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Inside The Hawkeyes

How to Watch: Iowa vs. Clemson NCAA Tournament First Round Game

The No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes face No. 8 Clemson in the first round.
Jordon Lawrenz|
Feb 25, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum looks on during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum looks on during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa Hawkeyes fans had to wait an extra day as their team is set to kick off tournament action on March 20.

Obviously, Iowa wasn't in the First Four which took place on March 17 and 18, but they weren't among the opening day action on March 19. Either way, this has been a few years coming and is more than worth the wait.

No. 8 Clemson is Iowa's opponent, a solid Tigers team who will be without their second leading scorer, Carter Welling. Welling also leads the team in rebounds, so that's a big loss for a Tigers squad that made it all the way to the ACC Semifinals.

Regardless, Iowa vs. Clemson is one of the tightest matchups in the first round. These No. 8 vs. No. 9 games are always tough to predict, but just hours before tipoff ESPN Analytics still has it as nearly a 50/50 split. At the time of writing, Iowa is given a 49.5% chance to win.

How to Watch No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Clemson

Date: March 20

Time: 6:50 p.m. EST (approximate)

Where: Benchmark International Arena

How to Watch: TNT

The start time for Iowa vs. Clemson is approximate as it depends on the run-times of the games earlier in the day. Tampa is set to host a few other games on March 20 including No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron at 12:40 p.m. EST and No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra at 3:15 p.m. EST.

TNT will host the traditional television broadcast for the Hawkeyes first round game. For those who wish to watch via streaming, they can do so on HBO Max.

Calling the action in Tampa will be Tom McCarthy, Dan Bonner, and Candace Parker.

Where to Listen to Iowa vs. Clemson

Those local to the area can tune into the Hawkeye Radio Network as Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen break down all the action, beginning with a 60-minute pregame show.

The Hawkeye Radio Network consists of more than 40 stations that include listeners in portions of Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Not only will the game be on the Hawkeye Radio Network for local listeners, but it'll also be available nationwide on Sirius XM. Hawkeyes fans with a subscription can tune into Westwood One on Sirius 209/XM 202. The announcers for those games include John Sadak and Tom Crean.

Don't forget to bookmark Iowa Hawkeyes on SI for the latest news. exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and more!

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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