The Best Of Iowa's First-Round NCAA Tournament Games
Iowa was on track to being in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament before concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus forced cancellation.
So it's a good time to look back at some of the top first-round games in the modern era, beginning with Iowa's trip in 1979.
The rally over George Washington
The 1995-96 Hawkeyes came into the tournament with a 22-8 record. They were the 6 seed in the West Regional, and faced 11 seed George Washington in the first round in Tempe, Ariz.
But the Hawkeyes struggled early in the game, and trailed by 17 points with eight minutes to play.
The Hawkeyes, though, closed the game on a 25-6 run. They tied the game at 77 on two free throws from Jess Settles with 1:41 to go, then took the lead on Andre Woolridge's jumper after a steal by Kenyon Murray.
George Washington tied the game with two free throws with 42.6 seconds left, then after a Woolridge miss, Russ Millard got the offensive rebound and the Hawkeyes took a timeout.
Millard got the inbounds pass, and was fouled on his drive to the basket. He then made two free throws for the final margin.
"One of the greatest games in Iowa history," said Settles, who had 21 points and 15 rebounds.
"This goes down as one of the great ones," Iowa coach Tom Davis said.
Woodbury's tip
The 2016 Hawkeyes were the 7 seed in the South Regional, playing 10 seed Temple in Brooklyn, N.Y.
To advance, though, they would need an Adam Woodbury tip-in at the buzzer in overtime for a 72-70 win.
With the score tied at 70, Mike Gesell's baseline jumper missed everything. But Woodbury was able to grab the ball and get off a buzzer-beating shot that rattled in for the score.
"It felt good off my hand, hit (the) back rim," Woodbury said. "I was just praying that it fell in."
Davis' final run started against UAB
Davis' final season as coach in 1999 provided one of the more memorable NCAA tournament runs for the Hawkeyes, and it started in Denver.
The Hawkeyes were the 5 seed in the West Regional, playing 12 seed UAB. Their 77-64 win sent them into the second round against Arkansas, but the game could be considered the Dean Oliver Flu Game.
Oliver, Iowa's sophomore point guard, had been hit with the flu and hadn't practiced all week, but he scored 15 points in 19 minutes.
"He told me yesterday, 'I'll be there, I'll be there,' and I wasn't sure he could do it," Davis said. "He had a terrific game."
"It's been my dream to play in this tournament," Oliver said. "I wasn't going to let anything stop me."
Street's NCAA debut
Iowa's 76-73 win over East Tennessee State in the 1991 tournament was memorable for the player who scored just two points in the game.
Iowa freshman forward Chris Street had seven rebounds and five steals, the last steal coming against ETSU's Rodney English with 29 seconds left.
"It doesn't matter to me if I score," Street said. "This time we needed rebounds, obviously, and we needed some steals and some big plays."
White dominates Davidson
Aaron White put on a show in the 83-52 victory over Davidson in 2015. The senior forward had 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting.
It is Iowa's largest margin of victory in NCAA tournament play. It was also the Hawkeyes' first NCAA tournament win since 2001.
