Iowa Basketball: Five Hawkeyes to Watch in NCAA Tournament

Mar 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes coach Fran McDaffery coaches on the sidelines against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Illinois defeats Iowa 68-66. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes coach Fran McDaffery coaches on the sidelines against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Illinois defeats Iowa 68-66. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
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Mar 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes coach Fran McDaffery coaches on the sidelines against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Illinois defeats Iowa 68-66. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 10, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes coach Fran McDaffery coaches on the sidelines against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the Big Ten Conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Illinois defeats Iowa 68-66. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

For the third straight season, the Iowa Basketball team earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament.  And for the second straight season, they are seeded seventh.

After playing in a play-in game back in 2013-14 and losing to the Tenessee Volunteers, the Iowa Hawkeyes have found themselves seeded seventh in the Big Dance in two straight seasons.

They were able to defeat Davidson last season in a game that wasn’t ever really close.  But they would eventually meet their match two days later when they faced second-seeded Gonzaga.

Iowa will once again be playing a 10th seeded team and this year, it’s Fran Dunphy’s Temple Owls.  Temple doesn’t do a lot of things that fill the stat sheet, but they take care of the basketball and connect from three point range 7.8 times per contest.

With Iowa starting four seniors and a junior, this is the third NCAA Tournament that this group will be participating in.  The seniors even made a run to the championship game of the NIT in their freshman season.  This experience should help the Hawkeyes as they embark on their third straight run at a national title.

Lets get to our five players to watch in the tourney.

Next: Number Five