The Iowa Hawkeyes figured to be one on a long list of Big Ten teams with their ticket booked for the NCAA Tournament heading into the Big Ten Tournament. But after they lost in the first round to the lowly Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday afternoon, many are left wondering if Iowa’s spot in The Big Dance is still secure. Let’s take a look at the latest Iowa NCAA Tournament odds and see about the team’s current outlook.
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Iowa NCAA Tournament Odds: Hawkeyes Still a Lock to Go Dancing?
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Iowa fell to 12-1 to win the NCAA Tournament following the loss to the Buckeyes. That line ties them with the likes of Providence, Boise State and Memphis, all of which are expected to have a place in the NCAA Tournament.
However, the loss on Thursday should certainly raise some red flags for Iowa, who will now stumble into the NCA Tournament off one of their worst losses of the season. The Buckeyes’ defense frustrated the high-powered Iowa offense from the jump, although big man Filip Rebraca and star Kris Murray both tallied over 15 points.
In the end, it was the Buckeyes who played the cleaner brand of basketball down the stretch and kept their NCAA Tournament dreams alive, winning 73-69.
“I thought we played really hard. I thought we executed fairly well. We got good shot opportunities. Got to the free throw line in the second half. I think, in a game like this, 11 turnovers is too many. We had guys fumbling the ball and needed to come up with that one at the end,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said in his postgame remarks, per the team’s website.
Per ESPN’s Bracketology, Iowa was projected as a seven-seed for the NCAA Tournament prior to the loss to the Buckeyes. They will now likely fall a couple of spots but will look to learn from the disappointing letdown. Still, Hawkeyes currently hold a KenPom ranking of 37, with a record of 5-7 in quad-one games. Most recently, the Hawkeyes were able to go into Assembly Hall and defeat the 19th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers, looking like a team that could do damage in March
Iowa has proven over the course of the season that they can play with some of the nation’s best teams when they are clicking, but have fallen behind in games they should win too many times. Now, they’ll face an uphill battle of entering the NCAA Tournament coming off an early exit in the Conference Tournament. But perhaps the extra rest will bode well for McCaffery’s bunch.
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