Iowa's potential path to the NCAA Tournament got a whole lot easier this week.
The NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball committees voted to expand the NCAA Tournament field from 68 to 76, the first time the field has been adjusted since 2011 (from 65 to 68 teams).
While this is great news for the Hawkeyes, it was not great news for fans, as the expansion has been heavily criticized since it was first reported at the beginning of April.
Now with expansion officially happening, the Hawkeyes will be a staple in the postseason for the foreseeable future with Ben McCollum locked up for at least the next six years.
With the right guy in place and an expanded field, one prediction has the Hawkeyes locked into a spot in the newly expanded 2027 NCAA Tournament.
Andy Katz likes Iowa to make it back to the Big Dance for the second straight year
Iowa has a good young core, and added multiple important pieces to the roster for next season.
Ethan Harris (2026 recruiting class), Jaidyn Coon (2026 recruiting class), Ty'Reek Coleman (transfer), and Andrew McKeever (transfer) were all added to the roster, and Big Ten Network's Andy Katz likes Iowa's chances to return to the postseason.
🚨 FIRST 76-TEAM BRACKET PREDICTION 🚨@TheAndyKatz makes his first bracket prediction for the 2027 tournament, complete with matchup projections for the new Opening Round 🔮 pic.twitter.com/hNeK8q7QDe
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) May 8, 2026
In his first official prediction for the 2027 NCAA Tournament and the beginning of a new era for the Big Dance, Katz has projected Iowa to earn an eight seed.
As an eight seed, the Hawkeyes would face nine-seed Auburn in the first round of the East bracket in New York.
The Duke Blue Devils would be the one-seed in the bracket, and if Iowa made it out of the first round, they would face them in the next round.
Katz's field of 76 has some interesting names on it, including Santa Clara, Liberty, Marshall, and Navy, but with an expanded field, Iowa is still thoroughly in.
Katz has never been Iowa's biggest fan, and with a more well-rounded roster, the Hawkeyes have a good chance to be a higher seed, but making the tournament in two consecutive years would be a solid achievement for Ben McCollum to add to his resume.
The Hawkeyes have all the tools to make another deep NCAA Tournament run
The watered-down field will definitely help the Hawkeyes moving forward, especially with more games potentially leading to more upset opportunities.
However, the Hawkeyes won't be flying under the radar next season after all of the program's success in McCollum's first season, and they will have to perform that much better to move from a team that just makes it every year to an actual contender.
Iowa needs Tate Sage and Cooper Koch to take leaps in their second year with the program, and if they can fully trust Coleman with the keys to the offense and McKeever to be a force in the paint, don't be surprised if the Hawkeyes are right back in the Elite Eight.
It is still far too early to predict what the 2026-2027 season will bring, but the Hawkeyes have a well-balanced and young roster to make another push. If everything falls into place, Iowa will not only make the NCAA Tournament but will be an even scarier team than last season.
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