IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa men’s basketball team has received an at-large berth into the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships. The Hawkeyes (20-12) are a No. 11 seed and will meet Tennessee (21-12, 11-7) in a first round game Wednesday, March 19 at Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. The first round contest will be televised live on TruTV and start at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
The winner of the Iowa vs. Tennessee first-round contest will meet No. 6 seed Massachusetts (24-8, 10-6) Friday, March 21, in Raleigh, N.C., in the second round.
This marks Iowa’s 23rd trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time under head coach Fran McCaffery and first time since 2006. Iowa and Tennessee have met three times, with Iowa holding a 2-1 advantage. The teams last met on Dec. 29, 2000, in the Rainbow Classic, with Tennessee winning, 80-68, in the tournament semifinals. Iowa and Tennessee participated in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas earlier this season, but did not meet.
The Raleigh, N.C., second and third round site is part of the Midwest Regional. Wichita State is the No. 1 seed in the region, along with No. 2 seed Michigan, No. 3 seed Duke and No. 4 seed Louisville. The Cardinals defeated Michigan in the 2013 NCAA Championship game.
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