Iowa Suffer's a Disappointing Loss to Gonzaga in the Round of 32

After an impressive record setting victory against the Davidson Wildcats the Hawkeye's came into Sunday nights Round of 32 match up against the 2nd seeded  Gonzaga  Bulldogs with allot of momentum in their favor. Against Davidson in the Round of 64 the Hawkeye's offense looked unstoppable at times, as Iowa scored 83 points and set a school record for the largest margin of victory in a NCCA Tournament game with a 83-52 victory. Unfortunately the momentum the Hawkeyes carried into Sunday night's game against Gonzaga was not enough, as the Hawkeyes fell to to the Bulldogs 87-68. Iowa's offense was unable to keep up with Gonzaga's high-pace offense, as Gonzaga controlled the pace of this high tempo game. The Bulldogs, who came into the nation rated number 1 overall in terms of field goal percentage, continued their hot shooting against the Hawkeyes by shooting over 60% from the field while also shooting over  60% from behind the arc. Forward Kyle Wiltjer led the Bulldogs offensive attack with an amazing offensive performance shooting 10-12 from the field while going 4-6 from three point range in rout to a game high 24 points. Wiltjer was also able to get it done on the glass by pulling down 7 rebounds. Three other Bulldog players scored in double digits including backup forward Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis was able to use his size down low to force Iowa into foul trouble while also picking up 18 points on just 10 shots. Gonzaga's size bothered Iowa all night which led to both Iowa center's fouling out. With Gonzaga's size advantage and with Iowa's bigs in foul trouble this helped Gonzaga gain a 34-22  rebound advantage  which they used to provide fast break opportunities for their offense while also limiting Iowa 's second chance opportunities. Iowa forward's Jarrod Uthoff and Aaron White both had strong games offensively for the Hawkeyes but were unable to provide enough offense to keep up with the fast pace Bulldogs. With the loss the Hawkeyes are eliminated from this years NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga will move on to face UCLA in the Sweet 16 on March 27th.

For live up to date information on Iowa, Iowa State, and UNI's Men's basketball teams be sure to follow me on Twitter @IaTourneyWatch

UNI's Record Setting Season Comes to an End

After finishing the season with a school record 31 wins (which included a MVC Tournament Championship) the 5th seeded  Northern Iowa Panthers fell to the the 4th seeded Louisville Cardinals 66-53 in Sunday's Round of 32 match up in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals had a phenomenal defensive effort in a hard fought win against the Panthers. Louisville's defense caused the Panthers offense trouble all night and was able to take control of the game early by keeping two of the Panther's starting five scoreless.  Louisville held Northern Iowa's starter's to just 27 points while holding MVC Player of the Year Seth Tuttle to just 7 shot attempts in which he was able to convert to 14 points.  The Panther's as a whole made just 39 percent of their field goals and shot 6-19 from 3-point range.  On the offensive side of the ball Louisville used a well balanced offensive attack that featured four starters scoring in the double digits, led by  guard Terry Rozier who scored a game high 25 points. The versatile Rozier was able to do alot of his damage offensively at the free-throw line, getting to the free-throw line 9 times while making 8 shots.  Rozier was also able to get his teammates involved while recording a game high 7 assists. With the the loss the Panther's have been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Louisville will go on to face North Carolina State in the Sweet 16 on March 27th.

For live up to date information on Iowa, Iowa State, and UNI's Men's basketball teams be sure to follow me on Twitter @IaTourneyWatch

Iowa Beat's Davidson, Will Play Gonzaga in Round of 32

After being upset by Penn State, the Hawkeyes faced an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament.  This led many to wonder how the Hawkeyes would respond in the Round of 64 in this years NCAA Tournament.  The Hawkeyes were able to combat the loss by pulling off one of the teams most impressive victories of the season, in a 83-52 win against the 10th seeded Davidson Wildcats.  Senior forward Aaron White led the potent Hawkeye offensive attack by scoring a game high 26 points. White caught fire in the second half shooting 8 for 9, scoring 17 points. The Hawkeyes dominated Davidson down low scoring 36 points in the paint and were very effecient finishing the game with a field-goal above 50%. On defense the Hawkeye's were able to use their size to their advantage and did not allow Davidson to get into a rhythm offenisvely. Iowa's defence held Davidson to a season low 53 points as the Wildcats were held to a 33.3 feild-goal percentage. The 31 point margin of victory set a school record for Iowa as the most lopsided won NCCA Tournament game in school history.

