FDU women relishing underdog role vs. Iowa in NCAA Tournament

Fairleigh Dickinson coach Stephanie Gaitley is headed back to where it began.

Three years ago, Gaitley’s first game on the sidelines for FDU was at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Caitlin Clark’s team torched the Knights by nearly 60 points.

“Our kids, kind of their eyes were in the headlights, so to speak,” Gaitley told The Post. “And they just kind of weren’t sure what was going to hit them with that sellout crowd.”

Gaitley doesn’t anticipate the same lopsided outcome Saturday when 15th-seeded FDU takes on second-seeded Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sportsbooks favor the Hawkeyes by more than 30 points. But Gaitley views Saturday’s game as an opportunity to measure FDU’s monstrous growth over the past three seasons.

“Three years ago … we were a completely different team,” Gaitley said. “We’re going in with a different type of mentality right now because of the fact that we built what we built this year and I think the kids are going in with a lot of confidence. They know the task at hand is a difficult one, but they’re welcoming the opportunity and they have, as always, played with that chip on the shoulder.”

FDU experienced a lot of turnover from last year’s team, which went dancing for the first time in program history. Three of the Knights’ starters were seniors; another, Lilly Parke, suffered a torn ACL over the summer.

Sophomore Ava Renninger is the lone starter to return this season.

The Knights stumbled out of the gates, suffering back-to-back losses to Purdue and Notre Dame. Those defeats, while disappointing in the moment, ultimately helped FDU grow together.

Once NEC play came around, the Knights seemingly picked up where they left off.

FDU is starting to build a reputation as the NEC’s undisputed heavyweight champ. They haven’t lost a conference game in more than two years. They joined UConn in being the only Division I program to go undefeated in league play in back-to-back seasons.

Sophomore Ava Renninger is the lone starter to return for FDU this season. Getty Images

Rennington, now a leader on the team, said this season “was even harder” than the last.

“Obviously, the 18-0 looks easy to everyone,” Rennington said. “It was a dogfight.”

There’s a mentality switch for teams such as FDU heading into March Madness. For the majority of the season, the Knights shouldered the pressure of being the team to beat in their conference. They were the vanquishers, the ones expected to win every game.

Come Saturday, FDU is freed of those expectations.

“It’s kind of a pressure cooker when you’re building up from winning 18-0 and then you got to win three more against three teams that you’ve already beaten twice,” Gaitley said. “And so I think this is kind of a relief, switching that role of being the Goliath to being the David.”

FDU head coach Stephanie Gaitley said her team is relishing its underdog role vs. No. 2 seed Iowa. Getty Images

This is the second consecutive season FDU is headed to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Knights, then a 15 seed, were blown out by second-seeded TCU in the Round of 64.

Rennington remembered being “shell-shocked” last year. FDU was just happy to be included in the NCAA Tournament.

The excitement is still there this time around, but there’s also an eagerness to surprise some people.

Iowa enters March Madness coming off a 51-point loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament’s championship game.

The Hawkeyes’ size could be a problem for FDU.

Iowa boasts a dominant frontcourt, anchored by sophomore center Ava Heiden (17.4 points and 7.3 rebounds) and senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4 points and 8.5 rebounds). They’re surrounded by steady shooters, including Chazadi Wright, who’s converting on 45.2 percent of attempts from deep.

But FDU is scrappy, confident and playing freely — a dangerous combination in March.

“We want to show them how good we are,” Rennington said. “A lot of people obviously are going to see us as an underdog, as a 15 seed, and I prefer that perspective than a Goliath because they’re not expecting you to come out. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re a good team,’ but, like, as an underdog, you can come out and shock a lot of people by coming out and playing Iowa really well.”

“Our kids, they’re fighters,” Gaitley said. “I don’t think these kids are afraid at all. I think they’re just excited about the opportunity.”