Iowa basketball vs. Clemson: Three keys to March Madness victory
· Yahoo Sports
The first NCAA Tournament game in three years is imminent for the Iowa men's basketball program.
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In his first season as the head coach of the Hawkeyes, Ben McCollum has led his team back to the Big Dance. While there were some ups and downs this season, it's hard to argue with the result of a 20-win season and a spot in March Madness. This team has its flaws, but it's also hung around with some of the best teams in the country, signaling a tournament run isn't all that far-fetched.
Any run that Iowa wants to make in March begins on Friday night against Clemson. The Tigers won 24 games in the ACC and will present an interesting challenge for the Hawkeyes. Even without key big man Carter Welling, Clemson is going to be a difficult matchup for McCollum's squad. Here's what Iowa needs to do to come out with a win and advance in the tournament.
Depth must show up for Iowa basketball
Bennett Stirtz is great, but he can't do it all by himself. Clemson and head coach Brad Brownell have spent the entire week devising a game plan predicated on slowing down Stirtz. All season long, Iowa's results in games hinge on how well Stirtz plays. You can count on one hand the number of games the Hawkeyes have won this season where Stirtz didn't play well.
The Tigers know that, and they're going to key in on Iowa's senior point guard. This is where the play of the depth comes in. Iowa will need at least one other guy to provide some scoring alongside Stirtz. There have been flashes from Cooper Koch, Tavion Banks, and Alvaro Folguerias this season, but consistency has been an issue. If Iowa wants to win this game, someone from that trio will need to have a strong performance.
Race to 65 points
Clemson has yet to lose a game this season when they hold opponents to less than 65 points. On the season, they only allow 66.7 points per game, slightly higher than Iowa's 66.0. This is going to be a grind-it-out slugfest between a pair of teams with strikingly similar profiles. The goal and key for Iowa will be breaking that 65-point plateau.
The only question for McCollum is how his team will reach that mark. You can almost pencil in Stirtz for somewhere around 20 points, which leaves another 45 points to fill. As mentioned earlier, this is where the depth of the Hawkeyes really needs to show up. If Koch, Banks, and Folguerias can combine for 35-40 points, Iowa should feel decent about its chances to win this game.
Take care of the basketball
Both Iowa and Clemson average fewer than 10 turnovers a game, an amazing stat that truly tells the story of how both programs want to win games: low-scoring affairs where they control the clock and pace of the game. This really feels like a game where the team that commits more mistakes than the other will lose. There's no room for error in what projects to be a tight game.
Iowa's done a great job this season of winning the turnover battle, but it hasn't always led to wins. This would be the perfect game for that trend to change. If they can force Clemson into double-digit turnovers and take care of the ball themselves, Iowa could easily find itself moving on. If not, it could be another heartbreaking chapter in March for this program.
Iowa and Clemson will tip off at 5:50 pm CST on TNT.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball vs. Clemson: Three keys to March Madness victory