Iowa basketball fans, it's time to talk about bulletin board material. Despite a historic season that saw first-year head coach Ben McCollum lead the Hawkeyes to their first Elite Eight since 1987, the program has been left out of CBS Sports' way-too-early Bracketology for the 2026-27 season. That's right—the same squad that stunned the reigning national champion Florida Gators as a No. 1 seed in the second round is getting no love in May.
Let's put this in perspective. McCollum, a four-time Division II national champion at Northwest Missouri State, made the leap to the high-major level look effortless. His Iowa debut was nothing short of spectacular, including a jaw-dropping upset over Florida that had the basketball world buzzing. The 45-year-old Iowa native now boasts a career winning percentage north of 80%. In the annual CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 coaches ranking, he was listed as the "And 1"—the 26th-ranked coach—before the season. That number is almost certainly going to climb.
So why the snub? Well, Bracketology in May is more art than science, and rosters are still very much in flux. For Iowa, the biggest question mark is Tavion Banks. The 6-foot-7 wing was a key piece of last season's run, but he's currently in the transfer portal and has declared for the NBA Draft—though he's left the door open for a return if granted an additional season of eligibility following two junior college seasons.
Without Banks, Iowa's roster projection sits somewhere in the 49-58 range, according to evanmiya.com's roster outlook tool. In the new 76-team NCAA Tournament format—which includes 44 at-large bids—that's outside the cut line. Even with the expanded field, roughly 45-48 high-major teams are expected to make the dance. If Banks returns, however, those projections jump to 38-46, making Iowa a much stronger at-large candidate. Bart Torvik's 2027 projections also have the Hawkeyes at No. 44, right on the bubble.
For now, Iowa is losing four of its top five most efficient players from last season, per evanmiya.com. But if Banks finds his way back into a Hawkeyes uniform, this team could be dangerous again. Until then, McCollum and company have all the motivation they need to prove the doubters wrong.