NCAA Tournament March Madness

#22 Iowa

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Projected seed: 5

Iowa’s resume is anchored by convincing nonconference and neutral-site victories, including comfortable wins over Xavier, Maryland and a pair of neutral wins against Mississippi and Grand Canyon that highlight an offense capable of taking over games, but that promise is tempered by a lopsided road loss at Michigan State that underlines defensive lapses away from home. The remaining slate offers clear paths to solidify or erode this standing with marquee tests at Purdue, at Oregon and at Washington along with home dates against UCLA and Michigan that would validate their best performances on a bigger stage. Wins in hostile arenas would erase the stigma of the Michigan State defeat and prove the team can grind out results in the league, while any more bad road showings would make their high-scoring résumé look brittle. In short, the season so far gives the committee plenty to like about the offense and neutral-site toughness, but the final impression will hinge on how Iowa responds in true road environments against recognized opponents.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/4Robert Morris178W101-69
11/7W Illinois353W77-58
11/14Xavier83W81-62
11/18SE Missouri St228W99-70
11/20Chicago St358W93-54
11/25(N)Mississippi50W74-69
11/26(N)Grand Canyon102W59-46
12/2@Michigan St12L71-52
12/6Maryland96W83-64
12/11@Iowa St215%
12/14W Michigan24298%
12/20(N)Bucknell30298%
12/29MA Lowell31299%
1/3UCLA3166%
1/6@Minnesota11577%
1/11Illinois946%
1/14@Purdue520%
1/17@Indiana2139%
1/20Rutgers13593%
1/28USC3568%
2/1@Oregon9170%
2/4@Washington4854%
2/8Northwestern6179%
2/11@Maryland9672%
2/14Purdue540%
2/17Nebraska2764%
2/22@Wisconsin3848%
2/25Ohio St3668%
2/28@Penn St11076%
3/5Michigan125%
3/8@Nebraska2741%