Iowa Inching Closer to Double-Bye in B1G Tournament

In the B1G women's basketball tournament, the Top 4 teams in the conference all receive a double bye.

Currently, the Iowa Hawkeyes are No. 3 in the conference. Only No. 2 UCLA and No. 6 Michigan are ahead of them, but that could soon change on February 22.

Knowing Iowa hosts Michigan, the Hawkeyes have a chance to leapfrog the Wolverines in the conference standings.

UCLA is 16-0 and at this point has all but clinched the No. 1 seed. Michigan currently sits at 13-2 while Iowa is 12-3. It's easy to see how interesting things could get with a Hawkeyes victory over Michigan, but most importantly, they have to keep an eye on Minnesota and Ohio State.

Iowa Can't Finish Worse Than 2-1

Big Ten WBB Tournament Scenarios: Evaluating the Hawkeyes Potential Outcomes

The Hawkeyes have nearly locked up a double bye, but there's still much to discuss.

Where Iowa sits and what the projections are calling for with 3 games left to play.

MORE📊: https://t.co/7yYdqifHkA pic.twitter.com/w8m86iQMDq
— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) February 20, 2026

The Hawkeyes 91-85 loss to Minnesota back on February 5 really hurt their chances of earning the No. 2 seed in the B1G tournament. Regardless, being No. 3 is still good enough for a double-bye, as is No. 4.

Minnesota is currently fourth with their 12-4 conference record. If Iowa slips up more than once, things aren't looking too good for their chances as Ohio State is 11-4.

Obviously, Iowa could finish worse than 2-1 and still earn a double bye with some help from those two teams. That's not likely though, and isn't something they should bank on. Knowing Iowa is set to face Illinois (8-7) and Wisconsin (5-11), it's not like they should have much to worry about.

B1G Tournament Projections

Iowa C Ava Heide — Iowa center Ava Heiden (5) talks to Iowa head coach Jan Jensen as she comes off the court during a 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

Kyle Heusmann released the projected B1G standings, as of February 20, which sees Iowa finishing fourth place at 14-4. They ended up with the same record as Minnesota, though obviously the head-to-head played a huge factor.

A win over Michigan would be great, but it's not the end of the world if the Hawkeyes slip up against one of the top teams in the nation. Ending the year on a six-game winning streak sounds terrific, though everyone knows that's much easier said than done, especially now that Hannah Stuelke's status is up in the air.

With just three games remaining, it's hard to see this Hawkeyes team slipping up more than once. While it's not ideal having to end their season in Madison, they'll be playing a Badgers team that is projected to be the last team in the B1G tournament. Iowa's final two games are, on paper, easy victories, it's just a matter of playing the full 40 minutes and earning the double-bye themselves.

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