The Iowa Hawkeyes face the one-seed Florida Gators in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawkeyes and Gators play on Sunday, March 22, at 6:10 p.m. Central Time, and the Gators are a heavy favorite (+10.5).
Iowa is looking to make it back to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999, and Florida is a massive roadblock to that happening.
The game between the two programs is the first-ever meeting, so we reached out to our FanSided sister site, Hail Florida Hail, and spoke to site expert Benjamin Henderson about what Iowa needs to do to upset Florida ahead of the big matchup.
Dear Old Gold:
Florida's offense is well-balanced, but Iowa plays a stingy brand of defense. How does Iowa slow down Florida's high-powered attack?
Benjamin Henderson:
When Florida has gotten into trouble, it's been with ball security. In the SEC Tournament loss to Vanderbilt, the Gators still committed 14 turnovers. When they get into this funk, it tends to be a result of trying to do too much and going out of their way to assert their dominance.
Slowing Florida down starts with collapsing the paint and forcing the guards to beat you.
Dear Old Gold:
Florida has shot just 31.2 percent from three this season, so is forcing long-range shots the recipe for success?
BH:
Continuing on the theme of how to beat Florida, I think you have to sell out and pick your poison. It's essentially the game plan Auburn had when they beat Florida. Florida's three-point shooting has gotten better after it was abysmal to start the season.
Against Prairie View A&M, the Gators were 10-22 from three, and that's not a one-off performance. Considering the alternative of letting Reuben Chinyelu and Alex Condon have a field day in the paint, it might be the best chance.
Dear Old Gold:
Everyone knows about Florida's size, but why should Iowa be equally worried about Florida's talented guards?
BH:
Florida's guards were a massive storyline early in the season because they were lagging behind and holding the team back. Once SEC play started, they seemed to be more comfortable and finally started to find their shooting stroke.
They have strengths and at their best, they could absolutely lead Florida to a title, but I think there is still this fear in the back of people's minds that Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee are going to implode. Florida's frontcourt all went through the championship run last year, these guys did not.
Dear Old Gold:
With the spread at 10.5, how can Iowa keep this remotely close?
BH:
If Iowa slows things down, forces turnovers, hits their open shots, and Florida's guards have a bad shooting day, even when they are left open, this game could get tight in a hurry.
Keep in mind that Florida was a 9.5-point favorite against UConnlast year in the second round and it was taken to the wire.
Dear Old Gold:
Final predictions?
BH:
Iowa has proven they can be a thorn in the sides of teams all year, and last year's March Madness run for Florida didn't bring any easy games after the first round.
The fact that Iowa is 20th in effective field goal percentage has to make anyone concerned, but the fact that Iowa isn't great at defending the paint makes Florida a bad matchup for them.
As mentioned above, if Iowa generates turnovers and Florida goes ice cold from three, this game could 100% swing towards Iowa. If Florida's bigs establish themselves down low with no resistance, then Florida should cruise. I'm going to go Florida 83, Iowa 71.