Here's how Florida can advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 vs Iowa
· Yahoo Sports
March Madness's Sunday slate of games includes an NCAA Tournament second-round matchup between the top-seeded Florida Gators and ninth-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes in a battle to advance to the South Region's Sweet 16.
Todd Golden's team comes in as a borderline double-digit favorite over the Hawkeyes, but every game in the Big Dance must be taken with a great deal of gravity. ESPN's Jeff Borzello took a look at the two teams ahead of their first-ever meeting on the hardwood, breaking down how each team can beat the other, starting with the Orange and Blue
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
"Florida's game prep will focus on stopping Bennett Stirtz and getting the ball out of his hands," Borzello notes. "Stirtz is a high-usage point guard, and Ben McCollum's system revolves around him having a hand in nearly every possession.
"Boogie Fland has really developed as a defender this season and will likely be tasked with guarding Stirtz. The rest of Florida's plan will be about imposing its will," he offers.
"The Gators are bigger and more athletic than Iowa, and they're elite on defense. If they can speed the game up and make Iowa uncomfortable, it's hard to picture the Hawkeyes keeping up. Iowa hasn't played a game with more than 70 possessions this season; Florida averages 70.7 possessions per game, per KenPom."
How Iowa can beat Florida in NCAA Tournament second round
"On paper, Iowa is in for a tough night down low against Florida," Borzello begins. "The Gators have one of the most dominant frontcourts in the country, ranking second nationally in paint points per game and third in second-chance points per game.
"They also lead the country in offensive rebounds per game. Iowa doesn't block shots and allows opponents to shoot 56.5% inside the arc in Big Ten play, but the Hawkeyes played a frontcourt with comparable size and ability when they faced Michigan earlier this month," he continues.
"And though they lost, they held their own up front, outscoring the Wolverines in the paint and scoring more second-chance points. Can the Hawkeyes repeat the feat against Florida? Iowa will also have to get the game at its preferred pace, one of the slowest in the country, forcing the Gators to play in the halfcourt more than they would like," Borzello concludes.
Tipoff for the Florida-Iowa matchup is set for 7:10 p.m. ET at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. The game will be broadcast on TBS and can be live-streamed on Sling (regional restrictions may apply).
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: March Madness: How Florida can advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16