Why Iowa? CBS Sports details why to root for Hawkeyes' Sweet 16 run

[ASFN Admin]

Why not Iowa? Why not the Iowa Hawkeyes and keeping this dream run alive? After dethroning the defending champions in an upset of No. 1 seed Florida, Iowa and its fans have thoughts of what could be with continuing this run in the Sweet 16.

Iowa is a group of players who started their careers in the Division II, JUCO, and mid-major ranks, coming together under Ben McCollum to get every ounce of talent they have during this tournament. That is the reason Iowa is easy to root for.

The Hawkeyes are led by a head coach in Ben McCollum, who knows nothing but winning. Why root against a guy like that?

Iowa

Why you should root for the Hawkeyes: Coach Ben McCollum simply wins

Iowa's Ben McCollum is in his first season as a coach at the high-major level, and he's already leaving his mark. McCollum has Iowa in the Sweet 16 for the first time this century, but postseason success is nothing new to him. At Northwest Missouri State (Division II), McCollum had a 32-7 record in the tournament and won four national championships. In his lone season at Drake, he helped the program win 31 games and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, he has Iowa back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. He is one of the fastest-rising coaches in the country.

Sweet 16 opponent: No. 4 Nebraska (Thursday) - Cameron Salerno, CBS Sports

Ben McCollum had a perfect game plan against the Florida Gators and will now have had multiple days to prepare for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a team they have played twice already this season. McCollum will know what matchups he wants, what Nebraska wants to do, and how he wants to combat it.

Expect a chess match from Ben McCollum and Fred Hoiberg in this Sweet 16 game with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line.

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: @rileydonald

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : Why Iowa? CBS Sports details why to root for Hawkeyes' Sweet 16 run

Continue reading...