March Madness is right around the corner, and Iowa picked up a much-needed Quad 1 win against Nebraska at home earlier in the week.
Before stifling the high-powered Cornhuskers' offense, Iowa was struggling on a two-game losing streak, dropping games to Maryland and Purdue.
The Maryland loss was a bad, unexpected one, and the Purdue loss was expected but not in the blowout it turned out to be.
After picking up a quality win against Nebraska, the Hawkeyes are now 3-5 in Quad 1 games and are projected to make the NCAA Tournament.
ESPN's latest bracketology update has Iowa as an eight-seed in the West Region
In Iowa's first year with Ben McCollum at the helm, the program has outdone expectations.
McCollum and his staff had little time to piece together a roster after moving to Iowa City from Des Moines, and expectations were tempered.
While McCollum and the squad would never admit it, after a poor 17-16 finish in 2025 and a completely rebuilt roster, they weren't expected to compete this season.
Iowa has already surpassed its win total from last season with 19 and has a pivotal rivalry matchup with Wisconsin on the horizon.
In their latest bracketology update, ESPN has projected Iowa as an eight-seed, playing nine-seed Saint Mary's in the first round of the West Region in San Diego.
Regardless of where you look, Iowa is firmly projected to make the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 2023.
All McCollum does is win, and even though there are still plenty of games to be played, he has proven he can turn a program around quickly.