ESPN Predicts Early Exit for Clemson Tigers in NCAA Tournament

The No. 8 seed Clemson Tigers take on the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 12:33pm

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The Clemson Tigers, who finished 12-6 in ACC play and had a strong run in the ACC Tournament, will face the Iowa Hawkeyes, who finished the season 3-10, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite being the higher seed, ESPN calls the Hawkeyes a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson, and analyst Jay Bilas predicts an early exit for the Tigers in the South Region.

Why it matters

The Clemson Tigers are looking to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, but they face a tough matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have one of the best scorers in college basketball in Bennett Stirtz. This game could set the tone for the rest of the tournament for both teams.

The details

Clemson finished the season 12-6 in ACC play and had a strong run in the ACC Tournament with wins over Wake Forest and No. 19 UNC before falling to eventual champion Duke. Iowa finished the season 3-10, including a second-round exit to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament. Despite being the higher seed, ESPN calls the Hawkeyes a 2.5-point favorite over Clemson, and Jay Bilas predicts an early exit for the Tigers in the South Region.

  • The Clemson Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes will tip off at 6:50 p.m. EST on Friday, March 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.

The players

Bennett Stirtz

A junior guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Stirtz is averaging 20.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game this season and is considered one of the best scorers in college basketball.

RJ Harvey

A senior forward for the Clemson Tigers, Harvey leads the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game.

Carter Welling

A junior forward for the Clemson Tigers, Welling is the team's leading rebounder at 5.4 per game, but will miss the tournament with a knee injury.

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What they’re saying

“The Tigers are big and well-coached, but the Hawkeyes have Bennett Stirtz, one of the best shotmakers in college basketball, who is averaging 20.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. Take Iowa.”

— Jay Bilas, ESPN Analyst (ESPN)

“College basketball fans got their first main look at Bennett Stirtz in last year's NCAA tournament when No. 11 Drake upset No. 6 Missouri in the opening round. Well, now he's averaging 20 points per game for the Hawkeyes alongside coach Ben McCollum and there's a chance he's poised for an even bigger postseason. Clemson has no player that can go toe-to-toe with Stirtz and will rely heavily on its defense to try and keep pace in this game.”

— Zach Koons, Sports Illustrated Writer (Sports Illustrated)

What’s next

The winner of the Clemson-Iowa matchup will face the winner of the Florida-Vanderbilt game in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

This first-round matchup between the Clemson Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes could set the tone for the rest of the tournament for both teams. While Clemson has a balanced scoring attack, Iowa's star player Bennett Stirtz poses a significant challenge that the Tigers may struggle to contain.