Iowa Unsurprisingly Re-Enters Top 10 in Latest AP Poll

The Iowa Hawkeyes entered the week ranked No. 13 but a trio of wins left AP voters no choice but to put them back in the Top 10.

Iowa, at one point, was ranked No. 8. Sadly, their Top 10 ranking didn't last a week as they dropped three-straight in late January to early February.

Now, Iowa has their highest ranking since that point. Their wins over Nebraska and Purdue were impressive, but nothing holds a candle to what they did against No. 6 Michigan.

With just two games remaining, Iowa has little room for error. If they want to earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they'll have to beat both Illinois and Wisconsin and then impress in the B1G Tournament.

Iowa Jumps Four Spots to No. 9

Iowa G Callie Levi — Iowa guard Callie Levin (32) reacts during a basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines Feb. 22, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hawkeyes fans might be frustrated that Michigan is still ranked ahead of them, but the Wolverines falling two spots is still quite notable.

Either way, Iowa went from No. 13 to No. 9. Their four spot increase puts them in the same conversation as Oklahoma who went from No. 11 to No. 7. To no surprise, there was once again no movement with the Top 5 teams.

Iowa and Oklahoma saw the biggest jumps as each jumped four spots, a huge total this late in the season. The Hawkeyes 22-5 record keeps them in the upper echelon, though they're still a few wins shy of No. 6 LSU who has 24 wins. Each of the Top 5 teams have at least 25 wins with UConn leading the way at 29. Obviously, the most Iowa could finish with in the regular season is 24.

Two Games Remaining

Iowa Hawkeye — Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) hugs Iowa head coach Jan Jensen as she comes off the court at the end of the basketball game against the Michigan Wolverines Feb. 22, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's crazy to think but the 2025-26 regular season is coming to a close. Iowa has a few days to rest after their dominant win over the Wolverines, but they'll be welcoming Illinois on February 26.

The Michigan game may have been Senior Day, but Iowa's final home game is indeed against the Fighting Illini. Illinois sits at 19-8 (9-7) and has won three straight against Wisconsin, Rutgers and Northwestern.

Speaking of the Badgers, that'll be who Iowa faces in their regular season finale. The Hawkeyes head to Madison to take on a Badgers team that lost to Illinois by 32 points on February 11.

At one point Wisconsin was one of the scarier teams in the conference. They took down No. 20 Michigan State as well as No. 24 Nebraska, but since beating the Cornhuskers they've lost eight straight. That said, they'll enjoy a full week off before welcoming Iowa so that could be a huge advantage, along with Wisconsin getting to play on their home court.

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