Iowa Eyes Deep NCAA Tournament Run Following Win vs. Florida

The Iowa men’s basketball team has won two games in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 27 years, but that’s not where it wants to stop.

No, the Hawkeyes have set their eyes on winning four more and claiming a national title. Several enticing and challenging matchups lie in wait should Iowa continue to come out on top, making the quest for the number one spot easier said than done.

First up on the docket is perhaps the most titillating matchup of all. The Nebraska Cornhuskers, one of Iowa’s fiercest rivals, are up next in the Sweet 16. Both teams will travel to Houston for the game, though it’s certain the arena will be full of Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers ready to show H-Town what the Midwest is all about.

IOWA STUNS FLORIDA WITH A LAST SECOND THREE 🤯

THIS TOURNAMENT 🤩

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Winning that battle of Big Ten titans is obviously Iowa’s top priority. In fact, it’s pointless for the team itself to focus on the path beyond the Cornhuskers. All it needs to do is concentrate on the task at hand: send Nebraska packing and move on to the Elite Eight.

For the rest of us, however, expositing what Iowa must do to make the Final Four, and perhaps even win a national title, is a boon of curiosity. What teams lie in wait ahead, ready to strike at the Hawkeyes’ heels? Is this dream of a championship even realistic? Let’s find out.

The Road Beyond Nebraska

Mar 8, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Combs (11) looks to pass against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Jamarques Lawrence (10) during overtime at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Let’s just assume, for argument’s sake, that Iowa beats Nebraska. Let the celebration in the streets of Iowa City continue! That would obviously be a fantastic achievement, but there would still be more work to be done for head coach Ben McCollum and his team to accomplish.

On the other side of the bracket are two behemoths of college basketball that would scare even the best teams in this tournament: Houston and Illinois. Both programs have enjoyed tremendous success over the past decade, with Houston coming very close to winning a national championship last season. Neither side would be easy for Iowa to defeat, especially Houston, which will have the luxury of playing in its home city throughout the next two rounds.

If the miracle of all miracles occurs and Iowa somehow wins two more games in the NCAA tournament, making it to the Final Four in the process, it would match up with one of four giants of the sport: Duke, UConn, Michigan State or St. John’s.

Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; St. John's Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino looks on in the first half against the Kansas Jayhawks during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Wow.

All four of those programs have deep histories tied to them in one way or another. Duke is, well, Duke. UConn has won two national titles in the last three seasons. Michigan State is coached by Tom Izzo, whose name is synonymous with March Madness. St. John’s has Rick Pitino, perhaps the most accomplished college basketball coach of his era, at the helm. It would be a herculean effort to win a game against any of those teams.

But let’s just assume Iowa somehow does it. It’s in the national title game against a squad like Arizona or Michigan. Could it win it all? Perhaps. The most likely answer is no. Of course, the most likely outcome of them all is that the Hawkeyes fall short along the way, perhaps even as early as the Sweet 16 versus Nebraska.

That brings us back to the more pressing issue at hand: Iowa must beat Nebraska. Before it can do all this dreaming of what could be in the future, there’s a game it has to win first. If the Hawkeyes can’t do that, the dreaming will be over and the preparing for the 2026-27 season will commence.

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