PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF IOWA ATHLETICS - Iowa women’s basketball players Journey Houston, left, and Taylor Stremlow, right, share in the celebration after the Hawkeyes were announced as a No. 2 seed and a site host for the NCAA Women’s Tournament during Sunday’s selection show watch party inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

IOWA CITY — Home is where the Hawkeyes start.

The Iowa women’s basketball team earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament and will host No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Hawkeyes enter the tournament with a 26-6 record under second-year coach Jan Jensen and will host both the first and second rounds in Iowa City.

Iowa finished second in the Big Ten regular season and advanced to the conference tournament championship game, securing one of the top seeds in the national bracket.

The Hawkeyes are positioned in the Sacramento Regional, where the winner of their opening game will advance to face the victor of the matchup involving No. 7 seed Georgia and the First Four winner between Arizona State and Virginia.

Jensen said the opportunity to host again reflects the consistency her program has built.

“We’re excited to be playing in front of our fans again,” Jensen said. “Carver has been such a special environment for our team, and we’re grateful for the chance to start the tournament here.”

Fairleigh Dickinson enters the tournament riding momentum after winning the Northeast Conference tournament. The Knights bring a 30-4 record and a 22-game winning streak into their matchup with Iowa.

The program, coached by Stephanie Gaitley, captured the NEC title earlier Sunday, defeating LIU 79-57 to clinch the league’s automatic bid.

The Knights completed a dominant conference season at 18-0 and are making consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, continuing the program’s recent rise under Gaitley.

Despite the seeding gap, Jensen emphasized respect for the opponent.

“You know every team in this tournament is dangerous,” Jensen said. “Fairleigh Dickinson has had a terrific year, and we’ll have to be ready to play our best basketball.”

The Hawkeyes are seeking another deep run after multiple recent postseason successes and will rely on a balanced lineup that has powered them through a strong Big Ten campaign.

Tipoff times and broadcast details for the Iowa-FDU matchup are expected to be announced by the NCAA early this week.