The Iowa Hawkeyes didn’t draw the easiest of first-round matchups. In fact, they drew one of the most intriguing games across the entire slate. The No. 8 Hawkeyes take on the No. 9 Auburn Tigers on Thursday, March 16 at 5:50 p.m. CT in Birmingham, Ala.
The Hawkeyes and Tigers are part of the Midwest Region with the winner getting a shot to take down No. 1 Houston barring an upset of epic proportions at the hands of No. 16 Northern Kentucky. First things first, both teams are focused on getting to the second round with this matchup being touted as a highly-watchable contest.
The 8-seed versus 9-seed matchups are always tight. There really is not much difference in teams seeded this closely, but there is some belief from some big-name analysts that the Hawkeyes can find a way to advance.
Here are the predictions and thoughts on this matchup from us here at Hawkeyes Wire.