Vanderbilt Opens Door For Iowa to Become No. 1 Seed

A shocking loss in the SEC quarterfinals has opened the door for the Iowa Hawkeyes to become a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Obviously, Iowa isn't in the SEC. The latest Bracketology projections revealed that Vanderbilt, which was the No. 5 team in the nation, had a chance to lock up the No. 1 seed with a win over No. 4 Texas in the semi-finals.

Somehow, the Commodores ended up falling to No. 24 Ole Miss, 89-78. Iowa just advanced to the B1G semi-finals as they're set to do battle with Michigan, a team they beat not so long ago.

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen celebrates Friday, March 6, 2026, during a Big Ten women's basketball tournament game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The goal has always been to win the B1G Championship, but now a win over No. 2 UCLA would mean more than ever. Bracketology believes there are four teams in the mix to grab the last No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but it's up to Iowa to make that happen.

Iowa Needs Some Help to Earn No. 1 Seed

OLE MISS UPSETS VANDY 😱

No. 17 Ole Miss hands No. 5 Vanderbilt their second loss of the season.#NCAAWBB x @OleMissWBB pic.twitter.com/Yz6VJzK2Z4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) January 30, 2026

Ole Miss beat Vandy, so who's to say they can't knock off Texas as well? Iowa obviously isn't banking on the Rebels to win the SEC Championship, but if they do and Iowa is able to defeat what everyone believes to be UCLA in the B1G Championship, there's an easy case to be made to give Iowa that final No. 1 seed.

Currently, UConn is locked into the overall No. 1 seed. UCLA, which has been No. 2 all year long, is a lock to receive the second No. 1 seed. The third will likely go to South Carolina, while many have predicted that LSU earns the final No. 1 seed.

At this point, there's still a lot up in the air. Conference tournament time is just the beginning of what is always a wild month of March. Iowa can only focus on itself, but it's hard not to take a step back and wonder if getting the No. 1 seed is truly possible.

Iowa Has No Shot If They Don't Win The B1G Championship

Semifinal Saturday 😤 pic.twitter.com/YquwwJfvq8
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 7, 2026

Iowa's quest to the No. 1 seed starts with winning the B1G Championship, something that is much easier said than done. UCLA is about to do battle with Ohio State in a game where the Hawkeyes would love to see the Buckeyes come out on top.

That game takes place prior to Iowa vs. Michigan, so the Hawkeyes will go into their semifinal matchup knowing who their potential opponent would be in the championship game. Iowa's win over Illinois in the first round should've secured them at least a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, though now they're rooting for chaos as the No. 1 seed isn't out of the question.

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