The Hawkeyes, led by sixth-year head coach Lisa Bluder, played their home games at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena and were members of the Big Ten Conference.

Iowa lost to Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the 2006 Big Ten Conference women's basketball tournament.

Iowa received an at-large bid to the 2006 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament where they were defeated by BYU, 67–62, in the opening round.

This season marked Iowa's fourth NCAA tournament appearance under Coach Bluder.

Senior Crystal Smith established Iowa's single-game high in points with 46 against Louisiana Tech on November 22, 2005 (now 4th on the all-time list as of the end of the 2023–24 season).