There was a point when doubts started to creep in about Jan Jensen’s Hawkeyes. A historic 9–0 start to conference play had everyone convinced, but the trip to Los Angeles changed the mood as they dropped back-to-back games to USC and UCLA, followed by another loss to Minnesota.

Credit to the Hawkeyes, though. They’ve bounced back from that rough stretch and are now on a two-game winning streak, a run that helped Jan Jensen become the first coach in Iowa women’s basketball history to surpass 20 wins in each of her first two seasons. And that’s not all! She’s now just the second coach in program history to record 20-plus wins in her second year.

And a lot of the credit for that goes to star center Ava Heiden, and coach Jensen made sure to praise her after their latest win against Nebraska. “You know, Ava’s a little bit different than some of our other post players. She’s a little bit more of a hybrid. She’s not quite as big and strong, and just going to hold you at the block and cross you over. She’s a little bit more wiry, right?,” Jensen said.

She continued, “She’s got really good speed going down. I just think that any good post player, if you give them the ball where they need it at the right time, can be pretty accurate. So we’ve been working a lot on that timing. But I think her athleticism and her foot speed are pretty extraordinary. And I think she’s just beginning.”

That’s some serious praise from a head coach, and Heiden showed exactly why. She powered Iowa to an 80–67 win over Nebraska, pouring in a career-high 27 points with 11 rebounds and helping secure the program’s 10th straight 20-win season.

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It was a dominant outing from Heiden, who hit 12 of 15 shots and scored 18 points in the first half on 8-of-9 shooting, as the Hawkeyes shot 67.9% from the field. Nebraska tried to rally with a 10–1 surge in the third quarter to trim the margin to 11, but that was as close as it would get.

Heiden currently leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game and ranks second in rebounds with 7.2, trailing only Hannah Stuelke’s 8.9. And as Jan Jensen pointed out, if she masters the timing side of her game, she could be even better…maybe even the next big star out of Iowa.

But all of that can wait for now, because the focus shifts to the remaining games as Jan Jensen hopes to guide Iowa on a deep run in the Big Dance.

What’s next for Jan Jensen and Iowa?

Heiden wasn’t the only one cooking against Nebraska. Sophomore guard Taylor Stremlow dropped a career-high 17 points, Chazadi Wright added 14 with seven assists, and Journey Houston chipped in with 10 more points. Heiden may have stolen the spotlight, but the Hawkeyes’ supporting cast made sure the performance was a complete one.

And that is exactly what coach Jan Jensen will want from her team going forward.

The Hawkeyes are currently ranked No. 13 in the country and are in a strong position to secure hosting rights for the first two rounds. That, however, will depend on Selection Sunday, which is less than a month away.

Jan Jensen knows this stretch is a prime opportunity to further strengthen the Hawkeyes’ resume, and the upcoming slate of games should give her every chance to do just that.

They wrap up the regular season with Purdue, No. 6 Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and most of those games look pretty manageable. Michigan will definitely be the tough one, but if Iowa can pull that off, their seeding could get a real boost. Plus, since it’s their only ranked matchup left, you can bet they’ll go all out for it.

Do you see Iowa beating Michigan and climbing higher in the rankings? Let us know in the comments below.