Florida is set to take on Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 7:10 PM. The Gators are seeking their second straight trip to the Sweet 16 while Iowa is looking to make it for the first time since 1999. Florida is a 10.5 point favorite in this game.
Given that this will be the first time Florida and Iowa have ever faced off in basketball, we reached out to our Fansided sister site, Dear Old Gold, and spoke with their site expert Jordan Underwood to get a better feel of the Hawkeyes ahead of Sunday’s matchup.
Hail Florida Hail:
Iowa's calling card is to slow things down, and as a result, very few teams have been able to run away from them. But there are anomalies like the loss to Maryland and UCLA. Vegas has this game at 10.5 points. What would need to go wrong for Iowa not to at least keep this close until the end?
Jordan Underwood:
Iowa’s offense is frustrating for not only opponents but fans as well. They constantly take shots under 6 seconds left in the shot clock by design, but if they don't get into their action, they can go multiple possessions without scoring. They had multiple 5+ minute stretches with no FG against Clemson, but got to the rim a ton.
If Florida can pressure the ball, Iowa has a tendency to stand around and wait for Bennett Stirtz to do something.
HFH:
Iowa is very efficient on offense, but is also 271st at defending two-point shooting percentage. How much of a concern are Florida's big men to Iowa?
JU:
Florida can take advantage of Iowa’s lack of size down low. Iowa plays Cam Manyawu at center, but he's undersized at 6”9. Iowa's defense relies on jumping passing lanes and getting deflections because they don't block a lot of shots or get many steals.
They play extremely hard on the defensive end, and if Florida can establish their bigs, it could be a long night.
HFH:
On the flip side, Iowa is 11th in the country in opponent turnovers per play. Florida, meanwhile, is prone to turning the ball over. What makes Iowa such a tough team to protect the ball against?
JU:
I kind of touched on this already, but Iowa is very connected defensively and likes to fly around on defense. They switch ball screens and jump passing lanes.
They are prone to fouls due to their aggressive style of defense, but if Florida gets lazy, Iowa will take advantage.
HFH:
Iowa hasn't made the Sweet 16 since 1999. Besides knocking off the defending champs, what would a win to advance to the Sweet 16 mean to Iowa fans and the program as a whole?
JU:
As an Iowa fan, it would be massive for the program, especially in a new era of Iowa basketball. Fran often pushed the fans away, and even with Iowa having some success, everyone was always waiting for the shoe to drop.
People are genuinely excited about what McCollum is doing, and just to make a sweet sixteen would do wonders for the support of the program.
HFH:
Final predictions for the game?
JU:
I think Iowa is going to do its best to slow this game down and muck it up. Florida is a heavy favorite because Iowa just doesn't have the offensive firepower to scare anyone, and they aren't built to come back. I would say if Iowa can force some turnovers and pressure the ball at the point of attack to not allow the easy paint touches, this game will be closer than people think.
Final score is probably going to be Florida 71, Iowa 65 or something similar. I could even see it being way lower if the defense is connected.