The motto in March Madness has always been survive and advance, but Fairleigh Dickinson did not make it easy on Iowa in the first round.
The Hawkeyes narrowly escaped a historic loss by pulling away in the final minutes of their 58-48 win, but credit FDU; they clamped down on Iowa.
If it wasn't for Ava Heiden's massive 29-point performance, FDU could have easily won the game, and even though they ultimately fell short, they exposed a big weakness in Iowa's offense that could come back to bite them later on.
Iowa's inconsistent shooting from outside the paint could haunt them
Iowa's offensive strategy relies on heavy pain touches, especially to Heiden, who has become a star for the program.
When Iowa struggles is when they face a team that forces them out of the paint or into taking more jump shots, exactly like FDU did in the first round.
Iowa has a high field goal percentage this season thanks to a heavy focus on close-range shots and points in the paint, but against FDU, it took everything Ava Heiden had to hold on because the squad shot a pathetic 1-13 from three-point range.
The Hawkeyes' offense is humming when they get quick baskets down low or good looks from kickouts, but if they continue to miss from outside the paint, teams will take advantage.
Iowa has not been a good defensive team this season and are prone to turnovers. If the shots aren't falling, Iowa won't win many games.
FDU showed the formula for beating Iowa, which is to force the ball out of the paint and let the guards beat you with their shooting. If Kylie Feuerbach, Chit-Chat Wright, and Taylor Stremlow don't find their shooting strokes, it could be an early exit for the Hawkeyes