With the win against Davidson, the Hawkeye's will advance to the Round of 32 and face the 2nd seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs on Sunday March 22nd at 6:10 on TBS.  Gonzaga will be a tough test for Iowa as the Bulldogs have only lost twice this season by a combined total of 6 points. The Bulldogs finished the season winning three straight en route to the 3rd consecutive West Coast Conference Tournament tittle. Gonzaga has one of the most efficient offenses in the country and ranks 1st in the nation in field goal percentage and is top 10 in both points and assist per a game.

In order for Iowa to contain the Bulldog's high-scoring offense, the Hawkeye's must control the tempo of the game by avoiding getting into a track meet with Gonzaga's high flying offense. Gonzaga also shows strength in rebounding, averaging over 27 rebounds per a game which ranks 2nd nationally.  In order for the Hawkeyes to upset the Bulldogs, Iowa will need to protect the glass and limit Gonzaga's second chance opportunities.  A key match up in this game will be between Iowa's senior forward Arron White and Gonzaga's forward Kyle Wiltjer. White will have his hands full defensively, as Witjer led Gonzaga in scoring in the regular season, averaging 16.7 points per game and over 6 rebounds per game. To add to his success, Waltzer also had a big first game in the tournament against North Dakota State in which he led the Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding with 23 points and 8 rebounds, shooting an efficient 8-12 from the field.  The winner of this match up will move on to the Sweet 16 to face the UCLA Bruins.

For live up to date information on Iowa, Iowa State, and UNI's Men's basketball teams be sure to follow me on Twitter @IaTourneyWatch

UNI Wins Big, Moves on to Round of 32

The UNI Panther's entered the NCAA Tournament  with plenty of momentum after finishing the season winning 20 of their last 21 games en route to a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship. The 5th seeded Panther's carried that momentum into Fridays game against the 12th seeded Wyoming Cowboys. Five minutes into the game the Cowboy's lead the Panther's 9-8. UNI 's Nate Bus then sunk a three point bucket to spark a 10 point Panther run. The run gave UNI momentum as the  Panther's were able to generate a 9 point halftime lead.  In the second half the Panther's continued to play impressively on both sides of the ball, and out scored the Cowboy's 36-30 in the half, which gave UNI an impressive 71-54 victory. UNI used a well balanced attack on offense which included five players scoring in double digits. UNI senior and MVC player of the year, Seth Tuttle, had another big game with 14 points and 9 rebounds, but it was the Panther's bench that turned out to be the game changer as UNI's bench outscored Wyoming's bench 32-2. UNI's impressive bench play was led by reserve guard Paul Jesperson scored 16 points while shooting 3 for 6 from behind the arc.

With the win UNI set a school record for most wins in a season with 31 wins the Panther's will advance to the round of 32 in this years's NCAA tournament and will face the 4th seeded Louisville Cardinals on Sunday, March  22nd at 8:40 P.M..  Louisville will be a tough mach up for the Panther's as the Cardinals  finished the season with a 25-8 record which included a narrow 57-55 victory in the round of 64 against UC Irvine. Louisville's offense is lead by guard Terry Rozier who has averaged 17 points per a game this season. Rozier is one of Louisville's best shooters and made over 40-3 pointers this season. The Panther's offense will be tested by Louisville's impressive defense which ranks in the top 20 in points allowed, blocks, and steals per game.  The winner of this match up will move on to the Sweet 16 and will face the winner of the Villanova vs. North Carolina State game.

Iowa State Suffer's an Early Exit

After finishing the season with five straight double digit deficit come from behind victories in rout to a Big 12 Tournament Championship, many expected the Iowa State Cyclone's to make a deep run in this year's tournament. Sadly Iowa State was not able to live up to the high expectations and fell short in a hard fought 60-59 loss to the UAB Blazers on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 3 seeded Cyclone's came in to the game as heavy favorites and were projected to win by double digits. Number 14 seed  UAB was able to contain Iowa State's high scoring offense and held them to just 28 first half points and led at half 31-28. In a close second half UAB was able to close the game on a 9-4 run and went on to win 60-59. The Blazer's offense was led by junior guard Robert Brown who was able to who scored 21 points to lead all scorers. UAB's defense limited Iowa State's star forward Georges Niang to just 11 points on 4-15 shooting. Offensively  Iowa State shot just 37% from the field and 26% from behind the arc. With the win UAB will advance to the round of 32 to face the UCLA Bruins.

