Every No. 9 seed to reach the Sweet 16, including 2026 Iowa
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The Iowa Hawkeyes pulled off the upset of March Madness to this point on Sunday night, hanging on to take down No. 1-seeded defending national champion Florida on a three-point game-winner from Alvaro Folgueiras in the final seconds.
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Iowa returns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 under first-year head coach Ben McCollum, where it awaits a conference showdown against the No. 4-seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Hawkeyes are now the second-lowest remaining seed in the Sweet 16, ahead of only No. 11-seeded Texas (a member of the Last Four In). With their victory over the Gators, Iowa joined a surprisingly exclusive club as just the ninth No. 9 seed to advance to the Sweet 16.
Only 10.34% of the nine seeds who have won their opener against the No. 8 have won in the Round of 32. The reason for that is fairly obvious: In all but two instances historically, a matchup with a top seed awaited the No. 9 in the second round.
With Iowa moving on to the Sweet 16, here are the eight other No. 9 seeds that advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
1992 UTEP Miners
Legendary UTEP coach Don Haskins won a national title and reached the Sweet 16 four times in his 38-year career, and his last trip to the Sweet 16 (and only trip after the tournament expanded to 64 teams) came in 1992. The WAC regular season champions slipped up in the conference tournament but still earned a No. 9 seed. After defeating Evansville in the first round, the Miners took down No. 1-seeded Kansas 66-60 in the second round. Their run ultimately ended to No. 4-seeded Cincinnati in the Sweet 16.
1994 Boston College Eagles
Jim O'Brien's 1994 Boston College team exited the Big East tournament in its opener in the quarterfinals, but it got hot in the big dance. After knocking off Washington State in Round 1, the Eagles upset top-seeded North Carolina in Round 2. They ultimately advanced all the way to an Elite Eight after beating No. 5-seeded Indiana, but their run ended against Florida, which was in the midst of its first Final Four run in program history.
2004 UAB Blazers
After a decade without a No. 9 seed reaching the second weekend, future Missouri, Arkansas and St. John's coach Mike Anderson led the Blazers on a magical run in 2004. The Conference USA regular-season champs had to earn an at-large bid, but they proved their worth with a first-round win over Washington before upsetting Tubby Smith's No. 1-seeded Kentucky squad by one point. The clock ultimately struck midnight on UAB in the Sweet 16, where it lost by 26 to No. 4-seeded Kansas.
2010 Northern Iowa Panthers
Led by current Colorado State coach Ali Farokhmanesh, the Panthers toppled UNLV in the first round before stunning Kansas on a late dagger three from Farokhmanesh. UNI's run ended in the Sweet 16 against Michigan State, but it remains the first and only trip to the Sweet 16 since moving to the Division I level.
2013 Wichita State Shockers
The Shockers were the Cinderella of the 2013 tournament. Not only did they reach the Sweet 16 thanks to a first-round win over Pittsburgh and a second-round win over top-seeded Gonzaga, but it went all the way to the Final Four. Wichita State took care of business against another Cinderella in La Salle in the Sweet 16 before dispatching Ohio State in the Elite Eight. Their run finally came to an end in the semifinals against eventual national champion Louisville (a title that has since been vacated). To date, the Shockers are one of just two No. 9 seeds to reach the Final Four.
2018 Florida State Seminoles
Leonard Hamilton's deepest run at FSU came in 2018, when the Seminoles beat Missouri in the first round before upsetting No. 1-seeded Xavier in the second. A 15-point victory over Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 propelled Florida State to the Elite Eight, but it fell against the ultimate national runner-up, the Michigan Wolverines.
2018 Kansas State Wildcats
Unlike any of the previously mentioned teams on the list, the Wildcats had the good fortune of avoiding a No. 1 seed in the second round. Instead, they drew No. 16-seeded UMBC after its historic upset over Virginia. The Wildcats avoided becoming the second victim of the first No. 16 seed to advance to the Round of 32, holding on for a seven-point win over the Retrievers. Kansas State pulled another upset in the Sweet 16 against Kentucky before their run came to an end against a fellow Cinderella, No. 11-seeded Loyola-Chicago, in the Elite Eight.
2023 Florida Atlantic Owls
Like Kansas State, FAU also had the advantage of avoiding a No. 1 seed during its magical run to the Final Four in 2023 under now-Michigan coach Dusty May. The Owls beat Memphis in the first round before taking out No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson after its upset over Purdue. Florida Atlantic then knocked out Tennessee and Kansas State before the clock ultimately struck midnight against San Diego State in the Final Four.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: March Madness: Every 9 seed to reach Sweet 16, including 2026 Iowa