What is Hannah Stuelke's injury status for Iowa basketball entering March Madness?
· Yahoo Sports
Iowa women's basketball's most tournament-tested player is Hannah Stuelke, who is a remarkable 21-5 in postseason play (including 11-3 in the NCAA Tournament).
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Jensen reported on Selection Sunday that Stuelke’s right-elbow injury had significantly improved since she played through it in three games at the March 6-8 Big Ten Tournament, in which the 6-foot-2 senior was held scoreless against UCLA in the blowout loss in the championship game.
Jensen's squad enters March Madness with a 26-6 record. Iowa earned every bit of its No. 2 seed with consistency and poise few thought possible in the preseason.
"Locking in and just sticking to our fundamentals from the rest of the season, there's not going to be anything crazy or insane that we haven't seen," said Stuelke, who picked up beneficial rest this last week while still dealing with her injury. "We've played a lot of great teams, so I think we'll be prepared."
Stuelke sustained the elbow injury during a Feb. 26 victory over Illinois. She sat out the March 1 game against Wisconsin, then played all three games at the Big Ten Tournament.
Stuelke continues to wear a sleeve on her right elbow. The Cedar Rapids native said the two-week break leading into March Madness was beneficial.
"It helped a lot," Stuelke said March 20. "I'm feeling really good right now. I'm just excited to get back out there. ... It doesn't seem as hard once you get out there. The adrenaline gets pumping."
Iowa making a deep NCAA run depends on all five starters clicking, and Stuelke can be a force when she’s running hot. The Fairleigh Dickinson opener feels like a ripe chance for Stuelke to put up some big numbers while also getting some rest.
Chad Leistikow and Dargan Southard contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa women's basketball, what is Hannah Stuelke's injury status?