Iowa vs. Clemson odds, March Madness predictions: 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 Region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket on Friday. The Hawkeyes will hit the court after losing a close game to the Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Tigers lost 71-63 to the ACC champion Duke Blue Devils. The Hawkeyes (21-12, 11-11 Big Ten) finished ninth in the Big Ten. The Tigers (24-10, 12-6 ACC) will be without starting forward Carter Welling after a torn ACL in the ACC Tournament. The 6-10 star led the team in rebounding and blocks.

Tipoff from the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., is set for 6:50 p.m. ET. Iowa is a 1.5-point favorite in the latest Iowa vs Clemson odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 130.5. Before making any Clemson vs. Iowa picks, check out the Iowa vs. Clemson picks and predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.

Now, the model has simulated Iowa vs. Clemson 10,000 times and just revealed its men's college basketball picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several men's college basketball odds and men's college basketball lines for Iowa vs. Clemson:

Top Iowa vs. Clemson predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Iowa vs. Clemson, the model is going Over 130.5 points. The total has gone over in four of the Hawkeyes last five games played in March. Iowa's last three games have also gone over the total. 

The model projects the Hawkeyes to have two players score 10.6 points or more, including Bennett Stirtz, who is projected to score 19.9 points. The Tigers are projected to have three players score 12.2 points or more, led by RJ Godfrey, who is projected to score 14.2 points. The model is projecting 142 combined points, making the Over the value play as it hits 67% of the time. Get the full pick for Clemson vs. Iowa at SportsLine now. 

How to make Iowa vs. Clemson picks

Now, the model has simulated every possession of Clemson vs. Iowa 10,000 times and says one side of the spread cashes more than 50% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Iowa vs. Clemson, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Iowa vs. Clemson spread to back, all from the advanced model that just simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.