Hawkeyes vs Tigers: NCAA Tournament Showdown

0:00On March 16, the Iowa Hawkeyes are back in the NCAA tournament as a number-9 seed and face the number-9 seeded Clemson Tigers in the first round. The matchup tips off Friday, March 20 at 5.50pm Central Time in Tampa, Florida. Both teams sit near the middle of the field according to CBS Sports Rankings. Iowa enters under first-year coach Ben McCollum with a 21-11 record. Their play revolves around point guard Bennett Sturts, who logs big minutes and ranks among the top valuable players nationally. CBS slots the Hawkeyes at number 31 overall out of 68 teams. Meanwhile, Clemson brings a 24-10 mark and their third straight tournament trip under coach Brad Brownell. They rank just behind Iowa at number 32 in those same rankings. The Tigers prefer a slow tempo, scoring in the mid to high 60s. Clemson boasts a top 28 defense nationally, holding a bonus to 66.7 points per game on average.

1:00They have quality wins against teams like Miami and North Carolina, but stumbled with six losses in their final 10 games. This close matchup could come down to pace in early execution, setting up an intriguing battle between two evenly matched squads.