Iowa Women's Beat Men's Basketball in Final Preseason Bracketology

The Iowa Hawkeyes continue to enter new eras for both men's and women's basketball. Men's head coach Ben McCollum is entering his first year with the team as women's head coach Jan Jensen enters her second. While Jensen has been with the women's team for quite some time, she's coming off her first year leading the charge.

McCollum was one-and-done at Drake last season, a team that he led to a victory in March Madness. After winning the MVC Regular Season and tournament championship, McCollum, the Iowa City, IA, native, took his talents to the Hawkeyes.

Iowa's men's team may not be ranked, but they're commonly mentioned as dark horses this season. The B1G is a gauntlet, but Iowa has a chance to do some damage in McCollum's first season as head coach. As for the women, they'll hope to make another deep run in the tournament. Expectations are already high as they enter the season No. 21.

Iowa's Women's Team Projected No. 6 Seed

Jensen's non-conference schedule is far from a cake-walk, but the B1G is easily one of the toughest conference in the nation. After the preseason AP Top 25 was revealed, Iowa quickly realized they would have to play five ranked teams. While plenty can change by the time conference games begin on December 28, Iowa is projected to play four ranked teams in a five-game span from January 18 to February 1.

Before they get to December 28, they'll be tasked with playing No. 16 Baylor, No. 14 Iowa State, and No. 1 UConn. Even if they fall short in all three of those games, they'll be crucial indicators of where they stand come March. Jensen would much rather have this team lose in late November-early December rather than be bounced early in the tournament.

In the final preseason Bracketology, Iowa lands a No. 6 seed in Sacramento's Region 4. They would play No. 11 South Florida in the first round, then await either No. 3 North Carolina or No. 14 Montana. The No. 1 seed in their region is Texas with LSU finding themselves at the bottom of the bracket with as No. 2.

Iowa's Men's Team Projected No. 10 Seed

Unlike the women's squad, McCollum only has a few games before B1G play begins. Iowa will play at No. 22 Michigan State on December 2, just six games into the season. His tenure as head coach begins with five straight home games against sub-par opponents.

Even if Iowa starts 5-0, they know just how hard this conference is to play in. MSU is one of seven projected teams they are scheduled to play. There's no guarantee that Iowa wins any of those games, but there's also a chance they exceed all expectations.

Interestingly, Iowa is listed with Cincinnati, Virginia, and Saint Mary's as teams on bubble watch. They are all in the "last four byes" category. While they'd rather be dominant in the regular season and not have to sneak their way into the tournament, McCollum knows a No. 10 seed is better than not appearing at all.

Iowa's No. 10 seed puts them in San Jose's West Region. They'd play No. 7 San Diego State in Greenville as they await either No. 2 Kentucky or No. 15 Little Rock. Iowa's region is far from an easy one as Duke is the projected No. 1 seed. It'd be a tall task for Iowa to reach the Elite Eight, but if they do, under this projection, they'd likely play the Blue Devils.

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