Jan Jensen is vying to get her name in the history books. If the Iowa Hawkeyes manage to get past No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, Jensen will get her 50th win of the season. She would have averaged at least 25 wins in her first two years as the head Hawk, setting a program record. However, the coach faces a major but very well-known problem despite playing the first round at home. 

The Hawkeyes will start their NCAA Tournament at the Carver-Hawkeye arena. Famously, the arena doesn’t have complete air conditioning. It’s one of the few power four arenas that’s lacking in this modern facility. Normally, the games are played there in Winter except for the NCAA tournament, which arrives in March. Temperatures are expected to stretch beyond the 80s and upto 86F for Iowa’s opening game and Jan Jensen admitted to ignoring this major factor. 

“Not really, because we’re in just jubilation and it’s warm and it’s spring, right? I think that’s I would think every coach, but certainly what I try to focus on sometimes to a fault is you just control the controllables,” She said. “I’m glad you brought it up because maybe I better talk about it because I’m older, I’m in my 50s, so I can be like, ‘We can’t control that. Suck it up.”

That is the old school approach. Ignore what you can’t manage and just go about the business. Just endure it. However, the times have changed and the problem won’t be solved by just ignoring it. Jensen further recognized that it is a problem that needs to be addressed. 

“When you’re younger and it is really hot, and it’s been cold in Carver for most of the year because it’s winter in the Midwest, I think you might need to chat about it. But I do think the focus will be great,” Jensen further said. “Hydrate up. I think both sides will have to have a lot of water if the crowd does heat it up in there. But I think that we’ll be pretty smart about just doing what we got to do, whether it’s 80 or 20.”

The Carver-Hawkeye arena was built literally below ground level in 1983. It uses Geothermal technology to keep the fans comfortable. And usually, that is enough in the cold temperatures in Iowa. However, with a full crowd and an electric game in rising temperatures, it makes for a sweaty 4 pm tip-off. 

It was even pointed out by Hawkeye legend Caitlin Clark last year when Indiana Fever held their warm-up game against Brazil at the arena in May.  “I warned everybody, there’s no air conditioning in Carver Hawkeye,” she said. “Usually don’t play basketball games in May, so hopefully, hopefully it stays a little cool in there.”

Nevertheless, some additional precaution and the team should be good at this point in the season. They have played 32 games and are approaching the business end of the season. The team wouldn’t have something like temperature affecting them. Especially at their own den. And while the heat may be unavoidable, so is Iowa’s biggest weapon, its home crowd.

Jan Jensen’s Iowa Getting Ready To Host The “Best Fan Base”

Jan Jensen is into her second season and safe to say, it’s been pretty successful. She is carrying out the transition after losing Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder quite smoothly. Last year, they were the sixth seed in the NCAA tournament and now they have jumped to No. 2 and earned the honor of hosting the first rounds. 

“It’s pretty clear we have to be ready. We have to know the scout and we have to do what we’ve done to get here,” Jensen said. “So we talked about it. I’ve talked more about all of the awesomeness of being at home and all of the pressure that comes with that. It’s mostly trying to lock in and do what we need to do, and then if we do that, then we can get to that.”

It’s win or go home time. Any team can knock any team out so there is no room for complacency. But there is no point in changing your normal process. They are trying to balance between intensity and the much-required break in the last few days. Now, they are getting ready to put on a show in front of their fans. 

“We have the best fans and every time that I mean every home game we’ve had this season has been so cool because you can feel the energy that they bring,” Kylie Feuerbach said. “So to have extra games in Carver is really special and we do not take it for granted. It’s truly the best environment to be in.”

The Carver-Hawkeye arena has housed a whopping 224970 fans so far this season. It comes down to almost 15000 per game. They are one of the most passionate and supportive fanbases in the country. Caitlin Clark has amplified the fan culture for the team and the fans show up in numbers for women’s basketball. In the recent Nielsen report, the Hawkeyes were deemed the most popular team in women’s basketball. So, be assured that even in the grueling heat the arena will be packed and loud.