Iowa’s Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright shoots a free throw during a women’s basketball practice July 1, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Sneaks Into Preseason Top 25

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Oct 8, 2025 1:00 PM ET

According to ESPN's Charlie Creme, head coach Jan Jensen's Iowa Hawkeyes are the No. 20 team in the nation. Knowing how much work she put into her first year as head coach, this ranking should come as no surprise.

For Iowa fans, their preseason ranking should continue to increase over time. Creme knew he'd be remised if he didn't mention five-star recruit McKenna Woliczko. Woliczko is the Hawkeyes' highest-rated recruit since the one and only Caitlin Clark. In total, she's ranked No. 6 in the 2026 ESPNW 100 Rankings. While Iowa has to wait another year before she can join them on the court, it's good to know reinforcements are coming.

One of the main things Jensen stressed heading into this season was how young her team was. Clearly, Creme didn't let that phase him. He ranked Iowa No. 20, above the likes of fellow ranked Big 10 teams: Michigan State and Washington.

Highlighting one player from each team, Creme took a look at Chazadi Wright. Wright, the Georgia Tech transfer, was ready to leave Georgia for the first time in his career. Now, the sophomore is ready to step up for coach Jensen.

"One of seven Georgia Tech defectors after the retirement of coach Nell Fortner, Wright gives the Hawkeyes more quickness at point guard to pair with the perimeter shooting of Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe. Wright, who ranked second on the Yellow Jackets in assists as a freshman (2.6 per game), gives Iowa another dependable shooter (32.6% on 3-pointers)," Creme wrote.

Both Feuerbach and McCabe have spent their last three seasons at Iowa. They're arguably more comfortable with this offense than anyone else, though neither has greatly contributed in the scoring department. Coincidentally, both averaged 6.7 points per game last season. In that aspect, they still have plenty of room for growth, though both know exactly what their role on the team is.

For Feuerbach, she saw a major decrease in production after transferring from Iowa State. Having spent 2020-21 with the Cyclones, starting 24 of 28 games, the 6' guard started only two of her first 61 games with the Hawkeyes. Last year, she worked her way up to 25.5 minutes per game, starting all 34 of them.

McCabe has a similar story, though she's entering her fourth and final year with the Hawkeyes. The 5'9'' guard didn't start a single game until last season when Jensen gave her a career high 23.5 minutes per game. In her first two seasons, she never averaged more than 8.1 minutes per game. McCabe ended up starting 19 of 34 games last season as her role with the team continues to expand.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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