ESPN NCAA Tournament Bracketology sees Iowa basketball seeding slide

After dropping one to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Iowa Hawkeyes have seen a small slide in the latest ESPN NCAA Tournament bracketology update.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are still firmly in the field for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but the seed they could end up with still remains quite in flux. The Hawkeyes dropped one to Minnesota in a very winnable game that would have helped them avoid having to play as many high-leverage games as they will down the stretch.

Iowa is undoubtedly still good enough and productive enough to make a run in the Big Ten and flush the loss to Minnesota rather quickly, as the Big Ten regular season slate is a gauntlet for even the best teams in the conference.

Still, the loss did impact Iowa's current March Madness seeding. In ESPN's latest bracketology update, the Hawkeyes slid down one seed line.

Iowa Hawkeyes' seed

Jan 3, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; A general view at Carver-Hawkeye Arena before the game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the UCLA Bruins. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

  • Seed: No. 7 seed
  • Opponent: No. 10 Miami

Bracket

Morez Johnson Jr. of the Michigan Wolverines is introduced before a college basketball game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.

  • No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Merrimack / No. 16 UMES
  • No. 8 Seton Hall vs. No. 9 Saint Louis
  • No. 5 North Carolina vs. No. 12 TCU / No. 12 Creighton
  • No. 4 Illinois vs. No. 13 UNC Wilmington
  • No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 LSU / No. 11 UCLA
  • No. 3 Houston vs. No. 14 Wright State
  • No. 7 Iowa vs. No. 10 Miami
  • No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 Austin Peay

Top Seeds

UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley coaches in the first half of the NCAA basketball game against the Xavier Musketeers at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati on Dec. 31, 2025.

  • No. 1 seeds: UConn, Iowa State, Michigan, Arizona
  • No. 2 seeds: Purdue, Duke, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt
  • No. 3 seeds: Nebraska, Michigan State, BYU, Houston
  • No. 4 seeds: Alabama, Texas Tech, Illinois, Arkansas

Bubble Watch

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope argues with an official during SEC college basketball Wednesday night at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky January 7, 2026. Pope would be ejected from the game in the second half.

  • Last Four Byes: Miami, Kentucky, NC State, Ohio State
  • Last Four In: LSU, UCLA, TCU, Creighton
  • First Four Out: Baylor, Texas A&M, New Mexico, Oklahoma
  • Next Four Out: Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Missouri

Conference Breakdown

Mar 12, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Big 12 Championship logo at center court prior to the game between the UCF Knights and the Oklahoma State Cowboys at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

  • Big Ten: 10
  • SEC: 9
  • Big 12: 8
  • ACC: 8
  • Big East: 5
  • Atlantic 10: 2
  • West Coast: 2

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: ESPN NCAA Tournament Bracketology sees Iowa basketball seeding slide

Category: General Sports