Iowa Women's Basketball to play in the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase
Although the Final Four just wrapped up in Dallas on Sunday, there is already news coming out about the 2023-24 Iowa Women’s Basketball schedule. The Hawkeyes will travel to Estero, Florida to play in the 2023 Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena. It is Iowa’s first ever trip to play in the tournament, but it has been won by familiar faces in each of the past two seasons.
Iowa State won it in 2021, while Michigan won it this past season with an 84-75 win over Baylor in the championship. Other past champions include, Gonzaga, Texas, Notre Dame, Baylor, Stanford, Connecticut and Middle Tennessee.
“For the past 10 years, the Gulf Coast Showcase has had the very best women’s teams, so it’s exciting to add Iowa to that list next year and of course, Caitlin Clark, who has captured the sport’s attention and is one of the greatest players of this era,” said CEO of BDG Sports Brooks Downing in an article by the Fort Myers News-Press.
The eight-team tournament field is headlined by Iowa, North Carolina and Kansas State, but the other five teams have not yet been announced. The tournament is in a bracket format, with each team guaranteed three games over the weekend. The bracket has a “winners” bracket to determine a champion and third place winner. It also has a consolation bracket to determine fifth and seventh place finishers.
The Hawkeyes finished the season with a 31-7 record, while they advanced to their first Final Four since 1993 and made their first ever national title game appearance. Caitlin Clark swept the National Player of the Year honors after averaging 27.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.6 assists.
North Carolina went 22-11 and earned a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. They defeated St John’s in the first round, but fell to Ohio State in the second round. The Tar Heels will be led by G Deja Kelly (16.5 ppg) and F Alyssa Ustby (13.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg) next season. Both were First Team All-ACC selections this season.
Kansas State defeated the Hawkeyes in Manhattan early in the year and went on to finish with a 19-17 record. They made at appearance in the WNIT, but fell to Washington in the Super 16 round. The Wildcats will welcome back All-American 6’6 C Ayoka Lee after she missed the entire season with a knee injury. During the 2021-22 season, Lee averaged 22.0 points and 10.3 rebounds, while shooting 56.3% from the floor.
Keep an eye on HawkeyeReport for more coverage of the eight-team field, as the the participating teams come available. The tournament is set to take place from November 24-26.
