March Madness is here and the Iowa Hawkeyes have been in the middle of one of March's most intense storylines. Winning four of their last five with the only loss coming to No. 2 Purdue, the Hawkeyes have put the NCAA Tournament selection committee on notice.
The Hawkeyes are fighting for a chance to enter the field of 64 with a strong race to the finish line, so Selection Sunday will be a monumental moment for the program as the 2023-24 season comes to a close.
Under head coach Fran McCaffery, the Hawkeyes have gone to four straight NCAA Tournaments, and it would have been five had the 2020 tournament not been canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It would be heartbreaking if Iowa falls short after such a heroic effort down the stretch.
The Hawkeyes and their fans will be huddled around televisions nationwide to see if Iowa will make the Big Dance, and, if so, where they are seeded. This year, Selection Sunday will air on CBS at 5 p.m. CST Sunday, March 17. Should the Hawkeyes make the tournament, they'll be off to prepare for an uphill battle.
The NCAA Tournament will last from March 19 through April 7, culminating at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio at 2 p.m. CST on ABC. The First Four will narrow the field down to 64 on March 19 and 20 with the first round quickly following from March 21-24.
The Big Ten will be lightly represented. As of this writing, only Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin are locked for the tournament. Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska have resumes that should have them included while Iowa has the most work to do to convince the committee they deserve a seed in the bracket.
If Iowa misses out, it will be the first time since 2018 and just the fifth time overall under McCaffrey since he took over as head coach in 2010.
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