NCAA Tournament: Getting to know the Iowa Hawkeyes
The Auburn Tigers received the great news on Sunday that they would play the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in nearby Birmingham as the No. 9 seed of the Midwest Region.
Auburn received an NCAA Tournament bid by finishing the regular season with a 20-11 record, with the deciding win coming on the final day of SEC play when Auburn knocked off Tennessee, 79-70 at Neville Arena.
The SEC Tournament was not kind to Auburn, as they could not erase a 15-point deficit to Arkansas on Thursday, falling 76-73. Despite the loss, the Tigers were able to get a favorable draw in the NCAA Tournament by getting the chance to play close to home.
The Tigers drew No. 1 Houston, No. 8 Iowa, and No. 16 Northern Kentucky in the first two rounds, and will open with Iowa on Thursday evening at 5:45 p.m. CT at Legacy Arena in downtown Birmingham.
What did Iowa’s road to the NCAA Tournament look like? Who is their key scorer? The answer to those questions, and more, can be found below. Here’s everything you need to know about Auburn’s first round opponent, Iowa.
Iowa's final regular season record
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The Hawkeyes enter the NCAA Tournament with a record of 19-11, and finished with an 11-9 record in Big Ten play. Several of Iowa’s key wins include: Iowa State, Indiana (twice), Michigan, Northwestern, and Michigan State.
Iowa's run in the Big Ten Tournament
Journal-Courier
The Hawkeyes suffered an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament last week by falling to Ohio State, 73-69. Filip Rebraca scored 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the loss.
Who is the Hawkeyes biggest offensive threat?
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Junior forward Kris Murray leads the Hawkeyes in scoring by posting 20.4 points per contest, and converts 48.4% of his shots. His best game this season was a 30-point, seven-rebound game against Omaha on Nov. 21, a game that Iowa won, 100-64.
Iowa has five players who average 10 or more points per game this season.
Battle on the boards
HawkCentral
While we are on the topic of Kris Murray, let’s talk about his defensive skills. Murray, alongside senior forward Filip Rebraca, average seven rebounds per game for Iowa. For comparision, Johni Broome averages 8.4 boards per game while the next best player in rebounds, Jaylin Williams, averages 4.8.
The Hawkeyes leading man
HawkCentral
Iowa is led by head coach Fran McCafferey, who is 261-175 in 13 seasons as the Hawkeyes leading man. Iowa has been to seven NCAA Tournaments under McCafferey’s leadership, and he led his team to a Big Ten championship during the 2021-22 season.
Next item on the agenda
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The winner of No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Auburn will face either No. 1 Houston or No. 16 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. The Cougars fell in the American Athletic Conference Tournament final on Sunday to Memphis, 75-65. Northern Kentucky won the Horizon League championship by defeating Cleveland State, 63-61.
