The Iowa Hawkeyes are 9-2 this season and look like they may be headed back to the NCAA Tournament, but their goals are just the tip of the iceberg under head coach Ben McCollum.
While the season is still young and the Hawkeyes still have a lot of work to do to avoid bubble conversations or missing out on March Madness entirely, Iowa State remains in the latest edition of ESPN’s latest bracket.
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This week’s updated schedule gives Iowa State a schedule filled with two of the most dominant blue bloods in the sport, one of which could await Iowa in the second round and potentially into the Sweet 16.
Iowa State guard Brendan Howson (15) talks with Iowa State head coach Ben McCollum during a basketball game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Carver-Hawkeye Stadium on Dec. 14, 2025 in Iowa.
brackets
Nov 15, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley reacts to action on the field during the second half against the BYU Cougars at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
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No. 1 Duke University vs. No. 16 Colgate University
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No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State
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No. 5 Nebraska vs. No. 12 Akron
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No. 4 Houston vs. No. 13 East Tennessee State
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No. 3 Alabama vs. No. 14 Lipscomb
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No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 10 St. Louis
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No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Troy University
top seed
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer makes a call to his players during the first half of a game against Michigan State on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
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No. 1 seed: Duke, Iowa, Michigan, Arizona
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No. 2 seed: University of Connecticut, Purdue University, Gonzaga University, Brigham Young University
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No. 3 seed: Michigan, Alabama, Louisville, Vanderbilt
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No. 4 seed: Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Houston
Bubble table
Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) steals the ball from BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) during the first half at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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The last four goodbyes: Indiana, UCLA, LSU, Oklahoma State
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The last four games: North Carolina State University, University of Central Florida, Baylor University, Arizona State University
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The top four are eliminated: Villanova, Oklahoma, Boise State, Virginia Tech
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Next four games: Colorado, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Wake Forest
Meeting details
March 12, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; The Big 12 Championship logo is at center court prior to the game between the UCF Cavaliers and Oklahoma State Cowboys at the T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball stares blue blood in new ESPN NCAA Bracketology