Iowa isn’t done building its finalized roster for the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season. But, ESPN has seen enough from first-year head coach Ben McCollum and the Hawkeyes’ current additions to the roster to place Iowa within its initial bracketology.
Iowa returns forward Cooper Koch and added Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu, Kansas State transfer Brendan Hausen and Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras.
Stirtz was honored as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game on 49.8% field goal shooting and 39.5% 3-point shooting. Folgueiras was the Horizon League Player of the Year after posting averages of 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on 54.8% field goal shooting and 41.3% from beyond the arc.
Here’s a look at ESPN’s initial bracketology projection for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa basketball initial ESPN bracketology projection
Seed: No. 9 in the West
Opponent: No. 8 Vanderbilt
Iowa earns the No. 9 seed in the West Region and is slated to face No. 8 seed Vanderbilt. First- and second-round games would be played in Oklahoma City from inside the Paycom Center with the regional semifinals and regional final taking place in San Jose.
Full West region
No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Southeast Missouri State
No. 8 Vanderbilt vs. No. 9 Iowa
No. 5 Arkansas vs. No. 12 Yale
No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Charleston
No. 6 Gonzaga vs. No. 11 VCU
No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 14 McNeese
No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Miami
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Youngstown State
No. 1 seeds
No. 1 seeds: Purdue, St. John’s, Houston, Duke
Conference bids breakdown
SEC: 13
Big Ten: 12
Big 12: 8
ACC: 5
Big East: 4
Big Ten teams in the field of 68
No. 1 Purdue (top overall seed)
No. 2 Michigan
No. 4 UCLA
No. 4 USC
No. 4 Michigan State
No. 5 Ohio State
No. 6 Wisconsin
No. 7 Illinois
No. 8 Oregon
No. 9 Iowa
No. 10 Maryland
No. 10 Indiana
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