The NCAA Tournament is in full swing, and Sunday brings along plenty more second-round action. Saturday saw some interesting results as top seeds flexed their muscles, with another upset busting more brackets (we see you, Texas). Let’s now turn the page to Sunday’s second round games with more Sweet 16 berths on the line.
Specifically, we'll focus on one game in the South region of the March Madness bracket. Find out which key stats and trends are worth paying attention to as Florida and Iowa battle it out. Enjoy this game preview as you place your college basketball picks and bets.
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NCAA Tournament Second Round Preview: South Region (Sunday)
(Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook)
No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 1 Florida Gators
Three of the four Sweet 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament South region have been decided. On Sunday, we'll round out that portion of the bracket as Iowa takes on Florida. The No. 1 seed Gators are double-digit favorites over the No. 9 seed Hawkeyes, with a 145.5 over/under.
Florida unsurprisingly handled business in the first round with a 114-55 beatdown of No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M. The Gators are now 18-2 over their last 20 games and look very capable of reaching a second straight Final Four. The defending national champs boast a top-10 offense and defense, looking like one of the best teams in the country over the past three months now.
Iowa, meanwhile, took care of No. 8 seed Clemson on Friday to advance. The Hawkeyes stretched out a double-digit lead in the second half to pull away and ultimately earn the 67-61 victory. Even with the win, Iowa is still just 4-7 over its last 11 games. Still, it ranks in the top-30 nationally in both offense and defense on KenPom.
This is a major clash of styles in terms of speed of play. Florida wants to push the pace, ranking 29th-fastest in the country in tempo. The Gators prefer to run in transition and score quickly. Conversely, Iowa likes to slow things down, ranking 361st in pace. The Hawkeyes will be methodical on offense and are more than happy to use up the entire shot clock.
It'll be interesting to see which team can control the game’s pace. Florida usually dictates the tempo in higher-scoring, back-and-forth shootouts. However, some opponents have slowed the Gators down at times. Iowa will try to do just that, and the Hawkeyes tend to play in lower-scoring contests while forcing teams to go at their speed.
Iowa could have major issues scoring against a Florida defense that ranks 6th nationally in efficiency. Specifically, the Gators shut down the paint with the 5th-best two-point defense and 7th-best defensive rebounding rate. Reuben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, and Micah Handlogten give the frontcourt a ton of size, depth, and dominance in the paint. That's an issue for Iowa, which leans on its interior scoring plenty.
On the other end, Iowa's defense forces turnovers at the 15th-highest rate in the sport. That and the Hawkeyes' molasses-slow tempo could get Florida out of its rhythm at times. However, the Gators have a massive offensive advantage in the paint while Iowa struggles to defend inside, ranking 272nd nationally in two-point defense.
