Iowa guard Taylor McCabe (2) and Iowa guard Callie Levin (32) walk off the court after defeating the Western Illinois Leathernecks Nov. 26, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iowa Receives Favorable March Madness Projection

Originally posted on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Dec 3, 2025 1:00 PM ET

If the Iowa Hawkeyes keep up at this pace, they're looking at the No. 4 seed in Iowa City. Being a regional host would not only be huge for the program, but would give head coach Jan Jensen a leg up on the competition.

Staying consistent and earning the four seed is going to be much easier said than done, but Iowa certainly has shown signs of greatness through their first eight games.

Even though they recently dropped from No. 11 to No. 12, it's not like some terrible loss saw them plummet in the rankings. They swapped places with North Carolina, a team who will have to prove themselves in this week against a stellar Texas team. Speaking of stellar, Iowa would certainly have their work cut out for them in Region 3.

Iowa Projected As No. 4 Seed In Region 3

NEW:

Iowa Women’s Basketball stays as a regional host and a 4 seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology update.

The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play on Saturday against Rutgers. pic.twitter.com/5ZD5BXlxF5
— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) December 2, 2025

The main takeaway from Iowa's ESPN Bracketology update is the fact that they could host a pair of games. Iowa knows how big of an advantage that would be, as an extra two home games could make or break their season.

Listed as the No. 4 seed currently, Iowa is projected to face No. 13 Cleveland State. Now that Feast Week is over, Bracketology got to see how a few of these teams really are. While it's still far too early to tell, Iowa's 8-0 start proves they're legit, at least for the moment.

Iowa could face either No. 5 Notre Dame or No. 12 Troy in the second round, which would also take place in Iowa City. Win or lose, Iowa City is set to host a few marquee games come March.

No. 1 South Carolina Sits at the top of the bracket. They're currently projected to play either Arkansas-Pine Bluff or SE Louisiana. From there, it's No. 8 Indiana or No. 9 Texas Tech that will look to play spoiler.

Iowa's Path To A Four Seed

Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Playing in the Big Ten is no joke, and that's something that is only going to reward Iowa come tournament time. As of December 2, they have nine ranked opponents ahead of them. In the midst of that is a five-game stretch from January 18 to February 1 where they only play ranked teams.

The B1G will make their mark on the tournament, but it's these early-season games that determine the seeding. As long as Iowa holds their ground and doesn't get bullied too much in the conference, they can absolutely live up to the hype and end up playing a pair of games in their backyard.

This article first appeared on Iowa Hawkeyes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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