Iowa vs. Clemson odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The ninth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes will battle the eighth-seeded Clemson Tigers in a first-round matchup in the South regional of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night. The Hawkeyes will hit the court after losing a close game to the Ohio State Buckeyes 69-72, while the Tigers lost 61-73 to the ACC Champions, the Duke Blue Devils.  The Hawkeyes (21-12, 11-11 Big Ten) finished ninth in the Big Ten Conference. The Tigers (24-10, 12-6 ACC) will be starting forward Carter Welling (10.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg) after a torn ACL in the ACC Tournament. The 6-10 star led the team in rebounding and blocks. The Hawkeyes have lost three of five games, while the Tigers have won three of five games.   

Tipoff from the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Orlando, is set for 6:50 p.m. ET. The Hawkseyes lead the all-time men's series against the Tigers 4-1, with the teams set to meet for the fifth time in the NCAA Tournament. Iowa is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Iowa vs Clemson odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 128.5. 

Before making any Clemson vs. Iowa picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated Iowa vs. Clemson 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time!

So who wins Iowa vs Clemson, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!