IOWA CITY — The Iowa men’s basketball team learned Sunday it will return to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed and will face Clemson in the opening round.

Iowa (21-12) will meet Clemson (24-10) in a South Region first-round game Friday in Tampa, Fla. The matchup marks Iowa’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in two years and the program’s first under new head coach Ben McCollum.

The Hawkeyes earned an at-large berth after finishing 10-10 in the Big Ten. Iowa’s resume included several late-season wins and strong individual performances from guard Bennett Stirtz and freshman forward Cooper Koch.

Stirtz has been Iowa’s primary playmaker throughout the season, while Koch emerged as one of the team’s top scoring threats late in the year, highlighted by a career-high 19 points against Maryland in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.

Clemson enters the tournament after posting a 12-6 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference and making a run in the ACC Tournament before falling to Duke. The Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight in 2024 and returned several experienced contributors this season.

The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the second round to face the winner of the matchup between No. 1 seed Florida and No. 16 seed Norfolk State.

Iowa is seeking its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2021. The Hawkeyes have reached the second weekend only once since 1999.

Friday’s game will mark the first meeting between Iowa and Clemson in the NCAA Tournament and just the second matchup between the programs overall.