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Iowa poses for a team photo in the Sweet 16.Iowa poses for a team photo in the Sweet 16.
Men's Basketball

Iowa Finishes 15th in Final AP Rankings

The University of Iowa men’s basketball team finished 15th in the final Associated Press rankings for the 2025-26 season.

by James Allan

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team finished 15th in the final Associated Press rankings for the 2025-26 season. It is the program’s highest year-end ranking since the 2020-21 season when it was eighth.

The Hawkeyes weren’t ranked or even receiving votes in the AP poll leading into March Madness.  That changed when Iowa defeated three higher-seeded and two top 11-ranked teams en route to the Elite Eight.

Iowa downed eighth-seeded Clemson in the First Round, top-seeded and defending National Champion Florida in the Round of 32 and fourth-seeded Nebraska in the Sweet 16.  It was the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999 and first Elite Eight since 1987.

The Hawkeyes finished with a 24-13 overall record under first-year head coach Ben McCollum.  The 24 wins were tied for the fifth-most in a single season in program history.