Predicting Iowa WBB Full NCAA Tournament Path: Return to Final Four Likely

The Iowa Hawkeyes stellar 26-6 overall record guided them to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa has seen plenty of success in March Madness, though a National Championship continues to elude them.

Many thought this program would never be the same after Caitlin Clark's departure, but second-year head coach Jan Jensen has proven the doubters wrong.

Iowa controls their destiny as they have a chance to host two more games before things get serious in the Sweet 16.

Iowa Should Cruise to Victory in First Two Games

March in CHA 🔥

We're officially a host site for the NCAA First & Second Rounds.

A limited number of tickets will go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. (CT) on Monday! pic.twitter.com/5NZpv3qdr7
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 14, 2026

While Fairleigh Dickinson's 30-4 overall record doesn't look like something a team wants to match up against, the Knights haven't exactly done too well against quality opponents.

FDU started their year with a 19-point loss to Purdue and followed it up by allowing 98 points against Notre Dame. A few games later, they lost by 10 points to an abysmal Rutgers team, which tells the Hawkeyes everything they need to know.

Mar 8, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kylie Feuerbach (4) goes to the basket against the UCLA Bruins during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

No. 15 FDU isn't too scary, and neither is No. 7 Georgia or the winner of the play-in game, No. 10 Virginia or Arizona State.

Iowa getting to play these games at Carver is a huge advantage, and it's hard to believe any of those four teams have a shot at cutting the Hawkeyes tournament run short in the first or second round.

TCU Showdown Would Be Incredible

Hearing our name called never gets old 🤩 pic.twitter.com/yPTsMNLZUO
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 16, 2026

The bottom of Region 4 - Sacramento sees TCU as the No. 3 seed. The Horned Frogs are 29-5 but failed to win the Big 12 Championship. They're in a similar spot that Iowa is, which would make for an incredible Sweet 16 showdown.

TCU, prior to losing to West Virginia, had won eight straight games. Only three of those eight wins came against a ranked opponent, and they beat Baylor twice in that span. Remember, Iowa took down Baylor in Florida at the start of the year.

Hawkeyes Biggest Challenge: South Carolina

The (1) seed who will play at Region 4 in Sacramento is South Carolina.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/do4Hbp78rM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 16, 2026

To no surprise, the No. 1 seed in the region would be Iowa's biggest challenge. Time and time again, the best teams in women's basketball end up playing each other in the Elite Eight, and that's something Iowa is looking to have happen here in 2026.

The Gamecocks are 31-3 overall. They have the most wins in the region, though they only have one more than FDU, which is an interesting thing to note.

Regardless, Iowa avoided UConn and UCLA, which is all that matters. Texas and South Carolina are interchangeable, but the Gamecocks are going to do everything in their power to make sure the No. 1 seed out of the region advances to the Final Four over Iowa.

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