ESPN NCAA Tournament Bracketology sees Iowa basketball seeding slide

The Iowa Hawkeyes are still firmly in the field for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but the seed they could end up with still remains quite in flux. The Hawkeyes dropped one to Minnesota in a very winnable game that would have helped them avoid having to play as many high-leverage games as they will down the stretch.

Iowa is undoubtedly still good enough and productive enough to make a run in the Big Ten and flush the loss to Minnesota rather quickly, as the Big Ten regular season slate is a gauntlet for even the best teams in the conference.

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Still, the loss did impact Iowa’s current March Madness seeding. In ESPN’s latest bracketology update, the Hawkeyes slid down one seed line.

Jan 3, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; A general view at Carver-Hawkeye Arena before the game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the UCLA Bruins. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Bracket

Morez Johnson Jr. of the Michigan Wolverines is introduced before a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Merrimack / No. 16 UMES

No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 9 Saint Louis

No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 12 TCU / No. 12 Creighton

No. 4 Illinois vs. No. 13 UNC Wilmington

No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 LSU / No. 11 UCLA

No. 3 Houston vs. No. 14 Wright State

No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Miami

No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 Austin Peay

Top Seeds

UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley coaches in the first half of the NCAA basketball game against the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Dec. 31, 2025.

No. 2 seeds: Purdue, Duke, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt

No. 3 seeds: Nebraska, Michigan State, BYU, Houston

No. 4 seeds: Alabama, Texas Tech, Illinois, Arkansas

Bubble Watch

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope argues with an official during SEC college basketball Wednesday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky January 7, 2026. Pope would be ejected from the game in the second half.

Last Four Byes: Miami, Kentucky,…

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Publish date : 2026-01-09 18:45:00

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