A historic achievement has been accomplished for the state of Iowa. Both the University of Iowa and Iowa State men’s basketball teams advanced to the Sweet 16 in the 2026 NCAA basketball tournament. This is the first time in Iowa Basketball history that both teams achieved this feat.
With an impressive regular season record of 27-8, Iowa State earned the second seed in the Midwest region and set high expectations for themselves going into the tournament.
Going into the Sweet 16, Iowa State’s star forward, Joshua Jefferson, is questionable for their game against Tennessee on Friday, March 27th. This came after he suffered an ankle injury in the first round of the tournament against Tennessee State. Even with the injury, the team managed to beat Kentucky by 19 points to advance to the Sweet 16.
On the other hand, Iowa has managed to do what some would say is impossible. The Hawkeyes have had a solid season going into the tournament, but only earned the ninth seed in the South region. Regardless of their lower ranking, they have thrived in the past couple of games. The Hawks had to battle two higher-ranked teams to advance to the Sweet 16.
The most notable game was against the defending champs: number one-ranked Florida. After battling the entire game, the Hawks took the lead with just seconds left when Junior Alvaro Folgueiras made a three-pointer to make the score 73-72. People around Iowa could hear the fans roar as the shot went in.
Senior Patrick O’Brien expresses how he feels about both teams making the Sweet 16. “I feel happy for both sides. As an Iowa State fan, I’m very happy that the Cyclones made it this far, and as a resident of the state of Iowa, I am also happy for the Hawkeyes,” said O’Brien. Many students at PV prefer one school over the other, but everyone is happy that both teams were able to make it to the Sweet 16.
O’Brien shares aspirations with many other students. “There’s a long chance, but there is a chance that they’ll play against each other and that would be like a dream come true,” said O’Brien. This would be the first time in tournament history that the Hawkeyes would play the Cyclones.
Senior Sam Boyer shared his perspective as a Hawkeye fan. “It feels surreal because no one thought that there was a chance we would beat Florida,” said Boyer. After the win against Florida, Iowa went on to beat its number four-ranked rivals, Nebraska.
After Iowa State’s game against Tennessee, their season ended after Tennessee took control of the game in the second half and won. Iowa faced Illinois in its Elite 8 match, but unfortunately lost after a hard-fought game.
Even though both Iowa teams are out of the tournament, fans around the state loved the run both teams had and will continue to cheer on their Iowan teams in the future.
