There have been plenty of historic moments for Iowa women’s basketball this season. Sunday’s announcement can be added to the list.
Atop of Regional 2 in Albany, the Hawkeyes received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992. The other No. 1 seeds include undefeated South Carolina, Pac-12 Champion Southern California, and Big 12 Champion Texas.
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The Hawkeyes made it to the national title game last season but don’t forget the heartbreak they felt when they were upset by Creighton in the second round in 2022. Iowa will try and avoid an early exit in arguably the toughest region of the tournament.
“I think coach [Lisa] Bluder deserves this more than anybody, like, she’s been doing this for a while,” guard Caitlin Clark said about earning a No. 1 seed. “She’s had some really great teams and, you know, no matter what, you’re just lucky to get in the tournament. And once you’re in, you’re in, and it doesn’t really matter what your seeding is. You can’t be worried too much about what number a team has next to their name.”
Fresh off their third straight Big Ten Tournament title, the Hawkeyes and their five seniors will play at least one more home game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Four of the six 16-seeds will play “First Four” games. Since Iowa is the No. 2 seed overall, a “First Four” game will be played in Iowa City on Thursday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. The winner of No. 16 Holy Cross and No. 16 UT Martin will advance to face the Hawkeyes in the first round on Saturday at 2 p.m., which will be televised on ABC. Bluder said the only downside to not knowing their first-round opponent is the lack of scouting time and making sure the coaching staff doesn’t focus too much on one team.
The other first-round game in Iowa City features No. 8 West Virginia and No. 9 Princeton at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN2. If Iowa wins in the first round, it will play the winner of West Virginia and Princeton on Monday for a berth in the Sweet 16.
Clark said she hasn’t watched Princeton or West Virginia play this season, but she is familiar with Princeton head coach Carla Berube’s coaching philosophy. Berube was Clark’s coach when the point guard played on the U16 national team. Clark added she doesn’t want to look that far ahead and is focused on treating each game like her last in an Iowa uniform.
The No. 2 seed in Iowa’s bracket is UCLA, who finished the season third in the Pac-12 with a 25-6 overall record. The No. 4 seed is Kansas State. The Hawkeyes faced the Wildcats twice in the regular season, losing the first contest, 65-58, but winning the second, 77-70. The No. 5 seed is Colorado, whom Iowa beat, 87-77, in last year’s Sweet 16. Lousiville, the No. 6 seed, is also a familiar foe. The Hawkeyes defeated Hailey Van Lith and the Cardinals in the Elite Eight last season.
Bluder said she was surprised Kansas State was on Iowa’s side of the bracket because the two squads have already met twice this season. Clark said the familiarity of teams can help the Hawkeyes when scouting, but it doesn’t matter much.
For the Hawkeyes to return to the Final Four for the second straight season, they will potentially have to beat No. 3 LSU, the reigning national champions, in the Elite Eight. LSU defeated Iowa in last year’s title game, 102-85.
If Iowa were to make the Final Four in Cleveland, Ohio, the national semifinal matchup would be against the team that prevails from the Portland 3 Regional, which includes No. 1 USC, No. 2 Ohio State, and No. 3 UConn. A matchup against South Carolina would not be possible until the finals.
Regional 2 in Albany
No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 16 Holy Cross/ UT Martin
No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 15 California Baptist
No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 Rice
No. 4 Kansas State vs. No. 13 Portland
No. 5 Colorado vs. No. 12 Drake
No. 6 Louisville vs. No. 11 Middle Tennessee
No. 7 Creighton vs. No. 10 University of Nevada, Las Vegas
No. 8 West Virginia vs. No. 9 Princeton