As the Round of 64 closes in the NCAA Tournament, our second-round matchups are crystallizing. The defending champion Florida Gators are headed for a Sunday date with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Florida took care of business in the 1-16 matchup against Prairie View, getting great performances from Boogie Fland, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. It was a strong start to the title defense, and as the No. 4 team in the country, it would be no surprise to see the Gators cut down the nets once again.
Iowa found itself in a hard-fought battle with Clemson on Friday, but prevailed with a tight 67-61 win. It survived a tough shooting night for its leading scorer, Bennett Stirtz, who shot 4-of-17 from the field. But a great game off the bench from Alvaro Folgueiras helped to pick up some of the slack, and the Hawkeyes prevailed in the 9-8 matchup.
Let’s take a look at the opening odds for this Iowa-Florida matchup.
Iowa vs. Florida opening odds
Florida opens as a 11.5-point favorite and holds -700 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Iowa has +500 odds to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 146.5 points.
Florida puts out one of the best starting fives in the NCAA. Alongside the aforementioned Condon, Chinyelu, and Fland, Xaivian Lee and Thomas Haugh round out an exceptional group. All five players averaged at least 11 points per game during the regular season. It’s a balanced offensive attack with lots of defense. Rebounding is the key here; Haugh, Condon, and Chinyelu bring down at least six boards per game on average, tipping the possession scales heavily in Florida’s favor. After crushing SEC competition yet again, the Gators are as dangerous as ever.
Iowa is as close to a one-man army as you’ll find in this tournament. Stirtz caught a lot of eyes last year at Drake, including a pair of 21-point performances in last year’s tournament. He scored over 20 PPG for the Hawkeyes this year while averaging north of 37 minutes per game. To the surprise of nobody, he played all 40 minutes on Friday night. We also saw that they have talent capable of pitching in down the roster, and they’ll surely need all hands on deck to upset this Florida team.
