The No.2-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs (31-2) and No.7-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes (21-10) meet in the third round of the NCAA tournament at Key Arena. Action begins at 7:10 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 22.
The Bulldogs come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping North Dakota State 86-76 in the second round. Przemek Karnowski was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, are coming off an 83-52 win against Davidson in the second round. Aaron White led the game in scoring by registering 25 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
White has upped his play over the last five games for the Hawkeyes, averaging 22.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers.
This showdown pits one of the nation’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses, as Gonzaga currently ranks first in the nation in offensive efficiency and Iowa is ninth in defensive efficiency.
The odds for Gonzaga and Iowa are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Bulldogs come into this game 33-2 Straight Up (SU) and 16-14-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Gonzaga is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 16.4 assists per game. Gonzaga’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Bulldogs allow a .385 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country. Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Bulldogs, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country with an average of 27.5 defensive rebounds per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Gonzaga offense, which averages just 10.4 turnovers per game.
Over on the other bench, the Hawkeyes have a record of 15-13-1 ATS and 22-11 SU. The Hawkeyes get to the line and convert their free throws at a high volume, ranking 45th in the nation with 499 made (16.1 per game). The Hawkeyes are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 37th in Division I at 1.29.
These two will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their previous meeting last season, Iowa came out on top, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 0-0 SU.
Predictions: SU Winner – IOWA, ATS Winner – IOWA
Notes
The Iowa Hawkeyes rank 70th for their offensive rating of 107.6. The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 154.6 (ranked 32nd).
Gonzaga has the first-ranked average field goal percentage at 52.4%. Iowa has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-1).
The Iowa Hawkeyes rank higher based on their field goal percentage (197th) than their effective field goal percentage (217th), while the Gonzaga Bulldogs rank the same for both metrics (first).
Gonzaga ranks among the best in the nation in assists at 10th (16.4 assists per game). Iowa is ranked 51st with 14.5 assists per game.
Iowa, the 50th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.6 per game. Gonzaga does worse, ranked 192nd with 3.3.
Gonzaga ranks 210th in offensive rebounds, while Iowa ranks 65th in defensive rebounds.
On average, Gonzaga makes 6.2 steals per game. Iowa has a stellar 12-4 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
