March 12 ESPN Bracketology (Final Edition): IOWA remains an 8 Seed (in Birmingham). Bracket Matrix has them as a 9 Seed

[Franisdaman]

Tim Krueger is a Bracketologist who covers Creighton sports. He is a member of 2023 Mock Selection Committee.

He projects #7 seed Iowa playing in Des Moines with a chance to advance to the Sweet 16 in Kansas City, where Xavier / Jack Nunge could be waiting.

 

[icwesthawk]

Like the Boise State matchup much better than Arkansas matchup

 

[Franisdaman]

Like the Boise State matchup much better than Arkansas matchup

agreed

and Arkansas' recruiting lately has been really incredible

 

[NI hawk]

agreed

and Arkansas' recruiting lately has been really incredible

Mussleman damn good coach. Surprised things have somewhat unraveled this year.

 

[arhawkeye]

Mussleman damn good coach. Surprised things have somewhat unraveled this year.

When you have two potential first round/lottery picks that are injured and not playing it makes a huge impact. They got a huge road W at Rupp last night so hopefully they are moving up and we can avoid them because the last thing I want living in NW AR is to deal with a bunch of nutty Razorback fans!

 

[Franisdaman]

This was yesterday (Feb 7) afternoon.

Lunardi had Iowa #23 overall. We're getting closer to that #5 seed that @BustingNarratives signed up for on Nov 22

Also, Lunardi needs a better editor; below, he has the B1G with 9 bids (8 is the correct number, of course).

 

[Franisdaman]

Mussleman damn good coach. Surprised things have somewhat unraveled this year.

When you have two potential first round/lottery picks that are injured and not playing it makes a huge impact. They got a huge road W at Rupp last night so hopefully they are moving up and we can avoid them because the last thing I want living in NW AR is to deal with a bunch of nutty Razorback fans!

Here's Arkansas' starting 5. Note that three of the 5 came in via the transfer portal. Maybe they have some chemistry issues? Interesting how the Mitchell twins started at Maryland. Their record right now is 17-7, 6-5, tied for 7th in the SEC.

Key contributor off the bench:

 

[Iafootballfan]

Here's Arkansas' starting 5. Note that three of the 5 came in via the transfer portal. Maybe they have some chemistry issues? Interesting how the Mitchell twins started at Maryland. Their record right now is 17-7, 6-5, tied for 7th in the SEC.

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Key contributor off the bench:

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Arkansas has a NBA lottery pick not playing due to knee injury.

 

[Max_Rebo]

When you have two potential first round/lottery picks that are injured and not playing it makes a huge impact. They got a huge road W at Rupp last night so hopefully they are moving up and we can avoid them because the last thing I want living in NW AR is to deal with a bunch of nutty Razorback fans!

As a Hawkeye living in NE AR, I concur with this sentiment.

 

[perryhawk]

Cheering hard for Penn State tonight! Beat the crap out of the badgers!!!!

 

[jerbob36]

5* off the bench! Must be nice.

Just looked at ticket prices at the Well for Session 1. Yikes. If Iowa, Kansas, or ISU end up there that place will fill up fast.

 

[ShonnDeereGreene]

For whatever reason, I would just much prefer a 6 seed over a 5 or 7.

And didn’t Oregon have a player that was injured for a good chunk of the year come back for the tournament when they beat our 2 seeds Hawks? Stay away from Arkansas for sure!!

 

[DTP2]

Maybe we want Arkansas since they were the team we beat last time we made sweet 16. 😁

 

[warriors dad]

I think penn State is toast. Very tough schedule down the stretch. Wisky might sneak in somehow but they need to make some noise in the BIG10 tourney. Michigan trying to get in the convo at least, also has a tough schedule.

 

[Mohawkeye]

I think penn State is toast. Very tough schedule down the stretch. Wisky might sneak in somehow but they need to make some noise in the BIG10 tourney. Michigan trying to get in the convo at least, also has a tough schedule.

Can’t believe Penn State won’t make it, their point guard was all world against us. I think they could do some damage in the NCAA. Wisconsin not making it would be too sweet.

 

[Franisdaman]

As of today, Feb 10, EIGHT B1G Teams are projected to make the Big Dance.

