Signs of confidence are everywhere from Hannah Stuelke. Iowa needs that in the postseason.

IOWA CITY — The postgame assessment after Hannah Stuelke delivers one of her staggering stat lines usually reaches the same conclusion. Her head coach has said it. Her position coach has said it. Her Iowa women's basketball teammates certainly hammer it home any chance they get.

Let Caitlin Clark take this one:

"This is what Hannah's capable of every night," Clark said after Sunday's 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State. "I think it's just her confidence, believing in herself."

With each hard-earned bucket, free-throw swish and defensive stand Stuelke delivers to the delight of Hawkeyes fans everywhere, that crucial confidence is strengthening at the exact time it needs to for Iowa to give this memorable campaign an appropriate ending.

As the Hawkeyes dial in for the postseason grind — one that's guaranteed to include even more attention and dissection than an already emotional regular season — the experiences Iowa has endured should have those on the roster prepared who are carrying these March responsibilities for the first time.

That starts with Stuelke, now elevated from complementary to critical when the basketball tension intensifies.

"I think just having confidence in my abilities and in the team," Stuelke said, "and not stressing about anything."

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Sunday offered up more evidence of Stuelke's improvement, after she — and the entire team, really — rebounded emphatically against Ohio State and forward Cotie McMahon following a tough loss in Columbus on Jan. 21.

McMahon dominated with 33 points and 12 rebounds that day, relentlessly attacking the interior with a bevy of and-1s that sparked Ohio State's 100-92 comeback win in overtime. Stuelke finished the Jan. 21 game with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting before fouling out. A split of two free throws with Iowa down one at the end of regulation generated plenty of toxic dialogue on social media.

“(The loss at Ohio State) was a big motivator for all of us,” Stuelke said. “We've been thinking about it since it happened, and we just wanted to get them back.”

Sunday, nothing was the same.

Riding the Carver-Hawkeye Arena vibe that has been in Stuelke's corner all year, the sterling sophomore made sure there was no repeat effort against the Buckeyes.

Her 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting, to go with nine rebounds and a 5-for-8 showing at the line, is what the Hawkeyes will need most times moving forward. Her limiting of McMahon — who produced just 10 points on 5-for-11 from the field while getting to the charity stripe only twice — showcased the two-way dominance Stuelke can consistently deliver.

"I think it was really important to come out like that," Stuelke said. "My teammates are really good at getting me the ball. And drawing fouls I think is really fun. That was a lot of fun. It is a tough day for me. I'm a really emotional person. It was great for me to come out and play like that.

"I think it's great going up against people who are at the top of league. It's making me better. It's making them better, and I think that's what we all want out of basketball."

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Additional signs of confidence came well beyond the box score.

It's the emphatic fist pump and yell while hopping down the court after Stuelke and Kate Martin pulled off a perfect long-range inbounds play to end the first half (the shot didn't count but still created momentum). It's the and-1 gesture full of sweat and swagger following another tough, noise-inducing basket that put Ohio State away late. It's Stuelke's wide smile and bubbly personality that continue to shine through more and more each time in front of the postgame mic.

Clark is the obvious ring leader of rowdy, but the Hawkeyes are at their best when her passion and fervor permeate the entire Iowa roster. That's a reason why every building the Hawkeyes venture into is full of black-and-gold support.

"Our energy was contagious," Clark said. "I thought Hannan Stuelke was really, really good.

"... I thought Hannah came up with a lot of big offensive rebounds, especially in the second half. It kind of would get stuck around 10, and Hannah would come up with a big one here and there. I thought she was aggressive, pump-faked a little more, got them in a little more foul trouble. I thought she made some big free throws. ... She played really, really well and that's obviously going to be important going down the stretch."

The postseason stretch run officially begins on Friday at the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, where the No. 2 seed Hawkeyes (26-4, 15-3 Big Ten Conference) will face the Penn State-Wisconsin winner at 5:30 p.m. inside a raucous Target Center.

Considering she went for a career-high 47 against the Lady Lions on Feb. 8 and 21 at Wisconsin on Dec. 10, Stuelke should be salivating at either matchup, That should get her off on the right postseason foot with tougher matchups up ahead.

The Hawkeyes know how much more Stuelke can unlock in the weeks to come. The hope is their declarations of every-game domination become reality at the season's most pivotal point.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.