The Hawkeyes heard their name called on Selection Sunday as a nine-seed in the South Region, taking on the eight-seed Clemson Tigers on Friday. The winner of that game will face the winner of the top-seeded Florida against either Lehigh or Prairie View A&M. After weeks of up-and-down play, Iowa lands in the 8/9 game that many people projected them at.
The 8/9 seed is always a tough draw but this year but it’s especially true for the Hawkeyes right now. In the first round, they’ll take on a Clemson team that finished fourth in the ACC and had some marquee wins over North Carolina, Louisville, and SMU this season. They’re a veteran team with a coach who’s been there before. And if Iowa finds a way past them in the first round, their reward will probably be a matchup with top-seeded Florida. The Gators are a bad matchup for the Hawkeyes, as they have a ton of size that Iowa can’t match in the post. A sweet 16 run seems like a stretch, given the matchups and Iowa’s play as of late.
