ESPN ranks Iowa basketball against March Madness Sweet 16 schools

[ASFN Admin]

The Iowa Hawkeyes get to keep on dancing after stunning the No. 1-seeded Florida Gators to punch a ticket to their first Sweet 16 since 1999. The game saw both teams land haymakers on each other, but the Hawkeyes, after so many late-game mishaps during the season, found a way to gut out a massive win for the program's trajectory.

Advancing to the second week is due in large part to a masterful coaching performance of Ben McCollum, who was able to squeeze every ounce out of Iowa against Florida when he needed it most. With just 16 teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament, ESPN ranked the remaining squads and sees Iowa looking like the best version of itself.

15. Iowa HawkeyesOriginal seed: No. 9 (South)Tournament results: Defeated No. 8 Clemson 67-61 (first round); defeated No. 1 Florida 73-72 (round of 32)

A team's season can flip in an instant. The Hawkeyes were 3-7 in their previous 10 games entering the NCAA tournament. During that stretch, they were sub-50 in offensive and defensive efficiency, per BartTorvik, and had shot 31% from 3. They seemed destined for an early exit in the NCAA tournament -- not their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999. It's clear now that Iowa's late slip was just a blip. Remember, before that monthlong slide, the Hawkeyes were top 25 in offensive and defensive efficiency in coach Ben McCollum's first season. They also forced turnovers on nearly one-fifth of their opponents' possessions (10th nationally) and made 38% of their 3-point attempts. They were a good team. And then, weeks later, Alvaro Folgueiras made the winning 3-pointer in the upset of 1-seed and defending champion Florida. And just like that, the Hawkeyes are winning again. In the NCAA tournament, they're resembling the version that excelled over the first three months of the season.

Up next: vs. Nebraska (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., TBS/truTV) - Myron Metcalf, ESPN

Iowa and Nebraska will meet for the third time this year, with both of the previous matchups being tight battles. This one, with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line, figures to be the most intense of the bunch. In ESPN's rankings, they see the Cornhuskers sitting just ahead of the Hawkeyes at No. 13.

13. Nebraska CornhuskersOriginal seed: No. 4 (South)Tournament results: Defeated No. 13 Troy 76-47 (first round); defeated No. 5 Vanderbilt 74-72 (round of 32)

The best story of the NCAA tournament continues. More than seven decades ago, in 1954, Jerry Bush accepted the men's basketball coaching job at Nebraska. His daughter, Karen, had a son named Fred in 1972. Fred just led Nebraska to the first Sweet 16 in school history with his son Sam Hoiberg, who finished with eight points and six assists in a thriller against Vanderbilt on Saturday. It's an incredible story. But the third-to-last possession -- before Tyler Tanner nearly won it for the Commodores on a beyond half-court heave -- is the true story of Nebraska's season. Before what would be Braden Frager's winning layup for the Huskers, Tanner was trapped by a pair of defenders on the baseline. It's why Pryce Sandfort (19.0 PPG in the NCAA tournament) & Co. have the Big Ten's best defense this season. - Myron Metcalf, ESPN

The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers are slated to tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 26, from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, in a matchup airing on TBS and truTV.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Riley on X: @rileydonald7

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : ESPN ranks Iowa basketball against March Madness Sweet 16 schools

Continue reading...