Maybe the NCAA Tournament selection committee had a storyline up their sleeve, or maybe it was just genuinely pure coincidence. Either way, there’s a subplot at work in the first-round March Madness battle between No. 8 seed Iowa and No. 9 seed Auburn.
While it’s the first-ever meeting between the two programs, Auburn head men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is intimately familiar with Iowa City and the Hawkeye men’s basketball program. Pearl served as an assistant coach under longtime Iowa head coach Tom Davis from 1986-92.
The pair combined for five tournament trips and eight tournament wins during their time together in Iowa City, including an Elite 8 run in 1987 and a Sweet 16 trip in 1988.
After the draw was announced, Pearl reflected on what his time in Iowa meant to him and his familiarity with the Hawkeyes.
“Now, our first opponent in Iowa: I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t start a press conference talking about how special it was for me to be at Iowa as an assistant for six years. The Hawkeye State is something special. I think people in Alabama, here in the South, would share a lot of things with the people in Iowa in the Midwest. Two great states full of great people. A really important time for me as an assistant coach under Dr. Tom Davis, and I still have some great, great friends there,” Pearl said of his time with the Hawkeyes.
Iowa assistant coach Matt Gatens got his coaching start under Pearl at Auburn. Gatens assisted with travel, development, scouting, video and camps and has been credited with helping guards Bryce Brown and Jared Harper morph into All-SEC selections.
“Matt Gatens, who played for the Hawks — whose dad, Mike Gatens, was one of my best friends in Iowa City, who also played for the Hawks under Lute Olson — was on our staff. So I’ve already texted Matt and told him I’ve changed all the play calls, and I’ve changed all my signals, and we’re not running that anymore, and stuff like that,” Pearl joked.
There’s a lot of respect from Pearl to Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery.
“Matt works for a great head coach in Fran McCaffery — veteran that’s been there and done that. One of the most competitive, hardworking, great family man, great father, great teacher as head coach, and a brilliant offensive tactician. Iowa, as a team, will be one of the best offensive teams we’ve played.
No. 3 in offensive efficiency. They play the 31st-fastest tempo. They make eight threes a game. They’re No. 8 in a country at taking care of the ball, as far as their assist-turnover ratio. They just don’t turn it over. They get a shot off before they turn it over. Thirtieth in the nation in assists per field goal, and they’re a great offensive rebounding team. Defensively, they do a lot of different things. They’re multiple in how they defend. So just a lot of things, obviously, to prepare for,” Pearl said of the Hawkeyes.
Iowa tips off against Auburn at 5:50 p.m. CT on Thursday night on TNT from Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
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