Tonight wasn’t supposed to end like this for Iowa. Inside the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the No. 10-ranked Hawkeyes looked in control just long enough for everyone to believe they could escape with a statement win. But as soon as the second quarter of their latest game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers began, everything went sideways. And ultimately, the Hawkeyes walked out with a 91–85 loss that exposed something head coach Jan Jensen wasn’t prepared to see from her locker room.

The Hawkeyes entered this matchup already riding back-to-back losses, trying to stabilize its season against a Minnesota team that had flirted with big wins but hadn’t had any breakthrough yet. But from the opening minutes of this game, the urgency in Iowa players, as Jensen expected, simply wasn’t there.

And that clearly showed on the defensive end.

Speaking to the media after the game, coach Jensen didn’t hide her disappointment, as the Hawkeyes struggled to execute the game until the final five minutes.

“I was really disappointed about that,” Jensen said. “I’d say we spent about 70% of our practices on defense and the matchups and understanding who we had to guard and how good their three-point shooting was. But that was a very poor performance on the defensive end. We didn’t really get going until the last five minutes of the game. We needed that type of urgency from the tip. But it was really lackluster… But I will say I want to give credit to Minnesota. They’re long, and they really all shoot the three-ball really, really well, and they have a good inside presence… I was concerned about the matchup. But I am disappointed in the defense, but before I give you a reason, I need to watch the film.”

However, the thing that affected the Hawkeyes even more than the defensive lapses was the attitude shift.

“We, I think, are playing just a little bit not to lose instead of to win. When we were cooking, we were playing to win,” coach Jan Jensen further added. “We were playing, and no one expected anything out of us, right? We weren’t even in the top five. And so what happens and what I personally been trying to guard against is listening to the noise and paying attention to it because I didn’t even use it as motivation to start the year.”

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“And then we kind of had the synergy, and they were playing with a lot less pressure. And then when we started to kind of grow it, it was pretty fun, and we were playing looser. And the minute we won that Ohio State game and we had a little adversity, we’ve lost that a little bit, and I got to get them back a little bit to that, like, hey, the story can be even more interesting if we learn how to handle that adversity. But I think what’s happening, we were playing not to lose, and we just wanted to feel good again, and we just want to get the win, we’re going to be fine,” she further added.

In the game, Iowa never recovered after surrendering a season-worst 49 points in the first half, allowing Minnesota to dictate tempo and spacing from the opening quarter. The Gophers shot an eye-opening 71% from beyond the arc, repeatedly punishing Iowa for missed rotations and late closeouts. And that’s the kind of execution which fueled a performance, and led Minnesota to clinch their first win against a top-10 opponent in 23 years.

What’s next for Jan Jensen and the Hawkeyes?

With this loss, Iowa now stands at 18–5 overall and 9–3 in the Big Ten, and it’s been a tough stretch for Hawkeye fans to watch. Just some weeks ago, this team was rolling, riding an eight-game winning streak and looking like one of the most dangerous squads in the country. Every game felt winnable.

Then came the loss to USC on January 29, and since that night, things haven’t felt quite the same. The Hawkeyes have now dropped three straight games, and what once looked like a dream run has turned into a frustrating skid.

With only 6 games left in the 2025-26 NCAA regular season, the Hawkeyes have picked the worst possible moment to expose their defensive lapses and wavering confidence. But they still have time to improve their standing and make a comeback before March Madness kicks-off.

For their next game, the Hawkeyes will play against the Washington Huskies on February 11th. A game predicted to be in their favor with 77.8% by ESPN. Following that they will play against:

• The Nebraska Cornhuskers on February 16th.
• The Purdue Boilermakers on February 19th.
• The Michigan Wolverines on February 21st/22nd (TBD)

For Jan Jensen, the challenge now is rediscovering the urgency and freedom that fueled Iowa’s early Big Ten runs. But can she? We will have to wait and find out.