After climbing all the way up to a No. 6 seed and looking like there was a chance to keep ascending, the Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball team has seen a recent slide cost them some valuable wins and hurt their NCAA Tournament resume.
After two straight Big Ten losses to Minnesota and Illinois, the Hawkeyes have little chance to catch their breath with two big matchups on deck. Iowa makes consecutive road trips this week. The first is a trip to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, one of the top teams in the nation, followed by a trip to Indiana to take on a Hoosiers team fighting for tournament life.
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As the Big Ten season enters the thick of its gauntlet and the grind, check out ESPN’s latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology.
Iowa head coach Ben McCollum reacts during a game agianst the Illinois Fighting Illini Jan. 11, 2026 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Bracket
Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts after a three-point shot against Oklahoma State during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 10, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
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No. 1 Iowa State vs. No. 16 Prairie View / No. 16 UMES
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No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 NC State
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No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 12 Murray State
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No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 ETSU
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No. 6 Villanova vs. No. 11 Texas A&M / No. 11 Ohio State
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No. 3 BYU vs. No. 14 North Dakota State
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No. 7 SMU vs. No. 10 Kentucky
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No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Portland State
Top Seeds
Dusty May
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No. 1 seeds: Arizona, Michigan, Iowa State, UConn
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No. 2 seeds: Vanderbilt, Gonzaga, Duke, Purdue
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No. 3 seeds: BYU, Nebraska, Illinois, Houston
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No. 4 seeds: Texas Tech, Florida, Michigan State, Alabama
Bubble Watch
Jan 10, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Jack Janicki (5) celebrate after defeating the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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Last Four Byes: USC, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana
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Last Four In: Texas A&M, Ohio State, UCLA, New Mexico
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First Four Out: TCU, Creighton, LSU, Baylor
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Next Four Out: Oklahoma State, San Diego State, Stanford, Virginia Tech
Conference Breakdown
Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo, right, talks to a referee during the second half in the game against Northwestern on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball skid sets up Cy-Hawk rematch in new ESPN Bracketology
