Clemson vs. Iowa: NCAA Tournament Predictions & Preview

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is officially here! The March Madness Bracket is set, and first-round NCAA Tournament matchups are in place. It’s time to make your picks and predictions for the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament! We’re here to help as we’ll have picks and predictions for each of the first round 2026 NCAA Tournament games. Here are our NCAA Tournament predictions and preview for Clemson vs. Iowa.

2026 NCAA Tournament Predictions & Preview: Clemson vs. Iowa

Here are the odds for this opening-round matchup of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Let’s dive into our preview and predictions for this NCAA Tournament matchup.

Clemson 2026 NCAA Tournament Preview

“Brad Brownell’s Tigers finished 24-10 and built one of the better defensive profiles in the ACC, sitting inside the top 20 in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency while sending opponents deeper into the shot clock than almost any team in the nation. They force turnovers through length and activity on the perimeter and have the depth to run a genuine platoon rotation.

Or at least Clemson had it before March 11. Carter Welling went down with a torn ACL in the second round of the ACC tournament against Wake Forest and is done for the season. He was averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and functioning as the team’s most reliable interior player and its best shot blocker. What Clemson showed after losing him is worth noting. Nick Davidson replaced Welling’s production against North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinals, going for 17 points, 11 rebounds, and four threes off the bench in an 80-79 win. Clemson then fell to Duke 73-61 in the semis, which was the expected result against the ACC’s prohibitive favorite. The roster that remains includes RJ Godfrey, Davidson, Jake Wahlin, Dillon Hunter, Butta Johnson, and Jestin Porter. Clemson has a decent offense that ranks outside the top 60 but takes care of the ball while ranking top 25 in midrange shooting percentage. The Tigers are three-point dependent, despite shooting just 34% from deep, and their recent play isn't the most promising as they enter the tournament. Since Feb. 11, Clemson ranks 50th overall with a 312th-ranked effective field goal percentage.

The defense does not require Welling to function at a high level. The Tigers will need to continue with their elite defensive rebounding rate and force additional turnovers if they want to stay afloat in the tournament. This is a roster with only one top-25 win all year, against a shorthanded Louisville squad, so it's questionable whether Clemson can step up in class and make a deep run. ”

Iowa 2026 NCAA Tournament Preview

Ben McCollum’s first season in Iowa City produced one of the more fascinating one-man shows in college basketball this year. Bennett Stirtz is a projected first-round NBA draft pick who transferred from Drake after winning the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and proceeded to become the most indispensable player in the Big Ten. Stirtz averaged 20.2 points, 4.4 assists, and shot 50 percent from the field and 38% from three while playing 37.4 minutes per game and never taking a night off. He is the only player in the country this season with at least 625 points, 135 assists, 75 threes, 75 rebounds and 45 steals.

The problem is everything around him. Tavion Banks is the only other Hawkeye averaging double-digit points in the regular season with 10.5, and Iowa ranks 350th nationally in adjusted tempo at KenPom, which means they play slow, lean on Stirtz to manufacture everything late in the shot clock, and have little interior presence to take defensive pressure off the perimeter. Iowa finished 21-12, losing to Ohio State 72-69 in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament after leading early before getting outscored in the paint 36-20. Cooper Koch emerged late as a three-point shooter, knocking down five in the Maryland win, and Cam Manyawu and Alvaro Folgueiras provide rotation depth.

Since Feb. 11, Iowa is 3-7, ranking 43rd in the country. The Hawkeyes’ defense is solid, forcing turnovers at a top-14 clip, but they are not great shot defenders. McCollum has built a team profile that is only as good as Stirtz on a given night, and opponents have a clear scouting report. When Stirtz is checked, Iowa has gone 0-5 in games where he shot below 40%. In the first round, you will get one great player going against one defense. That matchup will essentially define the game.

More NCAA Tournament Predictions & Previews

#1 Duke vs. #16 Siena
#8 Ohio State vs. #9 TCU
#5 St. John’s vs. #12 Northern Iowa
#4 Kansas vs. #13 Cal Baptist
#6 Louisville vs. #11 South Florida
#3 Michigan State vs. #14 North Dakota State
#7 UCLA vs. #10 UCF
#2 UConn vs. #15 Furman

#1 Arizona vs. #16 LIU
#8 Villanova vs. #9 Utah State
#5 Wisconsin vs. #12 High Point
#4 Arkansas vs. #13 Hawai’i
#11 Texas vs. North Carolina State
#3 Gonzaga vs. #14 Kennesaw State
#7 Miami (FL) vs. #10 Missouri
#2 Purdue vs. #15 Queens

#16 UMBC vs. Howard
#8 Georgia vs. #9 Saint Louis
#5 Texas Tech vs. #12 Akron
#4 Alabama vs. #13 Hofstra
#11 Miami OH vs. SMU
#3 Virginia vs. #14 Wright State
#7 Kentucky vs. #10 Santa Clara
#2 Iowa State vs. #15 Tennessee State

#16 Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh
#8 Clemson vs. #9 Iowa
#5 Vanderbilt vs. #12 McNeese
#4 Nebraska vs. #13 Troy
#6 North Carolina vs. #11 VCU
#3 Illinois vs. #14 Penn
#7 Saint Mary’s vs. #10 Texas A&M
#2 Houston vs. #15 Idaho

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