The men’s Iowa basketball team has their eyes set on the NCAA tournament this season. Sitting at 14-3, here’s what they will need to do to be selected.
It was just a week ago that Iowa basketball fans thought the sky was falling and this team was showing its true colors. After three straight wins (two of which were over teams ranked at the time), however, the Hawks are looking good. With the Iowa basketball team likely favored in their next two matchups (@ Penn State and vs Illinois), we could very well be looking at a 16-3 Iowa Hawkeyes team with just twelve games remaining.
If this doesn’t excite you, it darn well should.
After Fran McCaffery’s program has quietly watched the NCAA tournament from the sideline the last two years, they are in prime position to get to the NCAA tournament this year and potentially make a run. Coming into this season, Fran preached the essence of defense to his team and while there were some mixed results earlier in the season, the Hawks appear to be hitting their stride at the perfect time. The 63 and 62 points allowed to Northwestern and Ohio State, respectively, is the lowest scoring output by a Big Ten opponent against the Iowa basketball team since March of 2017 when the Hawks allowed just 57 points to Wisconsin.
Factor this in with Luka Garza, Isaiah Moss, and Joe Wieskamp all showing they can be “the guy” when called upon, and this team could be dangerous.
The question is though, what do they need to do to reach the tournament? What is the bare minimum?
Last season’s NCAA tournament featured one at-large team with just 18 wins (10th seeded Oklahoma) and two 19 win at-large teams (9th seeded Alabama and 10th seeded Texas). There were seven teams that had 20 wins, so let’s set the bar at 20 with the caveat that a Big Ten team with 18 or 19 wins likely has the best chance to make the tournament based on the general perceived strength of the conference.
With 14 wins already, the Iowa basketball team would need just six wins to reach the 20-win threshold. Looking at the schedule, they should be favored in at least seven and as many as nine of their remaining 14 games. These games are @ Penn State, vs Illinois, @ Minnesota, vs Northwestern, vs Rutgers, vs Maryland, vs Indiana, @Ohio State and @ Rutgers. If they can take just six of those nine games that puts them at that 20-win mark.
The only other thing Iowa would need is a nice, resume-boosting win such as a win over Michigan State or Michigan at home or even on the road vs Wisconsin.
Either way, with the Iowa basketball team getting three big wins the last week, their fortunes are looking up. According to ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi, the Hawks are in line (as of now) for an 8th seed in the South division, but keep in mind this was before the Hawks victory over Ohio State Saturday.
It sure does look like the Hawks will be dancing come March.