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25 O n Halloween Day, media members gathered in Carver-Hawkeye Arena awaiting head basketball coach Lisa Bluder's annual media day press conference. e questions rolled in: "Who will make the starting lineup?" "Will Tania Davis be ready by the season opener?" "How has Megan Gustafson handled the pressure of added national recognition?" And then this one: "Could this be your best team at Iowa?" Aer two years playing in the WNIT and an early exit from the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the Hawkeyes returned to the Big Dance this season with a vengeance. e team rolled through a challenging nonconference schedule, securing marquee wins over Iowa State, Drake, and a 24-point comeback victory over West Virginia in the Bahamas. "We were down 24 points and we came back and won," Gustafson recalled. "It was honestly one of the best games I've ever been able to play in. It was at that point we knew we were a gritty team. We are resilient. We can face anything that was thrown at us. at was a turning point for me." Following a loss that took Iowa out of Big Ten regular-season title contention, Iowa defeated three conference foes in three days to win the program's first Big Ten Tournament title since 2001 and earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A pair of NCAA First- and Second-Round wins over Mercer (66-61) and Missouri (68- 52) followed, clinching Iowa's seventh Sweet 16 appearance and the second under Bluder. Led by seniors Gustafson, Davis, and Hannah Stewart, the Hawkeyes downed North Carolina State, 79-61, in Greensboro, North Carolina. With the win, Iowa became the fourth team in program history to make the Elite Eight and the first to do so since 1993. e Hawkeyes bowed out of the tournament with a loss to No. 1 Baylor, but ended the season with a 29-7 overall record, matching the highest win total in program history. "is season was special," Bluder said. "I'm going to remember cutting down the nets with these guys aer winning the Big Ten Championship. I'm going to remember Tania's results coming back. I'm going to remember Hannah Stewart's journey. I'm go to remember getting the opportunity to coach one of the best basketball players in America in Megan. "at's what I'm going to remember about this season — the relationships and the great memories with these young ladies." So now, six months, a Big Ten title, and an Elite Eight appearance later, there is an answer to the question from that Halloween day at Carver- Hawkeye Arena. "Could this be your best team at Iowa?" Yes.