On the heels of their 74-53 loss to Michigan Friday night, any further movement for Iowa as it relates to NCAA Tournament seeding is now out of their hands. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, the teams above them keep on winning, meaning any movement that does occur will likely be in a downward direction. Here’s where the experts stand as of today:
Joe Lunardi, ESPN: #8, East region vs. Ole Miss
Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: #7, South region vs. Temple
Howie Schwab, FOX Sports: #9, South region vs. Syracuse
Shelby Mast/USA Today: #8, East region vs. Baylor
Bleacher Report: #9, Midwest region vs. UCF
A little movement as far as regional placement and opponent, though Iowa seems pretty well locked into that 8/9 range. Palm continues to hold firm with the Hawkeyes as a seven, which could be a possibility given UCF’s blowout loss to Memphis in the AAC Tournament Friday. UCF is projected one spot ahead of Iowa on the eight line according to Bracket Matrix.
The problem is all four teams currently projected on the seven line—Iowa State, Cincinnati, Wofford and Louisville—don’t stand to lose any ground at this point, save for maybe Cincinnati, who plays Wichita State in the AAC semifinals Saturday. Even with a loss there, though, it’s hard to see the committee viewing Iowa’s tournament resumé as superior to that of the Bearcats.
Right now, in my opinion, the Hawkeyes project as a strong eight seed in a fairly weak tournament field. They should stay in that spot barring anything unforeseen happening—a Minnesota run to a Big Ten Tournament title, for example. On the eve of Selection Sunday, it’s wait-and-see time now for Iowa.
Top photo: David Banks/USA Today sports
