How Iowa Can Secure No. 2 Seed in B1G Tournament

The Iowa Hawkeyes were looking for a bit of help from No. 14 Maryland to take down No. 8 Michigan, but now they control their own fate.

The Wolverines took down the Terrapins, 87-69, so the only way Iowa can lock-down the No. 2 seed in the B1G tournament is with a win over Wisconsin.

Iowa remains in the upper echelon of the conference though they know No. 2 UCLA has had the No. 1 seed locked up for quite some time.

Iowa's victory over Michigan on February 22 helped get them to this point, now it's just a matter of finishing the job.

Iowa Losing to Wisconsin Would Result in a No. 3 Seed

B1G time players making B1G time plays 👏@StuelkeHannah x @ava_heiden pic.twitter.com/qwqkcmAwTX
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 27, 2026

Keep in mind this seeding is for the conference tournament only, though Iowa is still on the bubble when it comes to being a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. A win over the Badgers won't push them into "lock category", though a loss would absolutely knock them down to a No. 3 seed.

For now, all eyes are on the Badgers. After this game, they can focus on the B1G tournament. Then, they can finally look ahead to March Madness where second year head coach Jan Jensen is eyeing far more than just a first round victory.

As it stands, UCLA is a perfect 17-0 in conference play. Michigan just increased their record to 15-3, a record Iowa would also hold should they get a win at Madison. Even though both teams have the same record, Iowa would secure the No. 2 seed as they beat the Wolverines by an astonishing 18 points exactly one week ago.

Iowa Eyes Sixth Straight Win

POV you're in the huddle 👀 pic.twitter.com/V1cWk6VZKi
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) February 27, 2026

One day removed from the men's program suffering an embarrasing loss to a two-win Penn State team, Iowa knows they need to take care of business. There's a lot more at stake than just the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, though that would certainly help as it gives them the best seeding matchups until a potential rematch with Michigan and then likely UCLA in the championship.

Wisconsin is nowhere near Iowa's level. The Hawkeyes have won five straight, something this Badgers team only did at the beginning of the year when they were facing mid-majors. The Badgers quickly learned just how competitive this conference is as they've dropped their last eight games. Iowa is not only looking to finish their season on a six-game winning streak, but they're looking to push Wisconsin's skid to nine.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!