Iowa Hawkeyes Face Low-Tempo Challenge vs Florida

0:00On March 22nd Iowa Hawkeyes pulled off a solid win in their first NCAA tournament game under coach Ben McCollum, topping Clemson 67-2, 60. It was a night seat over an eight-seat matchup played at a snail's pace with both teams limited to just 54 possessions over 40 minutes. Now Iowa faces top-seated Florida on Sunday, a squad known for pushing the tempo with about 70.6 possessions per game and plenty of. Transition plays. The Gators rank high in speed while the Hawkeyes sit near the bottom nationally at 62.9 possessions per game. Coach McCollum made it clear during the game, yelling at his point guard to slow down against Clemson and he'll push even harder now. Players like Bennett Sturts echo that, saying the SEC's quicker style showed up last year, but sticking to set defenses in good shots is key for them. The stats give Iowa hope in low tempo games. Florida's only six and five this season when holding opponents to 70 or fewer possessions, handing them five of their seven losses.

1:04Plus, Iowa ranks high in shooting efficiency, hitting nearly 60% on two pointers. Team leaders say they'll adapt as needed, playing fast or slow based on what scores more points and gets them to the sweet 16, their first trip. Their since 1999.