Iowa women's basketball makes big jump in latest ESPN Bracketology

The Iowa Hawkeyes are seeing a large jump in the latest ESPN NCAA Women's Tournament bracketology.

After a week or two of some clunky wins, the Iowa Hawkeyes are starting to turn things up a notch and look like the team that many thought they could be capable of becoming. Loaded with experience and talent, Jan Jensen's squad might be turning a corner.

Iowa, which has been projected to retain a host site in most of the bracketology renditions, has seen quite the jump in this week's ESPN NCAA Women's Tournament bracketology update, with a jump of two seed lines and firmly in the driver's seat to host the first two rounds from Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa Hawkeyes' seed

The March Madness logo on the team seats at the Intrust Bank Arena.

  • Seed: No. 2 seed
  • Opponent: No. 15 Western Illinois

Bracket

Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke (45) shoots against the Michigan State Spartans on Jan. 18, 2026, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.

  • No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 Binghamton / No. 16 Chattanooga
  • No. 8 Syracuse vs. No. 8 Georgia
  • No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Rice
  • No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Oregon State
  • No. 6 NC State vs. No. 11 North Dakota State
  • No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 High Point
  • No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Minnesota
  • No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Western Illinois

Top Seeds

UConn guard Azzi Fudd is averaging 18.1 points to lead the Huskies.

  • No. 1 seeds: UConn, South Carolina, Texas, UCLA
  • No. 2 seeds: Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Vanderbilt
  • No. 3 seeds: Ohio State, TCU, Michigan, Kentucky
  • No. 4 seeds: Baylor, Maryland, Tennessee, Michigan State

Bubble Watch

Iowa State Cyclones' center Audi Crooks (55) and West Virginia Mountaineers guard Loghan Johnson (25) react after loosing 70-83 against West Virginia in the Big-12 women’s basketball on Jan. 11, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

  • Last Four Byes: Oregon, Utah, Minnesota, Arizona State
  • Last Four In:Iowa State, Villanova, Virginia, Clemson
  • First Four Out: Miami, Virginia Tech, BYU, South Dakota State
  • Next Four Out: Seton Hall, Richmond, Davidson, Kansas State

Conference Breakdown

Mar 4, 2023; Greenville, SC, USA; General view of the SEC logo with court at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

  • Big Ten: 12
  • SEC: 11
  • ACC: 9
  • Big 12: 8
  • Big East: 2

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa women's basketball makes big jump in latest ESPN Bracketology

Category: General Sports