ten defensive guard guard Kylie Feuerbach will also be playing in the NCAA Tournament for one last time, so they should be locked in and determined to seize the moment.

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Ticket information/parking

Iowa City will also welcome 7-seed Georgia along with 10-seeds Arizona State and Virginia who will play a First Four game on Thursday, March 18. Game times and TV designations will be announced later tonight.

NCAA Women’s Basketball First and Second Round session tickets in Iowa City will go on sale on Monday, March 16 at 9 a.m. (CT). Limited tickets are available for purchase at hawkeyesports.com/tickets

Adult tickets are $90 and UI student/youth tickets are $55 for both the first and second rounds. Adult tickets are $60 and UI student/youth tickets are $35 for single session. Pre-sale for season ticket holders has already taken place with most tickets already bought.

FANS TAKE NOTE
As a reminder, tickets are all digital for the tournament and accessible via the Hawkeyes Sports App. Purchased tickets will be activated at least 48 hours prior to the first hosted game. Every ticket sold on SeatGeek (secondary market) is verified and trusted, and all tickets sold are backed by SeatGeek’s Buyer Guarantee. The UI Athletic Ticket Office is anticipating high demand and fraudulent ticket activity for tournament games. Fans should be aware of potential scams and always purchase from a guaranteed source. The UI Athletic Ticket Office will only be able service/support purchases made through The UI Athletic Ticket Office, hawkeyesports.com/tickets.

PARKING INFORMATION
Details on game day parking will be released following the announcement of game times the morning of Monday, March 16.