Mike Hlas

Up next for Iowa? The unbeaten, shot-blocking, rebounding steamrollers from South Carolina are likely to face the Hawkeyes Friday in the Final Four.

The 1993 Hawkeyes are among the biggest fans of the 2023 Iowa women’s basketball team that is a victory Sunday night from reaching the Final Four.

Iowa is two wins in Seattle from making a heck of a commotion back in its own state.

Greg McDermott, Jack Nunge and Tyger Campbell all went on from Eastern Iowa a lot of success.

Ulis was a junior starter, Ogundele a junior reserve in the season just ended.

Iowa’s shooting didn’t thaw soon enough, and its comeback came up short in an 83-75 NCAA first-round loss to Auburn.

Iowa fell behind by 17 in the second half, pulled within four, but then Auburn pulled away again for an 83-75 win in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Auburn plays Iowa Thursday in the heart of Tigers country, but that doesn’t mean everyone here will be in its corner. Alabama is playing in the Thursday afternoon session here

Former Iowa assistant coach Bruce Pearl has won a lot and had a three-year exile from coaching. Here he is 31 years after leaving Iowa, facing the Hawkeyes as Auburn head coach in the NCAA tournament Thursday.

Joe Toussaint’s West Virginia team beat Iowa’s Thursday foe, Auburn. The Mountaineers face Maryland, a club the Hawkeyes know well.

Iowa assistant coach Matt Gatens was on Bruce Pearl’s Auburn staff four years ago. The Hawkeyes play Pearl’s Tigers Thursday in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Here’s what you need to know about the NCAA men’s basketball tournament first-round game between Iowa and Auburn. The Hawkeyes and Tigers have never met. Not even briefly.

Iowa is the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, plays Thursday in Birmingham. Which is close to Auburn.

Sunday’s brackets should clear a path to the Sweet 16 for the Iowa women and present a difficult one for the men.

A 73-69 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament sends Iowa home to get ample time to reboot for a first-round NCAA tourney game next week.