NCAA Tournament 1st Round Preveiw

With Championship Week coming to an end this weekend, on Sunday the NCAA selection committee determined this years NCAA Championship Tournament. Iowa State, UNI, and Iowa were all selected to this years Big Dance. Below is a preview of the first round match-ups

Iowa State

After finishing the season wining five straight in rout to a second straight Big 12 Tournament Title the Iowa State Cyclones received a 3 seed for this years NCAA Tournament.  Iowa State will face Conference USA Tournament champions, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers in the South region of this this years NCAA Tournament on Thursday March 19th at 11:40 A.M.. UAB finished the season with a 16-15 regular season record before winning 3 straight games in the Conference USA Tournament including the championship match up against Middle Tennessee. The conference championship granted UAB automatic birth in the NCAA Tournament, The Cyclones are heavy favorites in the first round of this years tournament as it will be difficult for the young Blazers to match-up against  ISU's Georges Niang and  Jameel McKay leading the Cyclone's offensive attack. The winner of this game will face the winner of 6 seed SMU vs. 11th seeded UCLA. Iowa State has potential to make a deep run in this years tournament. The team is carrying plenty of momentum coming into to the tournament after a string of double digit comebacks. Iowa State's offensive power make them a threat against any team in the nation.  

IOWA

After finishing the regular season with a 6 game win streak and a 21-11 record the Iowa Hawkeyes lost the first game they played in the Big Ten Conference Tournament to Penn State. Despite the loss the Hawkeyes received a 7th seed for this years NCCA Men's Basketball Tournament. Iowa Will Be facing the 10th seeded Davidson Wildcats on Friday March 20th at 6:20 P.M.  They are seeded out of the South Region. Davidson finished the season with 24 wins and 7 losses. In the A-10 Conference Tournament the Wildcats suffered a humiliating early defeat to VCU when they lost 93-70 which snapped a 10 game win streak. The Davidson Wildcats are a very efficient team and have turned the ball over less than any other team in the nation. The Hawkeyes will need a big game performance from star forward Aaron White to avoid being upset. This game has potential to be a very competitive first round match up and it is crucial for Iowa to control the glass and avoid allowing second chance opportunities. The winner of this game will face the winner between number 2 seed Gonzaga and 15th seeded North Dakota State.

University of Northern Iowa

After waiting a week after UNI won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament the Panthers (who finished the season 30-3) finally found out there fate this past Sunday. The Panther's have been seeded 5th in the East Region and will face the Mountain West Conference Tournament champions the Wyoming Cowboys on Friday March 20th at 12:40 P.M,, The Cowboy's finished the season with a 25-9 record which included a run to the Mountain West Conference Tournament where they surprised many and then defeated San Diego State 45-43 to earn a NCAA Tournament invite. The Cowboys are very good defensive team and rank top ten nationally in points allowed. The Cowboys defense will be tested with a very efficient UNI offense lead by MVC player of the year Seth Tuttle. Tuttle has be the focal point to the Panther's offense with his presence down low and has averaged over 15 points and 6 rebounds a game. Also look for UNI's junior guard Wes Washpun to provide a spark off the bench after averaging over 7 points off the bench earning MVC 6th man of the year. The winner of this match up will face the winner of Louisville and UC Iverine,


Full Bracket Here

Iowa State Wins Big 12 Tournament for a Second Straight Year

The number 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones were able to get revenge on the Big 12 regular season tittle winners, the Kansas Jayhawks, in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game with another thrilling come from behind victory. Once again Iowa State got off to a slow start and were trailing the Jayhawks by 14 at half.  Georges Niang provided a spark for the Cyclone offense in the second half to help fuel a 70-66 come from behind victory. Niang led ISU in scoring with 19 points. This is the second straight year Iowa State has now won the Big 12 Tournament. The Cyclone's will be carrying plenty of momentum coming into the NCAA Tournament after winning five straight games.