Iowa is projected as a 6 seed and would face #11 seed New Mexico/Kentucky with the winner facing #3 Baylor/#14 Furman in Orlando.

Wisconsin is the 2nd team OUT. Penn State has completely fallen off the bubble.


The 8 B1G Teams:

1 Purdue (TOP Overall Seed)
5 Indiana
6 IOWA
6 Rutgers @MrsScrew
6 Illinois
7 Maryland
8 Michigan State
9 Northwestern


Link to full bracket:

Men's Bracketology: How the Fighting Illini pulled off a surprise reboot

No one expected much from Illinois this year. But the Illini could have a shot at a No. 1 seed.

www.espn.com

99 brackets in Bracket Matrix currently have Iowa as the top #7 seed.

Link:

The Bracket Project's Bracket Matrix - 2025

 

[Franisdaman]

Dave Ommen is the founder of Bracketville. He has Iowa as a 5 seed, playing in Albany.

He has #5 Iowa vs #12 Liberty with the winner playing #4 UConn/#13 Utah Valley.

Link:

Dave’s Bracket

This is where you will find my bracket projections for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. At the time of publication, the bracket reflects an overview of where the NCAA landscape currently stands. Bra…

bracketville.wordpress.com

 

[warriors dad]

I would rather be a 6 seed than a 5. 5-12 matchups are usually bad news. Avoid the 1 seed for as long as possible!

 

[Franisdaman]

Mike DeCourcy writes for the Sporting News & is a B1G Studio Analyst.

How's Iowa vs Steve Alfraud sound? Note that we'll get a rematch with Purdue in the Elite 8!

 

[Hawkhoops3]

Mike DeCourcy writes for the Sporting News & is a B1G Studio Analyst.

How's Iowa vs Steve Alfraud sound? Note that we'll get a rematch with Purdue in the Elite 8!

If they increase the number of teams in the tourney as they say they might, we're gonna need a bigger edit...

 

[Franisdaman]

I think penn State is toast. Very tough schedule down the stretch. Wisky might sneak in somehow but they need to make some noise in the BIG10 tourney. Michigan trying to get in the convo at least, also has a tough schedule.

yeah, as of now, they're completely off the bubble

 

[Franisdaman]

Can’t believe Penn State won’t make it, their point guard was all world against us. I think they could do some damage in the NCAA. Wisconsin not making it would be too sweet.

PSU is 14-10, 5-8. They've got some work to do.

their remaining schedule:

at Maryland
vs Illinois
at Minny
at OSU
vs Rutgers
at N'western
vs Maryland

 

[warriors dad]

PSU is 14-10, 5-8. They've got some work to do.

their remaining schedule:

at Maryland
vs Illinois
at Minny
at OSU
vs Rutgers
at N'western
vs Maryland

Lots of quad1 games left but.....TOAST!!

 

[mro1978]

6 seed seems way too high for the "strength" of the big 10, Iowa's record, and the EIU loss but won't argue

 

[HawkHoops80]

6 seed seems way too high for the "strength" of the big 10, Iowa's record, and the EIU loss but won't argue

The Big Ten is still the 2nd ranked conference on KenPom. Honestly all of the conferences have been down this year outside of the Big 12 and the Mountain West (relative to expectations).

KenPom has it:
1. Big 12
2. Big 10
3. Big East
4. SEC
5. Pac 12
6. Mountain West
7. ACC

 

[Franisdaman]

Heading into today:

#6 seed per Lunardi (#24 overall)
#7 seed per Bracket Matrix (#26 overall)



Per Lunardi/ESPN:

 

[Franisdaman]

The Nerds (18-7, 9-5 B1G) are gonna be dancing. Can't wait to play them this week.

 

[jonesy5960]

Can’t believe Penn State won’t make it, their point guard was all world against us. I think they could do some damage in the NCAA. Wisconsin not making it would be too sweet.

Shocker. I wonder how many players have had their season best games against Iowa this year.

 

[warriors dad]

Shocker. I wonder how many players have had their season best games against Iowa this year.

This year? Every year! It seems someone is always getting there career high against us.

 

[jonesy5960]

This year? Every year! It seems someone is always getting there career high against us.

