Iowa vs. Florida Tactical Breakdown: 3 Ways Hawkeyes Can Beat Gators

The deck is certainly stacked against the Iowa Hawkeyes, but that doesn't mean they can't come out of Tampa with a win.

Iowa is looking to play spoiler as No. 1 Florida just dominated Prairie View A&M, 114-55. It was far from that easy for Iowa against Clemson, but their 67-61 win was still quite impressive.

First-year head coach Ben McCollum is one win away from arguably topping anything Fran McCaffery ever did in the NCAA Tournament.

McCaffery certainly didn't have a signature win, and there's no denying Iowa would be taken into a new stratosphere if they were able to play spoiler and knock out the defending national champions.

1. Find a Way to Win The Rebounding Battle

Back at it tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/KcyRtSKqmd
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) March 22, 2026

Iowa out-rebounded Clemson, 40-27, and that's not like the Hawkeyes team that played all season long. Time and time again, they came up short in that department, but McCollum had his squad fired up, and they picked up a huge first-round win in Florida thanks to 15 offensive rebounds.

Second-chance opportunities mean everything, so if the Hawkeyes can steal a few more buckets themselves, they'll be in good shape. Not only that, but every possession matters, and Iowa is going to look to slow down the pace vs. the Gators, so making sure they don't extend possessions will go a long way.

2. Don't Let Florida Get Hot

Mar 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) celebrates after defeating the Clemson Tigers during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

As simple as it sounds, the Hawkeyes need to make sure Florida has nothing easy. That was far from the truth when these Gators played Prairie View A&M, as they ended the game an astonishing 45-for-70 from the field.

Keep in mind, Florida emptied its bench in this game and the Gators still shot that well. In total, nine bench players got on the court and they attempted 32 of those 70 shots.

3. Stay Out of the Paint

In the lab. 🧪 @MarchMadnessMBB x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/rCUqOcsJyT
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) March 21, 2026

One of Iowa's best shots at winning this game comes from three-point range. Iowa was just 7-of-25 against Clemson, which includes Stirtz, who was just 3-of-10 from distance. That can't happen again if they want to beat Florida, a team that systematically dominated the No. 16 seed in the paint.

Of Florida's 114 points, 64 of those came in the paint. It's easy to see why the field goal percentage was so high (64%). Defending their bigs and eliminating the easy buckets is going to be a challenge, but it's one Iowa needs to do successfully if it wants to keep things interesting.

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