Florida vs Iowa Prediction and Preview: NCAA Tournament Second Round

Florida vs Iowa Game Preview: Can the Hawkeyes Set the Tempo?

Florida vs Iowa How To Watch

Date: Sunday, March 22
Venue: Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
Time: 7:10 pm ET
TV: TBS
Streaming: March Madness Live App, Paramount+, HBO Max
Teams: (1) Florida 27-7, (9) Iowa 22-12
CFN Spring Football Rankings
Florida 26 | Iowa 20
First Round
Florida 114, Prairie View A&M 55
Iowa 67, Clemson 61

- CFN NCAA Tournament Schedule, Previews

Key Stats

- Florida had a 63-point lead at one point against the Panthers of Prairie View A&M.

- Iowa hit 24 of 31 free throws in the first round game; Clemson only took 12 and made 8.

Why Iowa Will Win: Go Iowa and SLOW It Down

When everything is working for the Hawkeyes, every possession for the other side becomes gold.

There’s more pressure, more stress, and more work to do every time down against a defense that allows just 66 points per game, helped by forcing a ton of takeaways.

This only works if Iowa keeps Florida from going off. The Hawkeyes are 20-2 when allowing fewer than 71 points and 15-0 when giving up fewer than 66.

It’s not easy, but it can be done. Kentucky held the Gators to 71 points in the SEC Tournament, Auburn and Duke held on, but …

Why Florida Will Win: The Gators Will Score More Points

Yeah, duh, scoring is sort of the idea, but this team can’t help but crank up the scoring.

There are too many parts to cover. The Gators are big on the interior, leading the nation in rebounds, and most importantly, offensive rebounds.

Iowa is 352nd in the nation in defensive boards, but that’s a bit of an unfair statistic - possessions in Hawkeye games are limited. Even so, Florida will own the glass.

And yes, Iowa will try to slow things down, but Florida will score fast whenever it gets the chance. Get the defensive board, fire it out, put points on the board.

Florida vs Iowa Prediction, Betting Lines

Iowa will fight the good fight, and it’ll have its moments when it’s in control, but even the smallest of Florida bursts will be enough to take over.

There’s just not enough firepower or pop on the Hawkeye side. Its mind-control tricks work on the mediocre, but the good teams with a few good scoring options don’t have much of a problem.

Florida will be playing from the lead all game long, and Iowa won’t hit the threes to get over the top.

Prediction: Florida 79, Iowa 67
Consensus Line: Florida -10.5, o/u: 145.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3

Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.