Stringer's Hawks Win Big 10: Iowa Time Machine March 12, 1988

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On March 12, 1988, C. Vivian Stringer’s Iowa Hawkeyes closed out a 27-1 regular season with an emphatic 98-50 win over Wisconsin at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The team finished the season with an Elite Eight appearance.

Entering Coach Stringer’s fifth season, the Hawks entered the season with sky-high expectations. Ranked no. 6 in the preseason poll, Michelle ‘Ice’ Edwards, Iowa, raced out to a 22-0 start, which included wins over top-ranked Texas, no. 2 Auburn, no. 6 Virginia, and no. 8 Ohio State. The Buckeyes got revenge in a late February matchup in Columbus, but otherwise, the Hawks stayed perfect through the end of the regular season.

The Hawkeyes rose to the No. 1 ranking, the first for a Big Ten women's program, and held onto that perch for eight weeks. After finishing the conference season 17-1, Stringer, Edwards, and the Hawks were crowned Big Ten Champs and prepared for the NCAA tournament.

Ranked No. 2 in the final three AP polls, the Hawkeyes received the No. 1 seed in the West region of the NCAA tournament. Iowa defeated No. 8 seed, 19th-ranked Stephen F. Austin, and No. 4 seed, 15th-ranked USC, to reach the regional final. Iowa faced a team they had defeated earlier in the season, the No. 2 seed and 7th-ranked Cal State Long Beach, but they were beaten by 20 points in a virtual home game. #Iowa #OTD #History #Basketball #MarchMadness