Many bracket projections have the Hawkeyes listed in the 8/9 game, so let's take a look and revisit each time Iowa has played in this game in its history.
Selection Sunday is here.
In just six hours, we'll find out Iowa basketball's NCAA tournament fate. The Hawkeyes are expected to make the Field of 68 for the first time in three years under first-year coach Ben McCollum, and Iowa fans are beginning to buy into their team again.
While we won't know for sure where the Hawkeyes end up until tonight's NCAA Selection Show (5 PM, CBS), many bracketology experts have Iowa listed in the 8-10 seed range.
That likely means the Hawkeyes will end up in the classic 8/9 coin-flip game. Most teams dread playing in this game because a win results in a matchup against a No. 1 seed, but a tournament berth in McCollum's first season was the goal, and Iowa's body of work should be enough to accomplish that.
Should the Hawkeyes be placed in the No. 8-No. 9 matchup, HawkeyeRoundtable has you covered.
Here's a look at every 8/9 game in Iowa basketball history:
1985 (No. 8): George Raveling's three-year run in Iowa City was mediocre, but his recruiting paved the way for the Hawkeyes' success in the late 1980s. Iowa was pitted against ninth-seeded Arkansas, but suffered a 63-54 loss to the Razorbacks.
Arkansas hired future Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson in the offseason and went on to become a national powerhouse - culminating in a national championship in 1994.
1992 (No. 9): This was the first of two times the Hawkeyes would land in the 8/9 game under Tom Davis. Their opponent in 1992 was Texas, who managed just a No. 8 seed despite winning a share of the Southwest Conference title.
This game was a high-scoring affair, but it played right into Iowa's hands. The Hawkeyes jumped out to a seven-point lead at halftime and held on for a 98-92 win. They would go on to lose to eventual champion Duke in the second round, 75-62.
1997 (No. 8): Iowa's penultimate tournament appearance under Davis featured a second No. 8 seed. The Hawkeyes handled Virginia in the first round, 73-60, before giving Rick Pitino and eventual runner-up Kentucky a run for its money in the second round.
The Wildcats and Hawkeyes were tied at 35 after one, but heavily-favored Kentucky did just enough to escape with a 75-69 victory, denying Iowa one of its memorable NCAA tournament wins in program history.
2023 (No. 8): Iowa's most recent appearance in the 8/9 game is fittingly its most recent tournament berth overall. This Hawkeye squad struggled to string together consistent performances throughout the season (they lost to Eastern Illinois in Dec.), but rode two miracle home victories (Michigan and Michigan State) to their seventh and final NCAA tournament trip under McCaffery.
Iowa earned a No. 8 seed, but was forced to play its first round game in the backyard of its lower-seeded opponent - Auburn - in Birmingham, Alabama. The Hawkeyes couldn't overcome a slow start and lost, 83-75.
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