Without much effort at all, the No. 1 Florida Gators got by the No. 16 Prairie View A&M Panthers 114-55 in their first-round game late on Friday night. It may have been a 59-point blowout, but there are some advantages that could be gleaned from such a complete and dominant effort. The Gators' starters got to rest, but that may not fully prepare them for what is to come vs. No. 9 Iowa on Sunday...
While Todd Golden's Gators asserted their dominance over the Panthers from the very start, Ben McCollum's Hawkeyes had to grind out their first-round game over No. 8 Clemson on Friday evening. Then again, this is all part of the process for the Iowa program. Under McCollum, the Hawkeyes play with an incredibly sluggish pace. They rank 351st in the country in field goals attempted per game...
Even if Iowa plays with the speed of a tortoise, the Hawkeyes tend to make the most of their limited offensive possessions. They rank 19th in the country in field-goal percentage at a strong 58.5 percent. Conversely, this does allow for the opposition to make roughly 53.8-percent of its field-goal attempts, which is 295th best in the country. Simply put, Florida has to make the most of its chances.
The good news is Florida is a whopping 10.5-point favorite over Iowa over on FanDuel Sportsbook...
Florida will have to dictate the pace whenever it is on offense vs. Iowa
When we look at the pace Florida plays with, it is on the complete other side of the spectrum from Iowa. The Gators have attempted the ninth most field goals in the nation so far this season. Florida is especially dangerous at getting looks in the paint, as illustrated by their staggering 58.4 shooting percentage from inside the arc. Florida will get up some 3-pointers, but not as efficiently from range.
So what is Florida to do in this situation? The Gators need to hunker down on defense to ensure the Hawkeyes cannot get the best look possible on offense. In transition, they need to push it up the floor to get some quick points and help build up a sizable lead. This is the greatest weakness of a team like Iowa playing with such little pace. Once a massive lead has been created, it is not built to come back.
In the end, Florida should feel great about its chances of reaching the Sweet 16. As long as the Gators take quality shots, make them, and put forth a concerted effort on defense, they are built to get past Iowa rather easily. Where a challenge could present itself is who the Gators may face in the Sweet 16. They will get the winner of No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt, a team who just beat them...
For Florida to be able to get back to the Final Four, it must find different ways to win every ball game.