Iowa Can Earn Double-Bye With Win Over Illinois

Looking at the landscape of the B1G, the Iowa Hawkeyes have a clear path to a double-bye in the conference tournament.

No. 8 Michigan just picked up a huge overtime win over No. 13 Ohio State, 88-86. That pushed the Wolverines to 14-3 in conference play but Iowa has a chance to match that with their upcoming showdown against a 9-7 Illinois squad.

Iowa losing isn't the end of the world, though it would make things a bit more complicated with only one game remaining. Obviously, the goal is simple: win and secure the double-bye.

Only four teams receive a double-bye in the tournament and No. 2 UCLA clinched their spot in that quartet a few games ago. Iowa, currently 13-3, it a pair of games ahead of Minnesota and Ohio State who are both 12-5 with just one game remaining.

Iowa Looks to Avoid Crazy Tiebreaker

Out of the five teams that are competing for the double-bye, Iowa is the only one with two games remaining. Neither Illinois nor Wisconsin are the toughest of opponents, but anything can happen in this conference, as seen with Penn State just taking down USC.

Iowa HC Jan Jense — Iowa head coach Jan Jensen reacts during a basketball game against the Oregon Ducks Jan. 15, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa, should they drop their remaining two games and both Minnesota and Ohio State win their last, would put each team at 13-5. The B1G would then have to go to their tiebreakers to determine which two teams get a double-bye and which is stuck with the No. 5 seed and would have to play an extra game.

Focusing on that trio: Iowa beat Ohio State and Minnesota beat both the Hawkeyes and OSU. Minnesota is the clear favorite, and one could only assume the Hawkeyes 21 point victory over the Buckeyes would be enough to get them the second bye.

Iowa Must Take Care of Business

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Iowa's path to a double-bye relies on themselves which is the best possible outcome. The Hawkeyes don't need anyone to lose, they just need to win one of their last two. Seeing as they just took down a Michigan team that was ranked No. 6, neither Illinois nor Wisconsin should be that much of an issue.

Trap games happen, so it's up to Iowa not to let either the Fighting Illini or Badgers get the best of them. If Iowa truly wants to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they need to win these last two and likely win a pair of games in the B1G tournament. The latest Bracketology saw them as a No. 2, but there's still quite a few things that can happen up until the seeding is final.

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