Scouting Iowa: What Florida Should Watch For in Second-Round Matchup
After opening the NCAA Tournament with a historic 114-55 dismantling of Prairie View A&M on Friday, top-seeded Florida faces a far more controlled challenge in the nine seed Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday night in Tampa.
Florida (27-7) and Iowa (22-12) have never met in a regular or postseason game, and stylistically, the matchup could not be more opposite.
The Hawkeyes play one of the slowest brands of basketball in the country, ranking 361st (out of 365 teams) in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. Each possession is deliberate, sets eat up the shot clock and the offense runs heavily through standout guard Bennett Stirtz.
Florida, on the other hand, thrives on creating turnovers for fastbreaks and pushing tempo after missed baskets. It ranks 29th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom, averaging roughly 71 possessions per 40 minutes.
Stirtz followed first-year Iowa coach Ben McCollum for four straight seasons at three different schools (Northwest Missouri State, Drake and Iowa). The honorable All-American averaged 19.9 points per game on 37.3% 3-point shooting. He is a score-first guard that Florida does not want to see get hot from distance.
The Hawkeyes arrive after a 67-61 win against the Clemson Tigers on Friday, securing their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2021. Iowa never trailed in that game despite shooting just 38% from the floor. Clemson played into Iowa’s wishes of a slow, low-scoring and defensive matchup.
Loading ...Stirtz dropped 16 points despite shooting 4-for-17. Kael Combs added 15 points with two huge first half 3s while Stirtz was struggling from the field. Although it is going to take a group effort to dethrone the champs, Florida’s attention will be on limiting Stirtz.
“Bennett is a great player,” Florida guard Boogie Fland said. “Just got to contain him, no threes, and all team defense.”
McCollum is well aware of Florida’s No. 1 priority, and has adjusted his gameplan for other Hawkeyes to make a difference.
“I’m not overly concerned with it [Stirtz’ performance against Florida],” McCollum said. “Obviously, he’s going to have to be able to score for us to win to a certain level, but he doesn’t need to go have 30 points for us to do that.”
The Gators overwhelmed Prairie View with their size, shooting 64.3% from the field, while outrebounding the Panthers 54-20. And with seven players in double figures in an even offensive attack. That 59-point margin became the second-largest win in NCAA Tournament history. While Iowa is a much more formidable foe, that Gator team Friday looked nearly unbeatable.
“They’re talented at all five positions for Florida,” Stirtz said. “Yeah, our hands are going to be full, but we’re going to take full advantage of the opportunity, and to be the best you’ve got to beat the best.”
Florida coach Todd Golden believes experience should help his group adjust. Last season, Florida survived a two-point second-round battle against UConn before going on to win the national title.
The front court of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten have been in this spot before. While Iowa is not reigning back-to-back champions like UConn was, it is a solid Big Ten squad with wins against Nebraska (which just punched its ticket to the Sweet 16) and UCLA.
“I believe we’re more prepared this year, obviously going through last year’s tournament,” Golden said. “Just the ups and downs that we had earlier on in the season. We’ve been able to get through some adversity and get back to playing together, playing the right way, having really good success.”
Florida comes into this game as a 10.5-point favorite. With a trip to Houston in the Sweet 16 on the line, the Gators need to continue to play its brand of basketball that earned it a top seed.
The second-round game of the NCAA Tournament South Region is at 7:10 p.m. Sunday on TBS. Radio coverage on 103.7-FM begins at 6:40 p.m.
Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA Tournament
