Iowa basketball earns 3-seed in NIT, to host Kansas State

IOWA CITY — After missing the Big Dance, Iowa men’s basketball has earned a bid in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

Iowa, a 3-seed in the tournament, is set to take on Kansas State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the first round. The game is scheduled to tipoff at 8 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, March 19.

If Iowa were to beat Kansas State, it would play the winner of Utah vs. UC Irvine.

Iowa (18-14) made a late-season push to make the NCAA Tournament, winning four of five games leading up to the regular-season finale against Illinois. A win over the Illini or a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament would’ve done wonders for Iowa’s NCAA Tournament chances.

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But instead, the Hawkeyes played poorly in their final two games.

They were thoroughly beaten by Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, blowing a golden opportunity. Then they fell to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. Between those two high-stakes games, Iowa didn’t hold the lead for even a single second in the 80 combined minutes.

This year breaks Iowa’s streak of making four consecutive NCAA Tournaments. It is the first time since 2018 that Iowa has been left out of the NCAA Tournament field (not including when the event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

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Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery has led his team to an NCAA Tournament seven times in the 13 years the event was actually held during his tenure. The Hawkeyes missed the Big Dance in each of McCaffery’s first three seasons at Iowa, but haven’t been on the outside looking in for more than two campaigns a row since then.

“We wanted to be in the NCAA Tournament but we still get a chance to play basketball,” senior Tony Perkins said following the loss to Ohio State. “We all love basketball. We still get a chance. Some other teams don’t get to play anymore. I think this will be a fresh restart for us.”

This will be Iowa’s fourth appearance in the NIT under McCaffery. Iowa has been eliminated in the second round twice with McCaffery at the helm (2012 and 2017). The Hawkeyes were the event’s runner-up in 2013.

Iowa fell short of its goal to play in the NCAA Tournament this season, but there still is value in using the NIT to get more experience, especially given the youth of Iowa’s roster.

All four of Iowa’s scholarship freshmen showed flashes of their capabilities this season, led by Big Ten co-Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman. Sophomore Josh Dix made major strides since his freshman season and gave reason to believe he could develop into one of the best guards in the league.

Getting those players more time to grow during game action could be beneficial.

There’s also the simple element of being able to continue playing as a team.

“It’s another chance to get together with your brothers and play basketball,” junior Payton Sandfort said. “When we get there, I’m gonna be fired up and be the same old Payton. Even though it’s not what we dreamed of and what our goal was, if you can’t get ready to play a basketball game, then you don’t belong in this sport.” 

Follow Tyler Tachman on X@Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com