Selected as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region, Iowa (19-13, 11-9 Big Ten) squares off against ninth-seeded Auburn (20-12, 10-8 SEC) tonight in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Tipoff is set for 5:50 p.m. CT tonight on TNT. Here’s some broadcast information and matchup notes ahead of the big contest. With a win, Iowa would track down 20 wins for a fifth consecutive season.
Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery discussed how his team secured a fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid yesterday with the media.
“Coming into the season, we thought we could be a good team. But, you know, we lost a lot from last year, he was the fourth pick. You lose a guy that scored 2,000 points. We lost quite a bit. And other people had to step up in different roles, and they did that. And Filip Rebraca I think took his game to a whole new level which was critical to our success. One of the main reasons why we are here.
“I thought Connor McCaffery had a spectacular season across the board, as a leader filling the stat line. You know, our point guard position was handled primarily by Jordan Bohannon for a long time. Somebody else had to step up. Kind of did it, obviously, with Ahron Ulis. A little bit of point guard by committee there: We played Tony there, we played Connor there, we played Dasonte Bowen there.
“Kris Murray had to take that next step, which he did. You know, his entire life he’s been playing with his brother, and now, you know, more of his show and he put up incredible numbers, really consistent. All those guys were. You know, we got a spectacular season, which I think we thought we would after we moved Tony Perkins into the starting lineup last year. Last part of the season you figured he would come in and have the year he did. That was critical.
“I thought the guys were locked in from day one. You know, we start practice in June now, as you know. And I thought really came together. Our experienced guys and our younger guys. Great attitude in the locker room. And it’s a fun team to coach,” Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery said yesterday on his team’s season.
The Hawkeyes left for Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday and were inside Legacy Arena yesterday practicing before this evening’s contest. Here’s the best photos from the Hawkeyes meeting with the media and practicing inside Legacy Arena.