The journey for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA Tournament is now clear. The selection committee has laid out a challenging path for them. Despite being a No. 1 seed for the third time in their history, the Hawkeyes face a tough road ahead to reach the Final Four.
Their tournament journey begins at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where they will face either the No. 16 seed Holy Cross or UT Martin. A victory in their first game will set them up against either No. 8 seed West Virginia or No. 9 seed Princeton in the second round.
Should they advance, the Hawkeyes will head to MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. A potential rematch with No. 4 seed Kansas State awaits them. The Wildcats have been a formidable opponent, handing Iowa one of its four losses this season. However, Iowa managed to secure a win against them in the Gulf Coast Showcase finals.
Looking further ahead, the No. 5 seed Colorado and No. 6 seed Louisville could be potential opponents. The Hawkeyes have faced both teams on their way to the Final Four last season, securing victories against both.
The bottom half of the bracket holds the No. 2 seed UCLA and the defending national champion, No. 3 seed LSU, as potential challengers for Iowa. This sets up a thrilling prospect of high-stakes matchups on the way to the Final Four in Cleveland at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
This tournament setup, featuring superstar senior guard Caitlin Clark, has sparked a lot of excitement among Hawkeye fans on social media. The path laid out for Iowa is filled with formidable opponents, making their journey to the top an eagerly anticipated spectacle in college basketball.