Hawks beat Clemson, 67-61, in first NCAA Tournament win since 2021

Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Combs (11) drives the ball while defended by Clemson Tigers guard Ace Buckner (21) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images The 9-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes (22-12) defeated the #8 Clemson Tigers (24-11) 67-61 to notch their first NCAA Tournament since 2021. It was a slog of a game, as neither team exceeded 41% shooting in the game.

Bennett Stirtz led the Hawks with 16 points on 4/17 shooting in an uncharacteristically inefficient game. Kael Combs (15 points on 5/7) and Alvaro Folgueiras (14 on 3/8) joined Stirtz in double digits. After struggling to find driving lanes in the first half (the Hawks were 1/4 on layup), the were able to crack the code on Clemson’s defense with 6/6 layups in the second.

Attacking with more consistency allowed Iowa to get to the line, where 17/22 shooting in the second half helped put away the game. The Hawks also took advantage of Clemson missing center Carter Welling and their similarly slow pace to crash the offensive boards. The Hawks had 15 which led to 16 second chance points and the 46.

9% offensive rebounding percentage was Iowa’s highest since playing Bucknell in December. Kael Combs was the bell cow during the first half with 11 points on 4/4 shooting. His scoring got started on Iowa’s first possession with a 3 pointer as the shot clock ticked inside 5, which was a regular occurrence in the half.