Iowa (0-4 in Quad 1 Opportunities)
The Hawkeyes have had a solid start to the 2024/2025 season. They currently have a 12-4 record and moved to 3-2 in Big Ten play after a dominant win over Indiana on Saturday night. Their metric profile is solid, if unspectacular: a Net ranking of 52 (that will probably rise after the IU win) and a KenPom ranking of 50.
They are also a fun team to watch and like to get up and down the floor on offense (they are a top 20 team in adjusted tempo according to KenPom, which is a nice counterbalance to how the football team has traditionally played).
Despite all this, the Hawkeyes aren't showing up in many mock brackets because of their dearth of Quad 1 wins. Their best win is a home victory over a solid Nebraska squad that falls in the Quad 2 category. They narrowly lost to Michigan on the road by two points, but their other Quad 1 losses were not particularly close. Iowa will have plenty of opportunities to get quality wins though: they currently have 10 Quad 1 games remaining on their Big Ten schedule, including four at home.
Next Quad 1 Opportunity: Away at UCLA on 1/17