Iowa Hawkeyes Outlast Clemson in Gritty NCAA Tournament Opener

The madness of March brought heartbreak for the Clemson Tigers, whose NCAA Tournament journey came to a screeching halt in the first round with a 67-61 defeat at the hands of the No. 9 seed Iowa Hawkeyes. In front of a raucous crowd at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, Clemson’s slow start and depleted roster proved too much to overcome, as Iowa led wire-to-wire and punched its ticket to the second round.

Entering the contest, the Tigers (24-11) were already facing an uphill battle. Junior forward Carter Welling, their second-leading scorer and top rebounder, was sidelined after tearing his ACL in the ACC Tournament just nine days earlier. Welling’s absence left a noticeable void in the paint, and Clemson’s depth took another hit with freshman guard Zac Foster also out for the season due to a previous torn ACL. Head coach Brad Brownell, wrapping up his 16th season at the helm, was forced to shuffle his rotation and hope his remaining players could rise to the challenge.

The Hawkeyes (22-12), meanwhile, entered March Madness with momentum and a clean bill of health, save for freshman Peyton McCollum who was already out with a season-ending foot injury. Under first-year head coach Ben McCollum, Iowa was making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023 and looked every bit the part of a team hungry for a postseason run.

From the opening tip, Iowa seized control. Guard Kael Combs set the tone early, draining a pair of three-pointers and scoring 11 points in the first half alone. The Hawkeyes raced out to a double-digit lead within the first seven minutes, capitalizing on Clemson’s frigid shooting. The Tigers missed 12 of their first 15 attempts from the field, not reaching double digits until nearly 11 minutes had elapsed. As Clemson fans watched in dismay, the specter of last year’s first-round exit loomed large—another slow start threatening to derail their tournament hopes.

Butta Johnson, determined to keep Clemson in the fight, sparked a late-first-half surge with back-to-back threes. The Tigers began to find their rhythm, making six of their last eight shots before the break. Still, Iowa’s disciplined defense and timely shot-making left Clemson trailing 32-25 at halftime. Combs’s hot hand and the Hawkeyes’ ball movement kept the Tigers chasing, while Iowa’s bench chipped in key minutes—Tavion Banks and Cooper Koch combined for crucial points to maintain the edge.

The second half saw Clemson mount several comeback attempts. Senior forward RJ Godfrey, playing his final game in a Tigers uniform, led the charge with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Johnson added 11 points, including a late triple to cut the deficit to five with just 16 seconds left. Jestin Porter and Dillon Hunter also contributed from deep, each hitting timely threes that kept the Tigers within striking distance. At one point, Clemson trimmed Iowa’s lead to just two points with over 14 minutes remaining, but every time the Tigers threatened, Iowa answered. Bennett Stirtz, the Hawkeyes’ Second Team All-Big Ten guard and leading scorer at 20 points per game, shook off a tough shooting night to finish with a game-high 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Stirtz’s poise was critical, as he hit a clutch three-pointer to halt Clemson’s momentum and steady the Iowa attack.

“The Hawkeyes always seem to have an answer whenever it gets real tight,” observed HawkCentral’s coverage, and that proved true down the stretch. After Clemson closed to within four points with 1:28 left—thanks to a layup from redshirt freshman Ace Buckner—Iowa’s Kael Combs delivered perhaps the game’s most pivotal play. Slashing through the lane, Combs converted a contested layup to push the lead back to six, and Iowa sealed the win at the free-throw line. The Tigers never managed to take the lead at any point during the contest.

Rebounding was a major storyline. Iowa dominated the glass, outrebounding Clemson 40-27 and grabbing 15 offensive boards. Those second-chance opportunities led to seven crucial points and kept the Tigers from ever gaining traction. Foul trouble compounded Clemson’s woes, as the Hawkeyes attempted 19 more free throws and scored 16 more points from the charity stripe, despite Clemson shooting a better overall percentage. “We struggled on the glass and got into the bonus early, leading to a ton of Iowa free throw attempts that allowed the Hawkeyes to pad their lead,” reported The State.

The loss marks Clemson’s second straight first-round exit—last year, the Tigers were upset by No. 12 McNeese State as a No. 5 seed. It’s a bitter pill for a program that made a historic Elite Eight run just two seasons ago. Under Brownell, Clemson has reached six NCAA Tournaments in 16 years, including five bids in the last nine seasons, but the Tigers have never advanced to a Final Four. The program’s March record under Brownell now stands at 6-5.

This year’s defeat stings all the more given the adversity Clemson faced. Without Welling and Foster, the Tigers’ vaunted depth was tested, and their offense sputtered—especially early. Porter, Hunter, and Nick Davidson all struggled to find their touch, and the team’s lack of interior presence was glaring. Still, the Tigers showed resilience, clawing back from multiple double-digit deficits and refusing to fold. “Everybody, all the time,” had been Clemson’s rallying cry, and while the results didn’t go their way, the effort was never in question.

As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes’ reward is a second-round showdown with either No. 1 seed Florida or No. 16 Prairie View A&M. Stirtz, Combs, and the rest of McCollum’s squad will look to build on their gritty opening win and keep their March dreams alive. For Clemson, the offseason beckons, with roster decisions and transfer portal moves looming as Brownell looks to reload for another run.

In Tampa, the Tigers’ season ended not with a bang, but with a valiant fight that came up just short. The Hawkeyes, steadier and deeper, move on—leaving Clemson to wonder what might have been if not for untimely injuries and one more slow start on college basketball’s biggest stage.