Iowa vs.UCLA: Hawkeyes Return to Big Ten Play

The Iowa Hawkeyes (11-2, 1-1) return to big Ten play to face the UCLA Bruins (10-3, 2-0). This is Iowa’s first power conference game since Iowa State, over 20 days ago, and marks the start of their conference season in earnest. As the last update, the Hawkeyes dominated three buy games by a combined margin of 275-152.

Looking at Iowa’s advanced analytics, KenPom (kenpom) now ranks them 18th, a importent jump from their season-opening position of 48th. Bart Torvik (Bart Torvik) has Iowa at 17th, up 21 spots from the beginning of the season. TeamRankings, following the UMass Lowell victory, places Iowa 21st and gives them an 88% chance of making the tournament.

Key takeaways:

• Iowa has significantly improved in advanced analytics, climbing in both KenPom and Bart Torvik rankings.
• the Hawkeyes are currently projected as a strong tournament team with an 88% chance of making the field, according to TeamRankings.
• This game against UCLA marks a crucial return to Big Ten competition after a series of non-conference matchups.

Publication Date: 2026/01/03 22:06:26