The Iowa Hawkeyes, led by their coach Lisa Bluder, won the Big Ten tournament, getting an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They then went on to defeat Southeastern Louisiana, Georgia, Colorado, and Louisville to make it to their second Final Four in the program’s history.

The Caitlin Clark-led team upended the defending national champion – South Carolina, ending their 42-win game streak. However, luck didn’t favor them in their pursuit of the first title. They lost to the Louisiana State University Lady Tigers by a huge margin of 85-102.

The fans and critics witnessed the much-anticipated battle between the Clark and the Lady Tigers’ star Angel Reese. Hence, it is quite obvious for fans to be inquisitive about the Hawekeyes’ next move with the commencement of the NCAA 2023-24 season.

How does the current Iowa Hawkeyes team look?

If Iowa is to have a chance at winning the title this year, it has to be through Caitlin’s brilliant performance. Clark, who is known for her logo-threes and three-pointers, has been compared to the NBA legend Stephen Curry on several occasions. She led the season with an assist average of 8.6 and stood second in the points average with 27.8 points. She also beat the WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu by having a record 33 times 25+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds.

The 21-year-old also shattered Glen Rice’s scoring record in a single NCAA season irrespective of gender (191). Hence, Clark is the key if the Carver–Hawkeye Arena team is to leave a mark this season. However, things are not as easy as they may seem.

With the Hawkeyes’ power forward Monika Czinano completing her college eligibility, a big space has been left in the team for a secondary scorer. Czinano was an extremely efficient scorer with an incredible field goal percentage of 67.41% during the last season. Thus, she occupied the third place in field goal percentage.

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This let loose a few players from the defense, making way for Clark. With Czinano’s unavailability, it remains to be seen who will occupy her position.

Who can fill Monika Czinano’s shoes?

Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall are both top-tier players. But none of them are as efficient as Czinano. While Molly Davis averaged 17.8 points per game at Central Michigan before transferring to the Iowa Hawkeyes, her 5’7” height leaves her vulnerable against bigger guards.

Similarly, Hannah Stuelke proved her mettle with her swiftness but it is still unclear if she can be the replacement for Czinano. Iowa is short-handed for options and only making sensible adjustments to their game can help them meet eye-to-eye with their opponents.

How does the LSU look?

Meanwhile, LSU would be looking to repeat their last year’s heroics. They have one of the most talented teams with an outstanding head coach, Kim Mulkey. Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow make their rebounding unfathomable.

In addition to this, the newly transferred Hailey Van Lith can team up with Flau’jae Johnson and freshman Mikaylah Williams to form a backcourt that is difficult to defeat. Thus, LSU could decimate the Iowa Hawkeyes once again this season. The only way for Iowa to beat the LSU is to fill the boots of Czinano as soon as possible.

If Czinano’s absence hurts the Iowa then they will have issues in finding the right person for Clark’s assists. If the team is to win the NCAA Championships title, then they will have to find a replacement for Czinano.

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On the other hand, things don’t seem to be that grave for Iowa if Stuelke can up her game; and the scoring averages of Marshall, Martin, and Davis improve and Clark performs her usual. Then it will not only mean redemption against the LSU but also Clark will outdo Kelsey Plum as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer.