How To Watch Clemson Basketball's NCAA Tournament Opener Vs. Iowa

It’s been everybody, all the time, for the Clemson men’s basketball team throughout the 2025-26 season, and that will be the case again in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers’ quest in the Big Dance begins on Friday night in Tampa, Florida, facing the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the tournament. Clemson will look to open its third consecutive season in the field of 68 with a win following a strong showing in the ACC Tournament.

For head coach Brad Brownell, it’s been different from seasons past due to the turnover that he saw from last season’s team to this one. That turnover saw only one player, Dillon Hunter, return, who played minutes for the Tigers last season. That hasn’t changed the results that he’s seen over the last 34 games.

“Just like every season is different, your team is different,” Brownell said on Thursday. “Your opponent is different. So there's a different set of issues you're trying to deal with. Certainly, the experience of having some guys that have played in this tournament is important, can be helpful. But each year I think is different and presents its own unique challenge.”

Hunter was a part of that Elite Eight run in 2024 that saw the Tigers’ best finish since the Big Dance in 1980. His teammate, RJ Godfrey, went from Georgia back to Clemson, then boomeranged back onto the NCAA Tournament team.

Having that foundation will be crucial for the other players to lean on, with most players having their first experience in the tournament this week.

“There was going to be a lot on their plate to help me mesh this new group of guys that we were bringing in, was a bigger group than normal,” Brownell said. “And they've done an incredible job of being leaders, mentors, and then obviously good players on a team that's had a lot of success this year.”

Now, the Tigers will look to buy into that success once again, and it begins against an Iowa team who will look to do the same under first-year head coach Ben McCollum.

No. 8 Clemson Tigers [24-10, 12-6 ACC] vs. No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes [21-12, 10-10 Big Ten]: What You Need to Know

Where: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, Florida

When: Friday, March 20, 6:50 p.m.

Watch: TNT

Play-by-Play: Tom McCarthy
Analysts: Candace Parker and Dan Bonner
Reporter: AJ Ross

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network

Play-by-Play: Don Munson
Analyst: Tim Bourret

Winner: The team that wins on Friday night will play the winner of No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M, who will play after tonight's contest. Start time and TV designation will be announced at a later time.

Series History: Iowa leads the all-time series 3-1 over the Tigers in both programs’ history. That includes the last time out, when the Hawkeyes defeated Clemson 74-71 in the Emerald Coast Classic semifinal on Nov. 25, 2022.

Clemson Tigers NCAA Tournament History: Clemson will play in its 16th NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday night, being 14-15 in the Big Dance. This is the first time under head coach Brad Brownell that the Tigers will be dancing in three consecutive seasons. The first season that Brownell made it during this stretch, of course, was the Elite Eight run that saw the Tigers with their best finish since the 1980 season.

Clemson is 3-2 during this NCAA Tournament run over the last three seasons.