15 minutes with Jan Jensen on Taylor McCabe’s injury, California trip
The Hawkeyes’ head coach meets the media with a No. 8 national ranking and a transition ahead without their senior sharpshooter.
IOWA CITY — A long and arduous season delivers several moments where a team must snap and clear from what just happened, good or bad. Iowa women’s basketball finds itself in that exact position.
After a stretch that paired excitement with devastation, the No. 8 Hawkeyes head out west for maybe their trickiest trip of the season. The Los Angeles swing begins with a Jan. 29 showdown at USC (8 p.m. CT, Peacock), followed by a Feb. 1 duel at No. 2 UCLA (3 p.m. CT, FOX).
Though these two schools have only been in the Big Ten a year and change, no conference squad has completed a perfect sweep of a California trip when knocking out the two matchups together. Considering UCLA has national-title aspirations as one of the best teams in the country, there’s even more pressure for the Hawkeyes to start this trip with a victory over the Trojans.
With that, here are three things to watch in Iowa vs. USC.
Can Iowa mentally move on from a whirlwind week that covered both ends of the emotional spectrum?
Wiping the mental slate clean was always going to be an important objective ahead of this trip, even before Taylor McCabe’s season-ending ACL tear happened.
Now, doing so is doubly important.
It was a tough scene at practice the day after Iowa’s 91-70 win over Ohio State, where McCabe informed her teammates through tears that her playing career is over. The sharpshooting senior was one of Iowa’s most respected veteran voices, and her even-keeled demeanor helped keep a young team grounded. McCabe will do all she can from the sidelines moving forward.
There’s reason Iowa needs to move on from positivity as well. Amid an eight-game winning streak that included top-15 wins over Michigan State, Maryland and Ohio State in a week’s span, the Hawkeyes have surged in the rankings and NCAA Tournament projections. Iowa is getting properly recognized as one of the hottest squads in the nation.
None of that matters once the ball tips inside the Galen Center. USC, a preseason top-25 team, desperately needs a jolt to get its campaign back on track. A shocking top-10 home upset could certainly do the trick. That’s exactly what Iowa did last season when JuJu Watkins and the Trojans visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
How does Iowa keep USC in its Big Ten funk?
Sitting at 10-3 on Dec. 29 with ranked wins over North Carolina State, Washington and Nebraska, the Trojans looked like they had survived their daunting early slate.
The wheels have somewhat fallen off since. In the new calendar year, USC is 1-6 with its only win coming against lowly Purdue. Losses to Oregon, Minnesota, Maryland, Michigan State and Michigan have all been by seven points or less, with a UCLA blowout tacked on as well.
Although freshman guard Jazzy Davidson and Georgia Tech transfer Kara Dunn have been nice weapons spearheading USC’s offense, the Trojans are averaging just 64 points per game in 2026. That sets up nicely for Iowa, considering how potent its defense has been during this winning streak.
If Kylie Feuerbach can make things difficult on Davidson while Iowa takes advantage of USC’s unreliable size — no Trojans forward averages more than 15 minutes per game — the Hawkeyes should be in position late for a big road win.
Can Addie Deal keep everything under control in what will be her first collegiate start?
For a player with the mental makeup of Deal, this insertion into the starting lineup following McCabe’s injury shouldn’t be as big a deal as many outsiders are making it.
Deal has been trending upward for two weeks now, and a return to her home state of California times out well for her responsibilities to officially increase. This five-star freshman feels ready to grab the reins and go.
That said, Deal shouldn’t feel any more pressure than she did before. Iowa has rounded into a versatile squad capable of winning with numerous players leading the charge. Though consistent 20-point outings, like Deal delivered against Ohio State, would certainly be welcomed, Iowa doesn’t need that every night to survive.
Iowa women’s basketball prediction vs. USC
Iowa will endure a turbulent three quarters where stability is hard to find, only to turn it on late and survive with a gritty road win similar to those at Northwestern and Indiana. The Hawkeyes will lean on its interior advantages for a key California survival effort. Iowa 71, USC 69.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
