Iowa PG Bennett Stirtz among NCAA Tournament's top players to watch

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The Iowa Hawkeyes are headed back to March Madness as a No. 9 seed to take on the No. 8-seeded Clemson Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament from Tampa, Florida.

The Hawkeyes and the Tigers are an even matchup, with both teams sitting in the middle of the pack of the NCAA Tournament power rankings, but the Hawkeyes have an advantage with the best player on the court.

Iowa relies on point guard Bennett Stirtz to run the show, and his ability to command the offense and score has him among CBS Sports' top players to watch in the South Region.

Bennett Stirtz, Iowa: Stirtz followed Iowa coach Ben McCollum from Division II Northwest Missouri to Drake last season and now to Iowa. No one in college basketball controls a game for their team quite like Stirtz, who is averaging 20 points, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals while posting excellent shooting splits. All of Iowa's ambitions are in Stirtz's hands. - David Cobb, CBS Sports

The NCAA Tournament is not new to Bennett Stirtz, who led the Drake Bulldogs to the tournament last year and announced his presence on a national stage. Stirtz led the No.11-seeded Drake Bulldogs to a first-round upset over No. 6 Missouri, a game in which Stirtz put up 21 points on an 8-11 shooting performance.

In the second game of the tournament, Stirtz followed it up with another game, posting 21 points, this time in a loss to the No. 3-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Iowa PG Bennett Stirtz among NCAA Tournament's top players to watch

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