The positives and the questions as this Iowa women's basketball season ends

IOWA CITY — For all the positive steps Iowa women's basketball took this year, many of them seemingly before the Hawkeyes were supposed to, the season-ending stumble revealed how hard those final few jumps can be.

Iowa's 83-75 home loss to No. 10 seed Virginia in double-overtime on March 23 abruptly halted this overachieving campaign in the NCAA Tournament's second round. Jan Jensen's second season as head coach ended exactly where her first one did, marking the first time in nearly a decade that Iowa (27-7) didn't reach the Sweet 16 in consecutive years.

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While there were plenty of items to point to as evidence this team was ready to handle the March Madness tension — a second-place Big Ten finish, defensive consistency that rarely wavered, a promising youthful nucleus with a few key veterans sprinkled in — what unfolded against the Cavaliers accentuated how much mental fortitude is still needed.

The culmination of problems that did Iowa in weren't stunning issues that appeared out of nowhere.

Unreliable free-throw shooting, inconsistent production from beyond the arc and a true alpha absent when the pressure intensified can all split the blame evenly after the Hawkeyes faltered with ample chances to create a different outcome. Toss in a rotation that significantly shrunk as the season wore on, and Iowa operated with less room for error than its record indicated while trying to uphold an elite standard the program's recent surge has created.

Everything goes under the microscope when a stunning loss like this one unfolds. Plenty of significant growth happened while piling up the wins. The ending revealed what progress still remains.

A look at what stands out from this season.

Team MVP: Ava Heiden delivered an elite ascension while continuing to grow as a program centerpiece.

Heiden was Iowa's leading scorer for 10 straight games to end the year, putting up 26 points on 11-for-22 shooting in her final sophomore showing. It was her 13th 20-point outing of the year after having zero as a freshman.

Among the most encouraging developments for what's ahead, Heiden's confidence soared while becoming more comfortable with the spotlight this program entails. There's definitely still room for improvement there, largely because Heiden's personality isn't naturally demanding. But the growth displayed in just one season offers plenty of encouragement her upperclassman years will have many more magical moments.

"If we get that jump again, I still think she should have ended up being one of the top five centers in the country," Jensen said. "She's probably just shy of that. But I think that we're not here without Ava. We're extremely proud of her."

High point of the season: An emphatic run through the conference had Iowa sitting pretty among its Big Ten peers.

A 9-0 start in conference play set a clear tone that Iowa knew a better beginning was needed, after having to climb out of a 2-6 Big Ten hole last season.

Three straight top-15 victories over Michigan State, Maryland and Ohio State arrived during an eight-day stretch in January, as Iowa settled in behind UCLA as the league's No. 2 squad.

Things could've spun off course after three straight losses immediately followed, but Iowa responded with six straight wins to end the regular season and two more to kick off the Big Ten Tournament. A pair of top-10 victories over Michigan highlighted that stretch, the second one pushing the Hawkeyes into their sixth Big Ten Tournament title game in the last eight years.

"I'm really thankful for the opportunity to play here," senior Hannah Stuelke said. "Spending time with these girls has been such a blessing to me."

Low point of the season: Double-overtime loss to Virginia brought several concerning elements back to the forefront.

While leaning on a bevy of freshmen and sophomores alongside veterans Hannah Stuelke, Kylie Feuerbach and Taylor McCabe before her season-ending ACL tear, "we're younger than we're older" became one of Jensen's go-to phrases. The reality of that never became clearer than it did in this year's final scene.

Of the 5-for-29 showing from deep against Virginia, underclassmen contributed 4-for-22 of that. Indecision from Chit-Chat Wright and Ava Heiden at the end of regulation and the first overtime — when Iowa had chances to walk it off with the final shot in both scenarios — accentuated the comfort still lacking with the most pressure-packed situations.

"There are things we could have done better, a little more attention to the scout," Heiden said. "There were things we didn’t capitalize on as well as we should have, and I think that’s what led to this loss.”

Jensen's reluctance to lean on the bench as four Iowa starters played 48-plus minutes was more so out of necessity than stubbornness. Frankly, the Hawkeyes' freshmen weren't ready for the NCAA Tournament scene aside from a few sporadic flashes from Journey Houston. Why that was is a fair question that doesn't have a clear answer.

Growth is most comfortably absorbed when the scoreboard doesn't have to suffer. But often, it's the uncomfortable situations that ignite the most progress. Iowa hopes that is a silver lining it can eventually stomach from its season-ending loss.

Looking ahead: Jan Jensen's third year as head coach officially puts the next wave of talent on the clock.

With Stuelke, Feuerbach, McCabe and Jada Gyamfi all out of eligibility, every player who was on both Final Four teams has officially moved on.

While this year felt much further removed from the Caitlin Clark years than Jensen's first season did, a new wave of leadership and reliability is officially needed. The only thing still lingering from Iowa's initial ascension into the national spotlight is the program's desire to remain there.

Heiden looks like a budding superstar. Taylor Stremlow has the makings of Iowa's next emotional leader. Wright should be more comfortable with Jensen's demands with this transition year behind her after transferring from Georgia Tech. Five-star freshman McKenna Woliczko will be planted in the middle of that with expectations for immediate reliability.

Addie Deal looked more like a freshman than most anticipated, but that doesn't mean her career can't get back on the elite trajectory that seemed appropriate at season's start. Houston exceeded all expectations, while freshman Layla Hays still has time to settle in after looking overwhelmed most of the year.

From there, the roster will likely have some transfer-portal remodeling. Emely Rodriguez's time in Iowa City is likely finished, while Teagan Mallegni, Callie Levin and Kennise Johnson could all opt for more minutes elsewhere. Multiple portal additions are likely coming, and Jensen will need to make sure those jive with what Iowa is all about.

A ton more positive than negative unfolded this season despite Iowa's sour ending that included a 51-point loss, flirting with disaster against a No. 15 seed and a frustrating NCAA Tournament exit. The Hawkeyes have sprouted memorable moments from painful ones and will look to do so again next season.

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.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The positives and the questions as this Iowa women's basketball season ends

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