NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Championship-Iowa vs South Carolina

Iowa Hawkeyes will tackle the 2024-25 season without Caitlin Clark. The top NCAA Division I scorer was the No. 1 pick by Indiana Fever in this year’s WNBA draft. Also, Lisa Bluder left the head coach role, making way for her long-time assistant, Jan Jensen.

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Iowa’s basketball staff tried to fill the void left by Clark’s departure by roping in Villanova guard Lucy Olsen. Additionally, many Hawkeyes stars who were the pillars of the program’s strength are returning.

Many new talents have been recruited to the roster that Jensen can pin her hopes on. Despite having Clark in the ranks, the Hawkeyes lost the NCAA championship game twice. The highly loaded roster has made many analysts believe that the championship dream could be a reality despite not having their best player in the ranks this time.

Top 3 reasons why Gabbie Marshall’s Iowa Hawkeyes could win the 2025 NCAA Championship

#3. The promise of the freshmen

Jen Jensen has added five recruits to the team. Four of them feature in the HoopGurlz top 100 rankings. Ava Heiden, Aaliyah Guyton, Teagan Mallegni and Taylor Stremlow are the players who will add energy and boslter Hawkeyes’ defense and offense. Callie Levin too will have ample opportunities to perform and evolve in the nursery of top Hawkeyes stars.

#2. The looming threat of top Hawkeyes stars

Hawkeyes stars like Hannah Stuelke, Taylor McCabe and Sydney Affolter will be returning to add strength to the side. The presence of Gabbie Marshall and Jada Gyamfi will further boost the confidence of the Iowa Hawkeyes side.

Hannah averaged 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. The experience, shooting, and playmaking skills of Hannah shall be central to the hopes of Iowa fans.

Taylor McCabe averaged 3.3 ppg in the last season. The number does not however give a correct description of her abilities. She shot 35 3-pointers in 8.1 minutes per game. She also shot 43.8% from the field and 46.1% beyond the arc.

#1. Lucy Olsen

NCAA Womens Basketball: Villanova at Connecticut
As Lucy Olsen steps into Caitlin Clark’s shoes, she has great expectations on her shoulders. The Villanova guard averaged 23.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 3.8 apg last season, shooting 43.8% from the field and 29.4% beyond the arc.

Her scoring and playmaking abilities will come in as a nice replacement for Caitlin Clark’s talent. Olsen was the third-leading scorer in the NCAA last season while Clark stood at the top of the rankings. The pace of Iowa’s game will give her a good push to do even better.

Do you think the Iowa Hawkeyes can win the 2025 NCAA championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.