It's the pace and stellar defensive performances over the past 6 years or so.

 

[Franisdaman]

This year? Every year! It seems someone is always getting there career high against us.

It's the pace and stellar defensive performances over the past 6 years or so.

Iowa currently has the #142 defense & the #6 offense (out of 363 teams), per KenPom.

Last season we finished with the #80 defense in the country.

Many argued on here that our D would be better this year, especially with replacing JBo with Ulis. Guess not. Our D is dramatically worse.

 

[Bee93]

Iowa currently has the #142 defense & the #6 offense (out of 363 teams), per KenPom.

Last season we finished with the #80 defense in the country.

Many argued on here that our D would be better this year, especially with replacing JBo with Ulis. Guess not. Our D is dramatically worse.

The mistake was thinking the players make a difference in the team’s defensive performance.

 

[Franisdaman]

The mistake was thinking the players make a difference in the team’s defensive performance.

I thought we'd miss Keegan on the defensive side. He & Kris were really good when they were on the court together.

 

[markfromj]

This year? Every year! It seems someone is always getting there career high against us.

It only seems that way.

 

[Franisdaman]

Shelby Mast is the Bracketologist for USA Today. His projections are based on how he thinks the committee will make their selections, not how he would want to make them, if the season ended TODAY.

On his website he brags that he is one of the most accurate Bracketologists with 15+ years experience and a 98% accuracy rate since 2005.

Today, Feb 13th, he has #6 seed Iowa in the West Region playing #11 New Mexico/Memphis with the winner playing #3 Gonzaga/#14 UCSB (in Sacramento).


He has 9 B1G teams in as of this morning, Feb 13.

1 Purdue (#1 overall seed)
5 Indiana (#17 overall seed)
6 IOWA (#22 overall seed)
6 Illinois (#23 overall seed)
7 Northwestern (#27 overall seed)
8 Rutgers (#29 overall seed) @MrsScrew
9 Michigan State (#34 overall seed)
9 Maryland (#35 overall seed)
11 Wisconsin (LAST 4 IN) (#46 overall seed)


Link:

Shelby's Bracket WAG

www.bracketwag.com

 

[Mohawkeye]

Iowa currently has the #142 defense & the #6 offense (out of 363 teams), per KenPom.

Last season we finished with the #80 defense in the country.

Many argued on here that our D would be better this year, especially with replacing JBo with Ulis. Guess not. Our D is dramatically worse.

Yes, I was definitely one of those who thought losing Bohannon would improve our defense. I do think losing Keegan was a bigger deal than expected. He was our best defensive player and could guard anyone. Kris is almost as good but he cannot play as aggressively on defense as he did last year because he's the Man and we can't have him foul out.

I still struggle to see how we could sink 60 spots and win as much as we do. I think the pace of play must have something to do with it, but I don't understand the rankings enough to have more than a guess.

 

[perryhawk]

I still struggle to see how we could sink 60 spots and win as much as we do. I think the pace of play must have something to do with it, but I don't understand the rankings enough to have more than a guess.

100% agreement with this part…. I admit I am anything but an expert on defense but visually it certainly doesn’t appear that we’re WAY worse than last year…..points per possession maybe?

 

[Franisdaman]

Yes, I was definitely one of those who thought losing Bohannon would improve our defense. I do think losing Keegan was a bigger deal than expected. He was our best defensive player and could guard anyone. Kris is almost as good but he cannot play as aggressively on defense as he did last year because he's the Man and we can't have him foul out.

I still struggle to see how we could sink 60 spots and win as much as we do. I think the pace of play must have something to do with it, but I don't understand the rankings enough to have more than a guess.

100% agreement with this part…. I admit I am anything but an expert on defense but visually it certainly doesn’t appear that we’re WAY worse than last year…..points per possession maybe?

KenPom has been around for 20 years.

Here is how Iowa finished in Kenpom adjusted defense the past 5 years:

2019.....111
2020.....97
2021......75
2022.....80
2023....142 (as of today)

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Bishop1971]

Mussleman damn good coach. Surprised things have somewhat unraveled this year.

The Arkansas players are, for the most part, jagoffs. Posing, talking trash, and overrated. I would love to beat them but really hate to lose to them.