Iowa Remains Single-Digit Seed in Penultimate Bracketology

The Iowa Hawkeyes could still fall to a double-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Feb 28, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum looks on from the bench during the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

While the Iowa Hawkeyes' quest to win the B1G Championship came to an end against Ohio State, Ben McCollum's squad is still projected to go dancing.

It's been a few years since the NCAA Tournament has involved the Iowa Hawkeyes, but that should change this year.

According to the late-night bracketology update on March 13, Iowa remains a No. 9 seed.

This is a team that has been bouncing around between No. 8 and No. 9 quite a bit, though those two are completely interchangeable. That said, things could get interesting and actually work in their favor if they fall to No. 10.

Iowa Projected to be No. 9 Seed in West Region

Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes center Christoph Tilly (13) defends Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Quite a few conferences, including the B1G, still have championship games on Selection Sunday. Iowa is obviously not going to be part of that as they'll watch from home to see what seed they'll be come March Madness.

There's little to no chance they're left out of the tournament, seeing as they have a 94% chance to earn an at-large bid. Their win over Nebraska certainly helped, but limping into the tournament having won just three of their last 10 does them no favors.

Should Joe Lunardi's Bracketology come true, No. 8-seed Utah State would be Iowa's first-round opponent. Iowa blew their chances of earning a higher seed when they fell to the Buckeyes, so their reward for taking down the Aggies would be a date with No. 1 Arizona.

A Closer Look at the West Region

Mar 13, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'orso (3) reacts after a play during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

No. 16 Howard is the Wildcats' projected first-round opponent. Crazier things have happened, but it would take a miracle for the 21-10 Bison to knock off Arizona.

The No. 2 seed in this region is Michigan State. One would have to go all the way back to Dec. 2 when McCollum was humbled by the Spartans, 71-52. Iowa was nowhere near ready to play against the nation's No. 7-ranked team in a game that marked Iowa's first loss of the year after a 7-0 start.

Having a familiar conference foe in the tournament is always nice, but facing MSU would require Iowa to make it to the Elite Eight. With how the bracket is looking, that's going to be a lot easier said than done.

Other top seeds in the region include No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 4 Virginia, No. 5 Tennessee and No. 6 BYU. The only update Lunardi had in this region was moving Clemson up to the No. 7 seed.

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