No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 12 Richmond preview for March Madness first-round matchup

The NCAA Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 15th with the First Four, and then moves on to the first round on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18. No. 5 seed Iowa will face No. 12 seed Richmond in the first round on Thursday. Here’s an early look at what we can expect from the Hawkeyes and Spiders in this year’s March Madness Tournament.

Once the odds from DraftKings Sportsbook are made available for this game, we’ll add that information below. We’ll also add the game time and TV channel once it’s settled.

Game date: Thursday, March 17
Game time: truTV
TV channel: 3:10 p.m. ET
Location: Buffalo, New York, KeyBank Center

Odds: Iowa -10

No. 5 Iowa

The Iowa Hawkeyes make no excuses about who they are. They will give up a ton of points, but they have one of the best offenses in the country to make up for it. Iowa really started to play well in the middle of conference play, and they’re going to be a dangerous team for anybody considering how well they can perform on the offensive end.

Iowa will have one of the most talented players in the country on their side with Keegan Murray, who has made a major jump in Year 2 and is almost certainly leaving for the NBA when this tournament run is over. The Hawkeyes play at a fast pace, making them a tricky matchup when the game increases in tempo. A perfect example was when they took on Purdue in the Big Ten championship and came away with the 75-66 victory and the automatic bid into the tournament.

Record: 25-9, 12-8 Big Ten
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 2
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 96
Against The Spread: 21-13
Over Total: 22-11-1
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +4000

No. 12 Richmond

The Spiders are dancing after an improbable run in the A-10 conference tournament. Richmond overcame double-digit deficits in each of their first two games before a hard-fought triumph over Davidson in the tournament final. This is an experienced group with Grant Golden and Jacob Gilyard leading the way. With the way this group keeps fighting, it’s hard to count Richmond out in any game at a time when crazy things are the norm.

Record: 23-12, 10-8 A-10
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 66
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 117
Against The Spread: 15-18-1
Over Total: 15-19
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +40000